LISTEN ONLINEPastor Bailey’s new friend shared with him the story of his abuse and addiction. Though the young man was a believer in Jesus, because of his exposure to sexual abuse and pornography at an early age, he was plagued with a problem that was bigger than he was. And in his desperation, he reached out for help.
As believers in Christ, we wage war with unseen forces of evil (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). But we’ve been given weapons to fight our spiritual battles. They aren’t the weapons of the world, however. On the contrary, we’ve been given “divine power to demolish strongholds” (v. 4). What does that mean? “Strongholds” are well-built, secure places. Our God-given arms include “weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defence” (6:7 NLT). Ephesians 6:13-18 expands the list of things that help protect us, including the Scriptures, faith, salvation, prayer and the support of other believers. When faced with forces bigger and stronger than us, using these munitions can make the difference between standing and stumbling.
God also uses counsellors and other professionals to help those who struggle with forces too big to tackle alone. The good news is that in and through Jesus, we needn’t surrender when we struggle. We have the armour of God!