Armored up and marching into victory

​Armored up and marching into victory (Read time ≈ 6 minutes)
Ephesians 6:18–20 (ESV)
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, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
 
We should by now, understand what we are up against.
 
Ephesians 6:12
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.
 
We should now understand our armor of God along with our weapon, the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:13-17). Now, we need battle orders. If we dare equip ourselves with the armor of God but then proceed blindly, we will ultimately end up fighting our own battles in places we never should be, against enemies we were never meant to face… or at least, not yet. Every good soldier takes and receives his battle commands from his authorities. We need the Lord of Angel armies to direct our steps in this warzone. We need to pray. Praying at all times in the Spirit. We need to get ahold of God and seek His command. Then, as we await commands, we keep alert, we persevere and face all that comes our way. Once we receive our marching orders, we march.
 
As I have said before, this war is not a solo mission. We are part of an army. We have brothers and sisters in arms. We need to be involved in their missions as well, if at the very least, through prayer. “Making supplication for all the saints, and also for me (a fellow soldier)”. This is effective in several ways. You are interceding for a brother/sister in the faith for their clear direction on the battlefield. This is beneficial to them, it is beneficial to the Kingdom, but it is also beneficial to you. You don’t want to go to war alongside anyone who does not understand the mission at hand any more than others don’t want to go to battle next to you if you don’t understand. This is about being believers in one accord. One accord, understanding the desires of God and the will of God that He has for His people.
 
Our orders from God will always involve proclaiming the Gospel! We can be fitted with armor and weapons, but it is the Gospel that gives us the power to conquer (Romans 1:16). If we believe we have received marching orders but it does not involve advancing the Gospel in one way or another, it likely was a false message from our enemy… or from our own desires. We must understand, and never forget, that we are hired soldiers. Hired by the blood of Jesus. We were hired out of slavery, as we once fought on behalf of the enemy of our souls. We were bought and given the freedom of our souls so that we could give our life as service to the One who set us free. We declare boldly this mystery, because it is a mystery indeed, that empowers us to come against evil forces and emerge victorious. It is a mystery that people we once considered enemies can be set free from their spiritual oppression and join ranks among us. It is a mystery that we can willingly choose to submit to service to One yet feel more free than anything else could offer us. Pray. Listen. March. Proclaim. It’s a war, ready or not, here it is. Get ready and get in there. Victory belongs to the Lord and no one else. Victory won by the blood of Jesus, the name in which we march.