Ephesians 6:17-18
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

What are our resources in this spiritual battle we must face each day?  We are well-defended by the armor that we put on, but we also may go on the offensive.  The helmet of salvation protects our minds.  It gives us the reassurance and knowledge that we are God’s children.  We are saved by Him, and so we are marching under a different banner.  And we can understand the protections we have that come simply from being redeemed by God.  We can never be lost.  We can never be overcome.  We will never be forsaken.  We have eternal life.  Those assurances put us in the right mindset to face the enemy.

The most important resource we have is God’s Word, which we can use against the main weapon of our enemy—lies and deception.  We actively engage His Word against falsehood.  We combat Satan’s lies with God’s truth.  We prevent the enemy from gaining ground by turning him back with “Thus saith the Lord.”  But we have to hone our ability to wield it and use it in battle.  We practice our swordplay by studying and learning God’s Word, memorizing Scripture, meditating on it, taking it in constantly.

We also have the resources of prayer and our fellow soldiers.  We don’t go out to battle alone.  We can call upon God for His help and intervention.  As in the days of old in Israel, God will go before us in battle.  He does not leave us to fight alone.  And we go alongside our comrades, fellow believers, giving and receiving support and help as needed.  We watch each other’s backs by praying for one another and asking for God’s protection, for safety, strength, victory, and progress forward in the overall war being fought for the souls of men.

God has given us what we need to have victory in a sinful world each day, but we have to utilize the resources that He’s given to us.  Our Bibles do us no good unopened and unread.  God’s truth can’t help us if we aren’t applying it to situations that come along in our lives.  Prayer is powerful, but we have to take time for it.  Soldiers must be diligent, committed and focused if they hope to have success, and we must do the same against an enemy who doesn’t fight fair and who will do all he can to destroy us.  So may we take up our sword and go forth to victory through Christ.