Reporting for Duty

No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Please note that it does not say the weapons won’t be formed; it says they won’t prosper. We will face battles, but we will win.

First, though, we have to Show Up. Report for duty. Locked and Loaded.

To stand in the gap is to show up prepared and in proper tactical gear.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18. 

Many of us have memorized the various pieces of armor, and their significance. There is a lot of depth here, and a full Bible study could be done on each piece. 

Image by Thomas Anderson from Pixabay 

More on that later. For now, if I may, I will let you in on a bit of my private prayer routine. For some time now I have spent a few minutes at the beginning of my prayer time mentally “putting on” the armor of God, naming each piece aloud. The next step in my own "reporting for duty," is to confess Hebrews 4:16, Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I come boldly to the throne of grace, dressed in the full armor of God. Then, I add one more step. According to Ephesians 1: 20-21, Jesus was raised from the dead and seated …at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. A little further along, in Ephesians 2:6, it says He has …raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

So, I take the seat assigned me: since we are seated in Christ Jesus, we too, are far above all principality and power and might and dominion. It’s a good thing to remember before beginning to intercede for family, church, state and nation.

To recap:
       Put on the full armor of God.
       Come boldly to the throne of grace.
       Be seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

 Locked and loaded, waiting for orders.

Margaret Mills