Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. (Ephesians 6:16 MSG)
Several years ago, my husband and I purchased a dart board for our two older boys. “Won’t they have fun?” I said. It didn’t take long before my words became, “What were we thinking?”
While the dartboard displayed a smattering of pin-pricks across its surface, the adjacent wall looked like a windshield that had been exposed to a gravel truck’s loose contents in a fierce wind. Tiny holes dotted its landscape from one end to the other. Who knew the wall would prove such an interesting target?
After dispatching with the dart board and its mini-weaponry, the boys began the repair work. Patch. Sand. Paint. The wall never was the same.
Like the wall, Christians can be an easy target for the enemies’ fiery darts–even if those darts are cleverly disguised as well-meaning advice or couched in words of concern and accompanied by prayer. Arrows can even be directed our way from those we love most–family, friends, colleagues.
While we are not immune to such assaults, God’s word is our protection…our strength…our healing balm. We may bear the marks, but God can smooth over the wounds.