"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
----Ephesians 6:12, NIV
As I look at the picture above, I am reminded of a time when I visited the Holy Land as a young man of 18 years of age. I remember our tour bus passing several Bedouin shepherds and their kids, shepherding flocks of sheep, and stopping off on the side of some mountain road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, with an opportunity to look down into a deep ravine, down into a deep valley of crevices and caves, rocky points and mysterious shadows that could play tricks on your mind at the slightest shift of the sun. I think about my son, the soldier, tasked with possibly entering a similar region one day because of his duty to his country; I think of the fear I might have if I knew I could end up facing something dangerous in the dark shadows, if I were him. But then I am reminded of the passage from the Old Testament that always comforted me when I was a kid, at times when I was afraid:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the House of the Lord, forever."
---- Psalm 23:1-6, NKJV
I always like the King James version of that passage, and it has meant so much to me since I memorized it during my Sunday school class as a little boy, that I even referenced it several times in a book I wrote, where a child witness to a crime turned to the same passage whenever he became afraid. But the point is right there for everyone to understand; God is our shepherd. What does a shepherd do when a wolf attacks his sheep? He fights them off. What will God do, if we are serving our duty in His holy army, and we come upon wolves who persecute us for our faith? He will fight for His sheep. But unlike the helpless sheep one might think of when they think of Bedouin shepherds on the side of some country road in the mountains and hills of Israel, God tells us that He gives us ARMOR! Ephesians 6:13 goes on to say, "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13, NIV)
You caught that last part, right. STAND
Do you see? Historical figures in the Bible were able to face dark days because God gave them the weapons to do so. These aren't physical weapons, because true evil isn't PHYSICAL. The Scriptures are God's Sword, and with Truth, Christ Himself will vanquish all evil (See Revelation 19:11-21, NIV).
But until He comes again for the Day of the Lord, we are given all of the many facets and weapons of the Armor of God - and we are given each other!
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
---- Proverbs 27:17, NIV
Whether one is clearing buildings in law enforcement, or clearing enemy structures in the military, when we clear rooms, we always have each other's backs. We train together, and we train to stay sharp; we train with one another in these fields to keep each other sharp, and we communicate with each other in dangerous situations to keep each other sharp in the moment.
What if I told you that the brotherhood of Christ...the Kingdom of Christ here on Earth, works the same way. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself," Christ said to His own disciples, as well as anyone who listened. Therefore, if we are true brothers and sisters in Christ, it is up to each of us to keep one another sharp in familiarity with God's Word...AND...God's mission.
That mission was given to all of us in the form of the Great Commission;
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..." but don't miss this last part, especially as it relates to facing that dark valley once again, "And surely I am with you always, til the very end of the age."
---- Matthew 28:19-20, NIV
Let's put it all together now. God is our Shepherd...but unlike helpless sheep, He has equipped us...He has given us the Armor of God. He has given us each other. He has given us His Holy Spirit. And He has given us Christ, so that no matter how dark that valley gets, evil will be defeated.
But part of the mission is making disciples; we at least have to do our part to tell others what we know, Good News and all. It is our duty. And just think, maybe you are a believer, but you also know some who aren't. Yet you know they face those dark valleys. Somehow, some way, the Holy Spirit found you through someone else's efforts in telling you the Good News of Jesus, and helped you through your own dark valleys. What if you take it upon yourself, and you tell that certain someone who is struggling that no matter how bad it gets here on Earth, there is a guaranteed defeat of all evil for eternity - if they but believe in Jesus Christ?
So who's with me? Let's enter the valley of the shadow of death; let's face those dark powers that be; and let's put on god's Armor as we sharpen each other for battle... battle with the dark forces from heavenly realms.
God bless,
JEF
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