“For 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.” Ephesians 6: 12 NIV
When I was a little girl, I made the mistake of watching A Nightmare on Elm Street. My sister and I were having a sleepover with our neighbor who was more like a second sister because we all grew up together with only a fence separating our homes. It was nothing new to find us over one another’s house playing in the yard or learning the latest dances.
One night, we had the bright idea to watch a horror movie and A Nightmare on Elm Street was the winning selection. My neighbor had already watched it and said it wasn’t that scary. As the youngest of the crew, I didn’t want to come off like a wimp so I agreed to watch it even though I saw my mother’s face warning me not to watch. I had never seen a scary movie before and was still terrified of listening to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Watching the music video was practically torture and I always covered my eyes or stopped watching when Michael started to transform into a dancing zombie.
How I made it through watching Freddy Krueger’s wrinkled skin and his claw-glove slash through unsuspecting neighborhood kids, I’ll never know. His whole premise was to stalk kids in their dreams and kill them in order to seek revenge on their parents who had burned him alive. This was heavy stuff for the 80’s and I was not prepared for the nightmares that followed.
I slept okay that night because I was sandwiched in between my sister and pseudo-sister on our floor pallet. We closed all the curtains in the room and double-checked to make sure all the doors were locked. I figured that if Freddy somehow got into the room, I could get away before he had a chance to slash me. (This might have been at the sacrifice of my sister who was positioned closest to the door but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make at the time. Priorities people.) I secretly thought my sister could defeat anything because she never seemed to be afraid of any one, not even the neighborhood dogs. However, when I got home and tried to sleep in my own bed in my big, dark, scary bedroom, I was at a loss. I would do my best to sleep with my sister or bargain my way into my parents bedroom with the hopes of a Freddy-less night’s sleep. I figured my parents could pray any scary thing away.
One Sunday, I was sitting with my parents in the grown-up church service instead of the children’s service. Our Assistant Pastor was speaking on spiritual warfare. When he explained that we are battling more than mere humans in this life, my ears perked up. Did he know that Freddy Krueger was after me in my dreams and I barely escaped each night? Had he seen A Nightmare on Elm Street too and had bad dreams? What was he doing to get over them?
He went on to read Ephesians 6:12-17 about putting on the whole armor of God. He described each piece of armor and the power we would walk in if we would only guard ourselves with this armor. My eyes got big and I thought, why had mommy and daddy never told me that we had an armor we could wear to fight the enemy? Could anyone wear this? Did it come in kid sizes?
That night, I asked my parents to pray for me before I went to sleep. I was still scared and couldn’t shake the fear that I knew what awaited me when I fell into a deep sleep. Later that night, I awoke with a start because Freddy was after me again. Did this guy not have anything better to do? Was I the only child he tormented night after night?
That’s when the sermon about the armor of God came to my mind.
I jumped out of bed and went into battle mode. I was an avid watcher of Thunder Cats (even though my mom would mute the television when they summoned the Eye of Thundera. There was not going to be any summoning of anything but the Holy Spirit in our household.) I also loved watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I felt like I could fight any enemy after seeing Michelangelo eat pizza and help defeat Shredder. I was ready to fight the very danger that tormented my mind at night and new just the thing I needed.
I suited up by starting with the belt of truth. I then added my breastplate of righteousness and put on my shoes of peace. I grabbed my shield of faith then placed my helmet of salvation on my head. I picked up by bible which was my sword of the Spirit. In my head, I was outfitted like a warrior who was ready to defeat anything Freddy threw at me. I jabbed and rolled on the floor dodging every move Freddy tried to hit me with. I held my shield up and fought off all his attempts to pierce my heart or slice off my arm. My feet were quicker than ever and I fought with the skill of any major cartoon hero. I went in for the kill with my bible and cut off his head (ok, maybe I had watched one too many action cartoons as a kid). I stood over his body in victory and said, “In the name of Jesus, you must die.” I shot my bible in the air and watched Freddy vanish from my bedroom floor in anguish and defeat.
I got back in my bed and slept soundly for the rest of the night. I never suffered another nightmare after that (I also never watched another scary movie).
I share this story because the same still holds true today. We battle more than flesh and blood but we hold the victory. The devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. His tactics are not always obvious either. He’s too cunning to come at you with the basic weapons of warfare. Instead, he whispers lies about your self-worth while you are getting dressed and looking at your reflection in the mirror. Or he may present an opportunity to compromise with a new project at work which would require you throwing someone under the bus in order to get ahead. He may even flatter you with compliments from that new co-worker who knows exactly what to say about your new shoes or new hairdo when your husband barely glanced at you in the morning.
This battle goes way back. Once the Lord created you for a purpose, the fight began. The enemy doesn’t want to see you succeed and give God the glory. He doesn’t want to see you prosper and buy that new house. Nor does he want your light to shine and inspire others to be whatever it is they are called to be. Therefore, he is always trying to undermine what God has in store for you.
To stay prepared for battle, each day you must put on the armor of God:
- Belt of Truth: When lies about how you’re not attractive or how nobody cares about you infiltrate your thoughts, fasten on the belt of truth and remember that God said you are beautifully and wonderfully made.
- Breastplate of Righteousness: Your heart is one of your most vulnerable body parts because it is the center of life. All the things you hold dear to you are held close to your heart. The enemy will try his best to hurt you by hurting the things you consider dear. Be it friends and family or pursuits and dreams, he’ll attack each one if you don’t protect it and cover it with the truth from God. Pray over the people and things that matter most to you.
- Feet Fitted with the Gospel of Peace: Our feet are important because they lead us on our paths of life. We are meant to move in a forward direction yet our past behaviors and activities can shift our direction and derail us. When tempted to travel back into your past, protect your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace. Going back can awaken anxiety and discontent. Stay ready to flee danger with quick feet, then seek peace and pursue it. The peaceful paths you’ll follow will lead you away from destructive people and behaviors.
- Shield of Faith: The enemy will throw darts of doubt, fear and disbelief to discourage you and keep you stagnant. He doesn’t want you to dream, learn new things and experience new opportunities. When you are feeling discouraged, hold up your shield of faith and stand on the promises of His word. You are more than a conqueror and He who promised is faithful.
- Helmet of Salvation & Sword of the Spirit: Our minds are exposed to so much everyday through various avenues such as social media or television. Be selective about what you expose your mind to because in doing so, you protect it from negative influences. If you struggle with lustful thoughts, listening to R. Kelly’s 12 Play is probably not the best idea. If you have feelings of hatred towards another race or political group, watching the news non-stop will most likely feed the wrong thought patterns. Turning off the TV never hurt anybody. Instead, spend time in the word of God so you know how to combat the propaganda that is aimed at your mind. Your mind is one of the greatest gifts which makes it the hardest to protect. Put good in, get good out.
- Pray: I believe this is one of the most dangerous weapons we can yield against the enemy. He’ll do everything in his power to stop you from talking to God because he doesn’t want you to develop your own personal relationship with Him. Praying doesn’t have to be some sanctimonious experience. Just as you talk to your friends, talk to God. He’ll reveal His true character and open your eyes to His constant existence in your life.
The next time you face a difficult situation or feel like you’re under attack, go to battle like that young girl in the bedroom fighting Freddy Krueger. She was fearless and victorious because she knew she was guarded in God’s best. Put on the whole armor of God and go in for the kill because you’ve already got victory on your side. The great I AM has never lost a battle and the enemy already knows he’s defeated. Move forward with that truth and no battle you face will ever be the same.