Armored Soldiers Defense and Offense at The Ready

The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy.

Steal.

Kill.

Destroy.

Each of these words is singular in its meaning. Friends, we are embarking on an 80 day sword handling exercise. A sword is a weapon, it is designed for battle. It is not a shield. It has a clear purpose. We are working to be able to rightly divide the word of truth. We are learning to handle one of the offensive weapons that make up the armor of God. You might be thinking, 2 offensive weapons in the armor of God? I can think of one, the sword. The belt of truth does not sound like an offensive weapon. The breastplate of righteousness sounds defensive. Feet fitted with readiness, not offensive. The shield of faith is defensive too. What else is offensive?

Prayer.

Paul asks that we "pray in the spirit on all occasions with this in mind... pray also for me."
Paul believed his own armor was incomplete without the prayers of others. I believe this too. The enemy does not want to you complete this challenge. He wants to steal your joy, kill your heart and destroy your motivation to get closer to him. Trust me he actually would like to kill you too.

Fight Satan's schemes with prayer. Pray for each of us. Pray for me. Pray for motivation, less distraction and for devotion. Pray for our families. Pray for the spouses of those in the challenge.
The battle rages, yet we fight. Stand firm.