I’m in the middle of writing a CaringBridge post on my husband’s page, but my last statement there has sent me on a different path. I thought about continuing within that post, but thought better of it. If you have joined me by following my rabbit trail, aka the link from there, thank you.

“My sister-in-law called me a “warrior heading into battle.” Well, this warrior feels grossly unqualified, untrained, and under-equipped. My armour is failing.”

The words were barely formed into a sentence in my brain, let alone typed on the screen, when the Holy Spirit reminded me that I am wrong. Oh, so wrong. Silly, silly Sharon, this fight is not yours alone. You DO have the tools you need. Let me explain…

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ 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.¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Thank you biblegateway.com for the ease of sharing this lengthy passage. This is from Ephesians 6, the famous “Armor of God” passage. It’s a passage I even spent time with, including it in Illuminating Days of Discovery, earlier this year. I’ve taught on this passage at home when my boys were younger and with my husband in our small group. I’ve drawn strength and encouragement from this passage more times than I can count in my life. And yet, until this morning, I have not remembered it anew for this fight, this battle. So, yes, I am duly reprimanded, but moreover, I am duly encouraged.

Now, at first blush, I may want to argue with verse 12, for indeed my battle IS against flesh and blood – you know – C A N C E R!?!?! But His armour prepares me for this part of the battle, too. For I can stand firm and at the ready with His truth – the science that He has shown us in this real world. How the body works; how it responds to and utilizes enzymes and minerals and even frequency and energy. There is so much of God’s beauty and creativity and amazing nature in the scientific truths of this world He created. So I stand firm, on solid ground, against flesh and blood, in His truth!

But a “day of evil” has come, in the form of, again, cancer. With all of its unknowns and uncertainties and inconsistencies, I can stand with the One who IS known and certain and consistent. I can stand with God and He will help me to bear this armour and fight this fight when the enemy wants to crush our spirits and make us doubt our sanity or our ability to soldier on, or whether we’re doing any good at all. My faith is steadfast in Him, my peace is grounded in Him, my salvation is secure and I rely deeply on His word and His presence. And prayer? Yeah, I think I’ve got that whole “pray without ceasing” thing down. That’s just a part of my life and has been for a very long time; cancer won’t take that away.

So, my physical armour may look kind of funny with its slippers and jeans and sweatshirts and hair clips, but my armour is mighty! I wear my strongest armour inside of me; it’s constructed by the finest craftsman; and it is indestructible! It’s called the Holy Spirit. It contains the power of God. And it is available to everyone who would want to receive it. And so I make verses 19-20 my prayer as I #Discover daily new ways to #LiveYourFaithBoldly!

#UnbowedUnbentBroken

#LoveOnPurpose