We are all soldiers of Christ on a spiritual battlefield fighting a spiritual war.

Jesus Christ is our commander-in-chief.

Because we are soldiers of Christ, each one of us has a duty to fulfill. We must obey the orders given by our commander & know His voice. We must push forward, taking back what the enemy has stolen & set captives free. We know the tactics of our enemy & are not fooled. We stand firm in Truth.

be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

2 Timothy 2:3-4

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

When I pondered my personal relationship with God the word that came to mind was, stale. It is amazing how God used this word to direct me back to who I am called to be & what my purpose is, here on earth.

So, I looked up the definition of stale (yes…I know what stale means in a generic sense, but I was curious for more knowledge). Surely, I am not the only one that does that. You know a word, you’ve heard it a million times, you’ve used it in your daily vocabulary, but you want to brush up, to revisit the word, to know it on a deeper level. I do this often and am always surprised at what I learn- a whole new depth to the meaning. A whole new depth to my understanding.

The definition of stale as per Merriam-Webster:

stale

1 of 4

adjective

ˈstāl 

staler; stalest

1

: tasteless or unpalatable from age

stale bread

2

: tedious from familiarity

a stale routine

3

: impaired in legal force or effect by reason of being allowed to rest without timely use, action, or demand

a stale affidavit

a stale debt

4

:impaired in vigor or effectiveness

“Stale” has multiple meanings in different contexts.

They all resonate with me.

1. My relationship feels distant or tasteless
2. Most definitely feels tedious and mundane
3. “to rest without timely use, action, or demand” resonated with me in that my fire is near extinguished due to lack of use, action & demand on my part- aka- I haven’t been feeding my flame.
4. Impaired in vigor or effectiveness. Ouch. That one hit home….and hurt… in a good way, a repentant way!

#4 stuck with me & I felt the need to dig further. So, I looked up the definitions of all the words.

Impaired– being in an imperfect or weakened state or condition: such as: diminished in function or ability : lacking full functional or structural integrity. Vigor– active bodily or mental strength or force, active healthy well-balanced growth, intensity of action or effect. Effective-one that is effective especially : a soldier equipped for duty.

WOW! I hear you, God!

That’s me!!! An unequipped soldier on this daily battlefield.

It is scary out here on the battlefield ill-equipped!!

This is me out on the battlefield- Jumping, waving, hollering for help, hoping Jesus will ride up on his horse, lean over with his hand out, ready to swoop me up safely behind him like they do in the old war movies!

Obviously, I mean this figuratively, but the desperation is all too real!

He used “stale” to remind me of my mission, our mission.

Swoop me up, Lord! I cannot fight this fight alone and unequipped. Prepare me for the spiritual battle before me every day. Help me to take up Your whole armor. I pray that words be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the gospel. I pray I am bold enough to speak about it as you have called me.

In your name I pray,

AMEN

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephisians 6:10-20