Are You Properly Prepared?

Early in my career, in the late 90s, I was working for a marketing services firm in Dallas, TX. One day, the CEO popped into my office and asked if I was available to accompany her on a sales call later that week. I jumped at the chance and quickly said yes!

I knew all of the services that we offered, the clients we worked with, and the outcomes we produced, so secure in my confidence, I believed I was more than ready for this meeting.

It was a disaster!

Our meeting was with the CEO of a technology company, and we had barely taken our seats when I started the pitch. About one minute into my drivel, the CEO I was pitching to stopped me and asked, "Carlos, do you know what we do here? Do you know anything about my company?"

I froze, and my lack of preparedness was something that was evident to everyone in the room, especially my CEO. Thankfully, on the drive back to the office, she was kind but stern when she said, "I hope you learned a lesson today and do not ever show up to another call unprepared."

Being Prepared

In the last chapter of Ephesians, Paul wraps up his letter not with a fond goodbye but with a charge to the church about being prepared to live in the fallen world that has true evil and darkness in it.

• Paul first tells us where to find our strength, which is in the Lord. This is not a strength that I produce or manifest; it is a strength that I receive from the Lord as one of His own. This source of strength is the foundation for everything else that follows.

• Secondly, Paul defines who our real enemy is. You may be surprised to learn that it is not people, what he calls "flesh and blood". Paul tells us that our real struggle, the real enemy is, "...the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This reality should change our perspective and how we view others who may take a different position or believe differently. My issue is not with them, but with the "evil in the heavenly realm."

• He then tells us to "put on the full armor of God" (more on this in a few sentences), because of the very real evil that exists in our world.

Lack of Offense

As the passage unfolds, Paul lists six different pieces of armor that we are to put on so we can be prepared for the battles that are to come. There has been plenty written about the armor and all that it means for a follower of Jesus, and I would encourage you to study it for yourself.

What Paul says, though, is not at all what one would think of when you see a soldier decked out in their armor. Three times in this passage, Paul exhorts us to "stand" or to "stand firm", quite a distinction and far different than a call to run headlong into battle. The command is to hold the ground and not give in position. Theologian John Stott put it this way, "We are not called to march, to advance, to attack, we are called to stand. We hold the ground that Christ has already taken."

In addition to the command to stand firm, five of the six pieces of armor that Paul describes are defensive. Only the sword (Scripture) is a weapon that can be used for offense or attacking.

This should radically change how we need to think about engaging those who do not follow Christ and the culture in which we live. It is not a call to acquiesce or relinquish our conviction (stand firm), and at the same time, it is not a call to storm the gates and wield our swords in the name of Christ.

You Wanna Fight?

Paul does not encourage us to just stand there and absorb as many blows as the evil in the world can dish out on us; he does give us a way to fight back... prayer.

Prayer is how we, as fully armed soldiers who have a strength in Christ, fight. This is not passive, but active, as we see all through Scripture where God fought for His people after they prayed to him. Going back to the previously mentioned John Stott, who says, "Prayer is not in addition to the armor, it is the activity of the fully-armed soldier. All of the armor is put on, and then you pray!"

There have been plenty of times in my life where I have fought with my own strength, went on the attack, neglected a piece of armor, and failed to pray. Each and every time, I failed and gave ground, not something that a good soldier wants to report.

If you find yourself tired from fighting or feeling beaten up by the evil and darkness that is ready to pounce, I encourage you to follow Paul's words so that you can begin to live life with the confident hope that The King is fighting for us, and it is a war that He has alrady one. We are simply called to suit up, stand firm, and pray.

Running the race with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.