this morning i watched a series on lifechurch.tv concerning spiritual warfare and the supernatural. i scrawled notes on several pages of my journal; however, there is one thing in particular that i want to pass along.
at the core of spiritual warfare we see Satan, our enemy, and the Holy Spirit, our protector. and, although we are in the world, we do not wage war as the world does (2 Corinthians 10:3). if you grew up in church, you probably remember marching methodically while singing a little ditty about the Lord's army, and you've more than likely heard countless sermons about the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). still, something i heard today was new, an idea i've never really considered.
craig groeschel, senior pastor at lifechurch, made mention of the fact that although we are well prepared with valuable tools, our backs are left uncovered -- we're equipped with a helmet, a breastplate, a shield, a belt, sandals, and finally a sword. obviously we're talking metaphorically, but there is a lot of truth to groeschel's idea. he pointed out that the armor of God seems to be made complete only when the rest of the "army" is concerned. this "army" consists of other believers, those who will pray for you, encourage you, and hold you accountable. essentially, we need an "army" who will watch our backs.
this idea really made sense to me and further emphasized what God's Word makes mention of several times: the importance of fellowship. so, onward christian soldiers... i've got your back.
good stuff, rene. i check in on lifechurch whenever i can. i liked something else craig said during the one prayer series this summer. it helps to remember that we have one enemy (and that it is not the person who was just horrible to you, or cut you off, or really makes biting remarks to you), you know? also - i am in total agreement about our 'backs'. God created us to live in community. Glad you've got my back, friend.
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