Properly Equipped

“Properly Equipped”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 6:11 NLT

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

How many of you are sports lovers?  I can just hear the guys yelling with a macho, “Oh yea!  You got that right!”  Whether you are a child, teen or adult, when you play a sport, you prepare yourselves.  Not only do you put in the practice so that you and your team can win, but you also prepare by putting on proper padding that the sport calls for to ensure safety. 

Could you imagine NFL players showing up to each game with no padding or helmets?  How about a MLB catcher showing up behind home plate with no face guard?  How about NHL players showing up without any masks or padding on their bodies? 

It would be plain dumb for any player to show up without proper protection for these games.  Why?  Because that lack of proper equipment could result in some serious injury.  Sure, injuries can happen no matter how padded or equipped you are.  However, the injuries can be quite lessened when players are protected properly.  My family watches a lot of football and I can’t begin to imagine how much more serious injuries would be without all that padding and the helmets they wear.

If we’re playing a sporting game, we want to be prepared and properly equipped so that we can play the game well.  We put so much attention on preparing for different events so that we can win, honestly how sad that we put very little effort often into being prepared for what our spiritual enemy throws at us.  We should put just as much attention, if not more, into our daily lives to ensure that we are ready for battle against Satan’s strategies.  He is NOT dumb!  He is quite intelligent and he constantly develops strategies to knock us out of the game. 

Paul is very clear as he talks about how we need to suit up with the full armor of God so that we can be strong against the enemy when he attacks.  If we are not prepared and not properly protected, he will take us down hard.  Why would we even consider not putting the time and effort into studying God’s Word and applying what we read into our daily lives so that we can be strong against Satan? 

Are you properly equipped?  Do you want to stand strong with God at your side when the enemy attacks?  If so, then digging into God’s Word daily needs to be at the top of the daily priority list.  We all need to be properly equipped.