Tough Enough

Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

As a soldier sets out for war, all he has in mind is to conquer and bring back victory. He is trained on all there is to know in the battlefield. He goes out there with one mindset only: Victory!

We are no different from warriors. Our battle field though is different, since it is first set in the spiritual realm before it is manifested in the physical. In which I ask, "are you tough enough to fight this battle?"

No one said the road will be easy (which is what I like to equate to a battle field), but God promised us victory. David says:

Psalm 23:4:

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.

 

David understood the things he had gone through, and even having walked through the valley of the shadow of death many times, having fought in many battles, he feared no evil. Why? Because he was confident, by experience, that even during the darkest time the Lord was always with him. God had come through for him so many times.

Paul also says:

Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Then again in verse 37 which is so profound, he says, "in all these things {tribulation, distress, persecution, famine etc.} we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Notice the present tense ‘we are’; not we will or we shall, but rather we already are more than conquerors. This is the same mindset we should have just like the warrior who is assured of coming back victorious even before the actual war.

We should always arm ourselves with the full armor of God, as warriors of God:

Ephesians 6:13-17

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...

Take up the whole armor of God, for the battle is not for the faint hearted. We should never fear, as Romans 8:15 says, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.”" 

Therefore brethren put on the full armor of God and you can be rest assured victory is yours. You are tougher than what you are going through, and all that will ever come your way. We are going to suffer persecutions and tribulations, but we are tough enough, because we have God on our side. We are confident that the One who sits on the throne can never be overthrown. 

Be confident, for you are more than a conqueror through Christ.

You are blessed!

-- Damaris Kanyugi. 

(25/01/15 Sunday Service Morning Exhortation, Teaching Transformation Ministry.)

Sister Damaris is a vibrant youth and member of the praise and worship team at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./Bypass Intersection), next to Eastgate Restaurant.