A small silver cross....

I was riding the train today and saw a gentleman wearing several lapels pins. I was too far away  to recognize what they were. This got me thinking about ribbons, medals, pins, etc. If you see someone in a military uniform and they have medals or ribbons on their jacket, you may not know what they are, but you can tell from a distance that they mean something. If you see an eagle on their shoulders, you know that they are a high ranking official.



Then I started thinking about Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God.



Ephesians 6: 10-18 - 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And 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.



Some folks wear all sorts of pins on their sport coats, outer garments, on their ties, you’ve seen them. How many times have you easily recognized them? You see men riding horses on shirts, you see sailboats on shirts, and you know the manufacturers. Last year for my birthday a dear friend gave me a small silver cross that is no bigger than your small fingernail. I wear this silver cross on my left lapel of my suit or sport coat and I try to make sure that I wear it every day. There is no mistake on its’ meaning.



If you see someone in a military uniform you know that they are trained to battle other people. But for most of us our warfare is not against flesh and blood, against mere men. It is against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [Ephesians 6:12] It is there that they do battle against my soul, against God and His Son, against the heavenly armies, and against all His holy people.



I am not saying that there are times that battle is not needed against the flesh and blood. But, many of the struggles in our lives are not mere accidents! Most of them are not put there by God. Our challenges often come from the hand of our enemy, Satan. He's always looking for the best scheme to knock us out of our commitment to and relationship with the Lord. But, placing ourselves firmly in the hands of the Lord and using his tools of warfare will help us defeat our enemy who has already been humiliated by Jesus and the cross.



Therefore take up all the equipment which God has given you, which we may be able to withstand Satan's hordes in the evil day, and having done everything He wants us to do, to stand! Even if your equipment is just a small silver cross and the Word of God.



Do you know Jesus and struggle? Well then you must be in a battle with Satan. If your life is running smoothly and you are a follower of Jesus, then I ask you to check your commitment to Jesus, because Satan may a firm hold on you. If you do not know Jesus as your savior, then you need to ask for Him to come into your life and ask Him to protect you in this battle against Satan. Because Jesus is the forger of my armor!