Be Armed and Ready

I am a mom to four kids, and my oldest started high school this year. While she has an old phone with no data service, we have never allowed her to have social media access. My first excuse was that Instagram, the app that interested her, says you need to be thirteen years old to have an account, and my daughter was not thirteen. Then, when she turned thirteen, we still weren’t ready for her to have social media. Then fourteen came, and we caved. I printed off the logo for Instagram and wrapped it in a box for her fourteenth birthday. She was elated, to say the least.

While we have always had a filter for our internet, I knew it was time to up our parental controls of devices, internet searches, time-limits, etc. I researched different companies and products and eventually decided on one. After a full day of connecting all the devices and allowing access to everyone’s different online accounts, then downloading the app on my phone, I was armed and ready!

When I received my first email notifying me I had an alert to review, my stomach began to churn. What was I going to find?

I opened the alert, and it told me my daughter had an email that was flagged as “Violence.” My stomach began to churn more. I then proceeded to review the email.

The email was from me. The email that had been flagged as violent had been sent by me. I began to feel better but was now confused. Why would an email from me to my daughter be marked as violent?

As I read through the email, I didn’t find anything that could have been misinterpreted as violent. My confusion turned to frustration, and I felt like the software I had invested in wasn’t working properly.

Then I saw it.

I have a signature attached to all my outgoing emails that contains a Bible verse. The Bible verse is from the Book of John:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV).

There it was: the “violence.” The stealing, killing, and impending destruction of one’s life.

All I could do was laugh at the humorousness of an email from me containing a Bible verse being flagged as violent.

Then I began to think about the verse more. I guess I always focused more on the second part–the full life more than the beginning. Yes, Jesus promises to come and give us eternal life; however, life here on earth will be full of the devil’s (a.k.a. the “thief”) works. We must be armed and ready.

Proceed with Caution

Wouldn’t it be nice if we received an alert on our phone notifying us every time we were going to face the devil’s scheming tactics?

Alert! Bullying! The devil will try to tell you that you are not qualified, that you are not enough. Don’t believe him!

Alert! Violence! Satan is planning to hurt you. He will knock you down, and when you are at your lowest, he will keep beating you up. Stand firm!

Alert! Sexual Content! The thief is going to try and steal your child’s innocence. Be on guard!

Alert!

Be Armed and Ready

Unfortunately, we don’t get such convenient notifications, but God’s Word tells us Satan is working hard, and we need to be ready! This last year has shown us it is impossible to plan ahead. Everything is fluid except for God’s Word. His Word does not change, and it does not wither away! The Word of God is our weapon against the thief’s works.

In Ephesians, we are told about the armor of God:

“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.” (Eph. 6: 10-17 NIV)

Friends, we need to arm ourselves against the devil’s schemes with the sword of the Spirit: the Word of God. Let’s be ready and on guard! Make spending time in God’s Word a priority. It is our sword! There might not be an app that sends us notifications when we are about to encounter the devil’s flaming arrows, but we have the Word of God, which is alive and active!

I don’t know what this year will look like, but I want to be armed and ready. I will be reading through the Bible daily, and I’d love it if you’d join me! Let’s be ready!

Heather Gerwing is living the full life with her husband, Jeff, four kids, and a dog in Metro Detroit. Heather enjoys reading, writing, coffee-ing, and serving in youth ministry. She was born a Jersey girl and feels most at home on a beach. She is the host of the monthly link-up, Share Four Somethings. You can join Heather on the journey to living the full life at www.heathergerwing.com.

Photograph © Priscilla du Preez, used with permission