The Tools For Standing Firm Series

The Tools For Standing Firm

CCCAG, July 18th, 2021

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

When I was younger, I was into sports in junior high school and high school in addition to martial arts. I played football and did a single season of wrestling, but I didn't like that because it involved too much discipline when it came to what you ate and making weight and all that kind of stuff.

That all served me well until I went into the army. In basic training, the barracks I was assigned to were located at the bottom of Tank Hill. Tank Hill was almost a mile-long steep divided road with median in the middle and at the top was the base water tower.

Guess what we had to run up and down the entire 12 weeks of basic training.

I remember the first time we marched to the bottom of that hill and got ready to run. The whole route would be about 2 miles, just like what is requires for our graduation PT test, and we had to do it in under 16:58. Furthermore, we were told that this run would determine which group we got put into- “The Roadrunners” who would be the faster runners, The “Plodders” who would be the average runners, or the “Slowpokes” who ran so slow as to be in danger of not passing the end of training PT test.

Well, I’m thinking, “I ain’t no slowpoke. I’m one of the fast guys in my school so I should be with the roadrunners”

They place us in groups where we think we should go, and the whistle blows, and off we go. I quickly ran to the front and was putting huge distance between myself and these other guys who though they were fast. I was at full glorious sprint, feeling great and passed the first block. Well, after the first block is when the elevation kicks really kicks in. Right before the second block, I gassed out and fell down to my hands and knees, and was passed quickly by the other people I had left behind. I managed to get back up and try jogging again but I was so out of breath I couldn’t manage it and threw up.

See, I had way too much faith in my sprinting ability and tried to use it to show off for what was supposed to be a long distance run. I never had learned to run distance. In fact, as a lineman in football, our training really didn’t focus on that, but only running wind sprints up hills so I though this was the same thing. After I got a shark attack (when the DI’s gang up on you screaming), one drill sergeant took those who couldn’t make it up the hill aside and taught us how to run distance and put us with the slowpokes to learn it well.

Before you knew it, I ended up with the plodders and worked my way up to the roadrunners before basic training ended.

I was ready for the sprint, but in reality, had to train for the long distance.

Our Christian life is very similar to this concept. We come in on Sunday morning and hopefully whoever is up here gets you charged up to face the next week. You go home feeling good about things and are ready to face the week.

Then Monday morning comes, and it all goes out the window. It’s because we have a sprint mentality- if I can get enough spirituality on Sunday hopefully it will hold me through until the next Sunday.

Today’s message is going to be a practical way to face life, and it’s found in Ephesians chapter 6. We are going to look at the section of scripture that deals with the armor of God, and use it to help us to see not only how the parts of the armor work, but how we are to use them to be able to stand against a continuous onslaught of our enemy that will only get worse in the coming days.

Let’s read from Ephesians 6, and then I will break it down.

Eph 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.