Our Daily Bread Military EditionSample

Use Your Weapons While visiting a museum, I was intrigued by a small inscription describing a class of Roman gladiators— the Retiarii—who fought using only a net and a trident. Of all the fearsome and lethal weapons available to those warriors, who often battled to the death, these men were given two items—a piece of webbing and a three-pronged spear. When they entered the arena, their survival depended on how well they used their weapons. In the spiritual battle we face as Christians, God has chosen our weapons: “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:3-4). It’s worth pausing to look at ourselves in the mirror of Ephesians 6:10-18 to see if we are properly equipped with “the whole armor of God.” From the helmet of salvation to the shoes of the gospel of peace, we are to be protected and armed for a conflict that depends not on human strength but on the power of God. When we realize the nature of that warfare and the forces against us, it’s foolish to enter the fray with anything except our God-given weapons. —David McCasland Does all the world seem against you And you’re in the battle alone? It’s often when you are most helpless That God’s mighty power is known. —Anon. Fear not, for I am with you. —Isaiah 41:10