The Armor of God

by Catrina LeSure

Why don't young people today take the Great Controversy more seriously?  Why aren't they more intentional about protecting themselves from the "fiery arrows of the devil"?  Why don't they show a higher commitment to standing against principalities and powers of darkness?  Are they an apathetic generation? Maybe.  Do they question the existence and nature of the antiquated story line of good vs. evil?  Possibly?  Are they so bogged down in the day to day of this world that they fail to recognize the bigger plot playing out all around them every day? Probably.

But, truthfully, youth seem to be sleeping on the battlefield because attitude reflects leadership.  The most influential voices in the lives of our youth are being heard, listened to, and followed such that the views of these leaders can be clearly seen and translated.  Let me be clear.  The leadership I am referring to is not some theoretical heirarchy scientifically designed to impact the opinions and decisions of adolescents.  This is not some rant about the impact of rap music and technology on religious views of teens.  I have no thoughts to express on the way Facebook and Twitter have changed devotional habits of youth.  The leadership I am referring has a much larger flesh and blood feel.  I am referring to you!

Don't turn around looking for some other "you".  Don't start looking through your contacts for someone to forward this to.  I'm talking to you!  The mother, father, pastor, counselor, youth leader, friend sitting here reading right now.  The attitude of youth you work with reflects the thoughts and opinions you have instilled.

This is not what you hoped to hear.  I know it would be great to blame something or someone else for the youth's unresponsive nature when it comes to spiritual warfare.  But we have done this.  That has good news and bad news.  The bad news is that we've demonstrated what our efforts can achieve.  It's unlikely that anyone of us can fix what it took all of us to break.  We have been so caught up in acquiring the trappings of this world that we have reallocated religion to a few hours of our weekend.  We have rewritten the ideas of Christianity to separate our worldly desires from  the things we call idols.  We have propagated a message that minimizes God to a genie we place in a small box and take out to grant wishes.  We have cartoonized the devil to a red horned beast that sits on our shoulder with fun, albeit unwise, advice.  It's unlikely that any one of us can fix what it took all of us to break.

The good news is that we don't have to fix it alone.  God has already shared with us the cure for what ails us: truth.  Bold, unwavering, truth spoken with love and conviction is the key to changing our minds and hearts on this issue.  Paul's words in Ephesians weren't fun.  He didn't use fluff words to rivet his readers away from whatever their versiono f a PS4 was.  He had no need to make his message cute or cool.  He didn't sit around contemplating how to make it "relevant".  Paul spoke the truth.

But our lives fail to match Paul's mindset.  Paul describes an epic battle with words like wrestle, rulers, and armor.  While the armor is primarily defensive, it is anything but passive.  Wearing such garments would have been in stark contrast to their day to day clothes.  It would be clear that anyone decked out in such gear believed they were in hostile territory and their behavior would inevitably reflect the added weight and nature of their outerwear.

Our lives must also reflect the armor we claim to adorn.  It should be obvious that our lives are lived in hostile territory and our actions should reflect the constraints of the burden we bear.  But there is a key aspect of this that we overlook.  Because armor is not a normal outfit, we mustwe must be trained in order to use it effectively.  We need to know how to put it on properly, how to move with the new weights and constraints.  and how to follow our commanding officer in the field.  This would all happen away from the front in an ideal situation.  But we don't have the most ideal situation.  That's why making time to train with our Commander and Chief is so crucial.

We have to spend alone time with God before the day begins.  We have to know when the battle is too much and it's time to retreat to the safety of our Shelter.   We have to stay in constant communication with God so that we can be guided, encouraged, and comforted.

When our youth see us winning the Great Battle, they will put on their helmets, pick up the swords and rush in with us to claim their own victory.