“…take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day,

and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”

– Ephesians 6:13 (Holman Christian Standard)

It was a pressure packed contest with neither team willing to give an inch. Every ball was contested and it was obvious that the match would be decided by an unpredictable bounce. Then it happened! The ball shot from the mass of bodies and suddenly it was a one-on-one duel between the streaking forward and a very anxious keeper defending the net. As the action unfolded, it seemed like I was watching a slow-motion movie. Frame by frame, with my heart in my throat, I experienced a flood of emotions. When the ball left the forward’s foot, I held my breath. My keeper laid out and the ball sailed just wide of the right post. The fresh air filled my lungs and I knew we had dodged a bullet. As my keeper got up and brushed himself off, the referee signaled a goal kick and prepared for the restart. My keeper had a brief conversation with the referee and began walking slowly to the sideline. What’s going on? Why was he coming to talk with his coach? He told me the referee had missed the call, the ball had actually gone in the net. There was a small hole in the side of the net and on the bang-bang play, the ball had found it. The moment had come to make a decision, would I be thankful for my good fortune or would I do the right thing?

We never know how or when the enemy will come. In my personal experience, he usually shows up when we least expect it. Seldom do we have adequate time to think about how we will respond to his intrusions. Will we look the other way, will we call it a stroke of good luck or will we do the right thing? The Apostle Paul knew following in the footsteps of Jesus is hard. He knew we had to strap on the armor every day. He understood that when we take on Satan, we had better bring our A-game if we were going to have a chance. When we put on the “full armor of God”, we are prepared for whatever Satan can throw at us. We stand tall in His truth and righteousness, always ready to do the right thing.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for equipping me for my daily battles with Satan. Thank You for the example of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to make good decisions today and to always do the right thing. Amen.