The Objective

October 25, 2006
Archive

By Casey Norris

As every true gamer knows, the object of a game is to stay alive by destroying all those who try to defeat you. Meanwhile you’re trying to find weapons, health packs, armor, and ammo. Keeping your character alive is the most important aspect of any game and all know the triumphant feeling you have when you take down a level 30 Boss that you’ve been working on for days. Many of you may not realize it but that game you have been playing is teaching you a life lesson. Not to kill everything that stands in your way or to go into the world expecting everyone to fight you just to prove a point but the fact that even as we sit here tonight we are using the lesson we were taught.

Eph. 6:14-17 in this chapter we learn the true point of this lesson. The Armor of God the ultimate weapon The Sword of the Spirit & the armor itself. Also let’s turn to Heb. 4:12-13 in these verses we read of the awesome power of this sword. A weapon unmatched by any modem-day man-made technology, a weapon so powerful it can cut down to your very soul so sharp it can cut to your hearts true thoughts and character. This weapon is powerful enough to cut down the mightiest of false religions to mere dust with a single swing (or verse).

How can we get this armor some may say? We who are Christians have gone halfway already by going through the steps of salvation. Hear (Rom. 10:17), Believe (Mark 16:16), Repent (Acts 2:38), Confess (Acts 8-37) be Baptized (Gal. 13:26-27), and of course live faithful (Rom 6:5-6). But this is not the end of it we must earn the armor. Going through we see that each piece of the armor stands for something as science has taught us you can’t get something from nothing and the same applies here you cannot have the belt of truth if you don’t speak truthful. Many today believe keeping a promise is the only way to be truthful but as true Christians just saying we are going to do something should be enough without making an elaborate promise.

Here we also read of the shield of faith. In our everyday lives we should know that no matter what comes up we can rely on Him to help us out. Personally I believe that faith is the hardest thing to keep in modem times with so many problems it’s very easy to give up and let the current carry you where it may but we should always try to be faithful no matter what comes up in Ph. 4:13 we se that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us no matter what the problem is and remember the more faith you have the bigger the shield and the better the defense.

In verse 15 we read of the shoes of the “preparation of the gospel of peace” think of your feet without them you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without help they are your foundation of our body. We read in Matt 7-24-27 about the foolishness of not having a strong foundation. As we go about our daily lives we should know that our foundation is strong so that those that we study with will have a good foundation as well.

As every good policeman knows if you don’t put on a bullet proof vest you are putting your life in a very dangerous position. The same goes for us without the breastplate of righteousness our spiritual life is in grave danger. All Christians need protection when going into battle with Satan and to get that protection we need the righteousness that only god can give us (Rom. 6:17-18).

The last piece of the armor we see is the ‘helmet of salvation.’ Christ is the head of the body (Eph. 5-23) and since salvation is found only in Christ (1st Thessalonians 5:9), we know that our ‘heads’ are well protected because He is our helmet! With all bodies, the head is where the heart is. Not the blood pump, but the true heart of the body. For without the head, the body cannot survive... just as without Christ, we cannot survive eternally It says in Pr. 4:4, “He taught me also, and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words- keep my commandments, and live.” It is our minds... our hearts that retain anything that we learn and if we keep His commandments then we will ‘live’ after we have left this life.

As I stated before every gamer knows what to do to win a game. The fact though is that we right now are living a true to life boss battle with the aim being to win. Just as in games this battle will be long and hard and as our enemy begins to be defeated he will move to desperation attacks as we know no boss can be defeated without the proper weapons and armor and God in His grace and love has given us these to fight with Now all that remains is for us to use them.