Ephesians 6:10-13
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
There’s one similarity I’ve noticed in meeting great people. Every powerful person I’ve ever met had the ability to remain unfazed by the opinion of others. Every great teacher, preacher, political leader or business professional tends to march to the beat of their own drum. For me, one of those persons was Maya Angelou. I first met her in college. I didn’t know much about her except she wrote a book our class had to study, “I know Why The Caged Bird Sings”. I didn’t want to go, but since the class was invited, I attended. And my life was forever changed. Her confidence. Her charisma. Her character and commitment to excellence was life altering for me. But one statement she made stands head and shoulders above everything else she shared. When asked how she dealt with doubters and haters, racist and sexist, she stood her ground and boldly proclaimed, “All they can do is destroy my body, and that’s got to die anyhow.” You could feel the confidence and conviction in her spirit. Only a person who is truly in touch with their calling and election can articulate a truth so dynamic and powerful. I’ll never forget that quote, nor the woman who quoted it.
And I can certainly say the same about this morning’s scripture (even though I’ve never met the author). Especially the part where he notes, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood… In both instances there’s a confidence in knowing who you are, and who’s you are. When you know what you’ve been given, and the power of your gift, mortal folk don’t bother you. And the reason they don’t bother you is because they don’t have the power to be your enemy.
Ever notice how the Holy Ghost comes with power but not with guns and knives. There’s no spirit of kung fu fighting in Christ. There’s no ministry of cussing or arguing in Jesus. There’s no physical weaponry or mortal battle gear. The weapons of our warfare are specifically designed to fight demons, devils and darkness. The reason I’m not fighting you is because you aren’t my enemy. You don’t have enough power to be my enemy. That’s why we are often perplexed by the attack of people in our lives. Are you serious? Do you know who I was sent by? Do you understand the power of my purpose and heavenly predetermination of my position in Christ Jesus?
But we can’t get cocky, because if we aren’t careful folk will catch us off-guard. The worst thing a soldier of the Lord can do is revert to old weapons and antiquated strategies. Let’s not do that. Remember when David was confronted with fighting Goliath? He was given the choice to use weapons he wasn’t familiar with nor had been tested by him. But when he placed his faith in God and used the weapon that he knew, he secured a tremendous victory. And that’s the kind of victory you and I should expect each and every day. The Word never said we shouldn’t fight. But our battle isn’t against our fellowman. Our battle is against the forces of evil and darkness that come to claim our souls. And the souls of our family, friends, community, society and our world. Oh, and our haters too. But thanks be to God we have been given the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Bless
