Are You Ready for Battle?

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."~ Hebrews 4:12
Are you equipped for spiritual battle? As a Christian you should be. St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians states; “we are not contending against flesh and blood but with the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)." In that verse, St. Paul reminds us that many of the issues that challenge us, while they affect us in our temporal world, need to be fought on the spiritual battlefield. We are called by the nature of our Baptism to put on Spiritual Armor, take up the Sword of the Spirit and wage war against Satan.

This battle is not easy, and to be victorious it requires that we believe in particular set of values and possess a certain set of virtues. St. Paul details them in Ephesians 6:14-17:
Stand therefore having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these taking the shield of faith with which you can quench the arrows of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
He is intentional in making sure spiritual warriors are protected with Armor, the last item he gives the warrior is an offensive weapon. If truth, righteousness, peace, faith and awareness of our salvation our not deeply rooted in our hearts, we can not possibly be ready to go on the offensive and fight to bring others to Christ. Only a prideful warrior would go into battle wearing no armor.

It is then as humble servant warriors that we are entrusted with and empowered by the sword of the Spirit, the word of God to bring souls closer to Christ;  As we share the Living Word, the Spirit works through us to teach, reprove, correct and train others in righteousness (cf 2 Timothy 3:16). These are the functions of Scripture, and we are commissioned and called by God to use the sword of His Spirit to assist Him in eliminating error and drawing hearts to His mercy by both preaching and living the Gospel.

As Catholics, we must become better at carrying our swords, knowing and using the scriptures in our daily lives, because we live in a time when error is prevalent and those wandering away from the truth and believing in myths are growing in number (cf 2 Timothy 4:3-4). Knowing the Word of God and actualizing it in our lives will bring straying souls back into the arms of our loving Father.

Therefore, each day put on your spiritual armor by living in truth and righteousness. Spend time with scripture; know the word of God and allow it to overflow the banks of your heart onto the spiritual battlefield and ransom souls from death.

You’ve been drafted into the strongest army, the Army of Christians, fighting with our God and His legions of angels. At stake is your eternal soul and the souls of those you love. Are you ready for battle?

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