“I don’t feel safe, I feel like I need a helmet and shield.”

As I walked up the steps to the porch she was there weeping and in distress. For most of her life safety was never a priority. The people who should have loved her had hurt her and made everything on the outside look dangerous. As a result, she was left unprotected and accessible to evil from daybreak to the evening dawn. There was no armor for the battle.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.” – Ephesians 6:10-12, NIV

This passage sets the stage for the following verses, where Paul outlines the armor of God. The focus in these verses is on spiritual strength, being strong “in the Lord and His mighty power.” Paul emphasizes that we cannot rely on our strength to withstand spiritual battles. Instead, we must lean on God’s power. Moreover, this is a reminder as we step into the battle with our residents daily, we must draw from the power of the Lord. We don’t have enough strength on our own to fight the battle that these ladies are in.

When this resident cried out in her weakness, I envisioned her standing in the middle of the battlefield with no protection. She was wounded and fragile. She had no fight left in her. However, at that moment the feeling of joy and fire rose up in me knowing that I could jump in with her to hold her arms up through the power of the Holy Spirit because the battle is not with flesh, it’s spiritual.

However, I cannot jump in without armor. Verse 11 calls for putting on the “full armor of God,” which is a deliberate choice to be prepared for our spiritual struggles. These struggles can look and feel different as the enemy throws every arrow, scheme, and strategy he has to knock us down. Verse 12 highlights that our real enemy is not human beings but the spiritual forces of evil at work. This truth helps shift our perspective away from everyday conflicts with our residents and reminds us that the battle is ultimately spiritual. We can’t take it personally. The aim is to kill, steal, and destroy us so that healing and purpose can’t manifest. But, the armor of God provides all of the protection and assistance we will need to hold our resident’s arms up in the battle.

Be encouraged, soldiers. Let this be a reminder to never show up to the battle without your armor.