Fight Right!

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:11‭-‬12 KJV

There is a fight going on, and it is in the realm of the spiritual. Nowhere do I read of a call by God to relax once you have know him; His call is to rest in Him, not to cease from striving IN HIS STRENGTH. God provides us with a support system, tried and trusted throughout the ages, and  this is defined as the armour of God. Let no man deceive you into thinking that the call to faith is a call to comfort. Even Israel had to fight to establish God's promise.

The armour has parts that are central to the Life that I have been called into. Since I don't determine the terms of the call, I cannot decide which parts of the armour I choose to have and the ones I can discard. God says I must have the full armour. He is the man of war, so he knows what he is talking about. The devil has been at work since creation, and he's experienced at deception and deceit. I cannot defeat him on my own, or outside the support system provided by God.

The terms of warfare are also defined here. It states categorically that the war is not against flesh and blood. This is instructive. We raise weak, mortal man to the status of chief enemies, and we fight them to the death, forgetting the chief enemy who is really at work. The enemy is smart, complex, and in regions and spheres that my intellect, abilities, qualifications and connections can never understand or fathom.

I need the help of the creator of the universe, the one who fights and never loses, to be the one directing the fight. I will lose if I am outside of Him, the enemy will win if I rest on my abilities alone. I am limited on my own; God is limitless and the only one who knows the terrain, the status of the enemy and of course, the end of all things. I must depend on and walk with him very closely and on a daily basis, so that I am not exposed to the enemy. I must daily rely on his PROvision for the vision he has birthed in me, and fight according to his strategy. The art of war lies in the One who is pulling the strings and making things happen. He has assured me of victory; all I can do is fight as he directs. His time of favour is here.