Put on the Armor of God: The Battle is Real

I haven't posted for awhile, as I have spent a lot of time in contemplation, reading, and daily prayer. Believe it or not, my paths into these activities have not been easy. In fact, on some days they have seemed like pure hell. I guess I felt that posting these experiences each week would be more of a downer for you all to read, so I have put off writing.

Tonight, though, I have felt a tug to write about SOME of my experiences and how God has been faithful, in spite of the struggle that I have definitely felt.

What feels like an eternity, the past few months have been anything but joyful for me. In spite of this, I have really, really tried to stay upbeat and positive – reading Scipture and praying the promises of God. But, just when I think I have pulled out of the doldrums, something happens that pulls me back down again. At first, it would only be for a few hours or maybe as long as a day. Then I would pull out of it. Lately, the struggle is occurring more often, though. 

I recently have been learning a lot about the spiritual battle(angels and demons) that rages daily, often without our even realizing it. I started taking more of an interest in this, as I have had some conversations over the past 6 months or so with my son on the subject of “spiritualism”, of which he has taken quite an interest in. More so lately, as his girlfriend that he has been dating around the same amount of time, is into “new age” activities – ie. transcendental meditation, yoga, use of crystals, use of magic stones, and burning incense, etc. He has questioned the reality of demons and hell and we have had long discussions over these subjects with him, but he still does not seem convinced. Now, this has been quite disconcerting for my hubby and I, as he has been raised in a Christian home all of his life and had dedicated his life to Christ at a young age. We have always been very close to our son through the years, even though he took some very different paths in his education/career choices than what we would have wanted for him. Lately, he has begun to pull away from us – not returning emails, texts, or even phone calls. This has been especially difficult on me, as I often don’t know how to respond to this behavior.(Actually, neither does my hubby, but he just hides it better than me.) When I do finally talk to him, he is very upbeat and says he is doing great, but he also seems very, very distant and vague to share his thoughts or feelings(something he has always done with us in the past). When I question his non-sharing behavior, he becomes angry and defensive, even attacking me with his words.

So here I am, trying to figure this all out. And in the process, I’m realizing that a real spiritual battle is going on right before our eyes and ears. My hubby and I have agreed to take turns and pray together daily for the Lord to intervene and win this battle in our family. Now, I know Satan hates that and so it seems that he has been working overtime, attacking our family even more. My hubby and I have been arguing more and then because we cannot come to a compromise, end up not being as close as we should be. Yes, we still pray, but our prayers are very cerebral. I have felt a struggle within myself, as well. I want to fight this battle as a warrior of God, with the Lord as my Commander. Some days my faith is stronger, while on some I feel so very weak from the battle - leaving me feeling bloodied and scarred! But, I am also reminded and do believe that He carries me on those days! I know He hears our prayers and is in control. I try to stay positive and trust that He will overcome evil with good and open our son’s heart. Sometimes those demonic forces do get in and put doubts in my mind, though. Then, my emotions often become affected by my thoughts. It is a constant battle, causing me to be in constant prayer, as well as trying to stay as positive as I possibly can!!

Putting on the full armor of God is vital, so I read these verses EVERY day:

^"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.”(Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV)

I want you to know that if you also feel like there is a battle going on in your family or in you personally, believe me, it really is real!!! This spiritual battle can seem overwhelming at times! That is why it is so important that we be ready and “in our battle uniform” at all times!! We need to never let up and never give up, as that is what Satan is waiting for!! Yes, we will grow weary at times. But, the Lord will take over when we feel we can’t fight and He will strengthen us once again for the days ahead!!! Stand firm, for the battle is His to win!!

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