Just In Case
I nudged open the door to my son’s bedroom; I planned to check his progress on cleaning up his room. My eyes scanned the cluttered surface of his dresser, the mangled sheets on his bed, and his disorganized bookshelf before landing on the floor where Justice was sitting, cross-legged. He was methodically packing random items into a canvas drawstring bag. I sighed. Clearly, he’d gotten distracted.
“What are you doing buddy?” I inquired, trying to hide my frustration.
“Oh, hi Mom. This is just my defense bag.”
I furrowed my brow, confused. “What’s a defense bag? What do you need to defend yourself from?”
“In case any bad person tries to take me away, I can fight back,” he said confidently.
“Oh. Well, what’s in the bag?” I was intrigued now.
Justice proceeded to pull toys out of the bag, one at a time. First, he held up his toy lightsaber. This needed no explanation because of course, a lightsaber is the ultimate weapon for a seven-year-old boy. Next, out came his Harry Potter wand. Again, this seemed obvious. Casting spells certainly worked well for the students at Hogwarts in warding off bad guys. Then he produced a sparring stick from his martial arts class. I assumed this was in case the use of “the force” and the magic of wizardry failed him and he needed to rely on his combat skills. The final three items Justice brought out were: a camera, (“To take a picture of the bad guy and show it to the police,”) a pair of goggles that makes everything appear upside down, (“To confuse the bad guys,”) and a set of walkie-talkies, (“To call home,”). Bless him. He’d really thought this through. He explained, very practically, that he was going to leave the bag fully stocked so it would be ready at a moment’s notice, “just in case.”
“That’s smart thinking bud. Thanks for sharing with me,” I said. “Now, back to cleaning your room.”
I shook my head and smiled as I closed his door behind me.
Justice’s preparedness got me thinking about all the ways we try to cover any “just in case” scenarios with a kit, a checklist, or a plan in place. Living on the Gulf Coast, I know all about hurricane kits, and growing up in California having a disaster kit on hand in the event of an earthquake was always a good idea. We have fire drills, evacuation plans, and checklists for just about everything that could go wrong. We lock our doors, activate our home alarm systems, and take CPR training. We are ready for anything. But are we taking the same precautions to protect ourselves spiritually? One could argue our hearts, souls and minds need safeguarding more than anything else. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil is the worst of the bad guys yet we do so little to defend ourselves from him.
What if we could pack a spiritual “defense bag”? What would be in it? It just so happens that God has already provided us with a checklist: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes […] 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.” (Ephesians 6:11, 14-17 NIV)
Like the items in my son’s “defense bag,” each piece of the armor of God has a purpose.
1) The belt of truth helps us discern God’s voice over the lies of the enemy. The devil would have us believe we are unworthy, unloved, and unhappy. He plants seeds of discouragement, insecurity, and discontentment in our minds. John 8:44 (NIV) says, “[…] there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The belt of truth thwarts the devil and his deception, leaving us with only God’s truth to hear.
2) The breastplate of righteousness is aptly worn over our hearts, shielding us from every form of sin and shame. Satan wants to penetrate our hearts. He tells us our sin and shame define us, that there is no hope of ever being made clean again. Protecting our hearts from his schemes is paramount.
3) Fitting our feet with the gospel of peace readies us for anything the enemy throws in our path. The devil will do whatever he can to confuse us and distract us. He will divert us from our course, pulling our gaze away from the Father and stealing our attention. He thrives on chaos. With our feet wrapped in peace, we can step out in confidence, knowing there is nothing to fear.
4) Verse 16 says the shield of faith “extinguishes the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Imagine the arrows being things like pain, loss, suffering, and depression. Each one has the power to knock us out and keep us down indefinitely. Now imagine walking away from each of them unscathed. That kind of protection is nothing short of miraculous.
5) The helmet of salvation is a crucial piece of our armor. As a child, I practiced many earthquake drills in school, and the first rule was to protect our heads and necks from dangerous objects that could fall on us. We would duck under something sturdy and stable like a desk, wrap our arms around our necks, and tuck our heads. We trust helmets to offer the same protection when we engage in any activity deemed to be dangerous. In the same way, we need to trust in our salvation, our deliverance from sin and eternal consequence. Should the worst happen, our salvation fastened tightly around our head is what secures us.
6) Unlike the items listed before it, the sword of truth is a weapon we use not just to defend ourselves, but to use offensively too. It’s our spiritual lightsaber if you will. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” How often do we take the power of our Bibles for granted? We forget that it’s alive, ready for action. God’s words are our fiercest weapons against the enemy. Jesus himself used the words of Scripture in a head-to-head battle with the devil himself (Luke 4). We can do the same.
It's been several days now since Justice assembled his “defense bag.” It remains packed, ready to assist him in battling the next bad guy that comes calling, but it’s not collecting dust. I often catch him pulling out a weapon or two, practicing with it in his room. My little boy understands something we often don’t, that it’s not enough just to fill the bag or even to know it’s there when we need it. If we won’t know how to use what’s inside, it won’t be of much use to us when the enemy attacks. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God’s word; each piece of armor should be so well-used, so familiar, that they slip on like a favorite pair of jeans. God’s given us everything we need to protect, defend, and fight. He has prepared us for battle, just in case.