It has been said, “Some peace only comes after war.” This statement came to mind as I listened to a riveting story from a marine who had been given an assignment from his command during a time of war. His instruction was to visit front-line soldiers. The number of casualties was growing daily; his commander wanted to know why.

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This marine arrived at the front line of the battlefield to discover an alarming truth: rather than being prepared for instant action and battle, the soldiers were complacent. The marine found the soldiers relaxed against trees with their weapons several feet away from them. Their helmets were tossed casually to the side. None of their protective uniforms were in place. Upon seeing this, the marine knew the problem: the soldiers were not vigilant, nor were they in military position. Hence, the innumerable casualties.

The Bible says, To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…A time of war, and a time of peace (Eccl 3:1, 8, NKJV.)

Consider that in relationship to present day. I am quite certain we can all agree, we are at war.

That being the case, we must be positioned and dressed for such a time as this. Ephesians 6:10-18 teaches us exactly how:

Dressed for Such a Time as This

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We are at war and the intensity of this war has increased over the past few years. The reality of this war is splashed across news media on a daily basis. Many are weary — understandably so. However, we cannot get out of position. We must remain battle-ready and fully dressed.

In order to win this battle, we must remember that our war is different. We are not fighting for victory, but from a place of victory. Jesus completed this work at the Cross. Our job is simply to maintain our victory stance.

Keep Your Weapons Close at Hand

We already possess all we need for victory, but we must apply what we have been given. This begins with making sure we are dressed properly with the full armor of God. Beyond being properly dressed, we must also keep our weapons close at hand.

God has given us a myriad of weapons, with some of the most powerful being the Blood of Jesus and the name above all names.

Revelation 12:11 tells us, And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Along with the word of our testimony, the Blood of Jesus is the weapon we can use to overcome every enemy and anything the enemy brings against us.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on Earth, and of those under the earth (Phil 2:9-10, NKJV).

The name of Jesus is above every name, and at that name, every knee will bow, this includes viruses, deception and pure evil. They must all bow at the name of Jesus.

John 14:13 reminds us of the awesome power of the name of Jesus in our prayer life: And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Not only has Jesus paid for our victory, but He has fully equipped us to maintain and enforce that victory. He has given us the powerful armor of God and He has placed a plethora of additional weapons in our hand. It is up to us to use them.

Positioned and Ready

Mighty prayer warriors, we must remain positioned and ready. We cannot be found in any position other than ‘alert’ in the days in which we find ourselves. We must be militant, standing with weapons in hand, ready to defend our victory. Anything less will bring forth way too many casualties. Frankly, I think we have seen enough.

1 Peter 5:8 reminds us, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The enemy is seeking someone to devour because he knows we have the ultimate victory, and his time is short. May we not be one of those who can be devoured. May we be vigilant, sober overcomers, just as we are destined to be.

My friend, some peace only comes after war. Let’s arise and pursue victory by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Are you alert and ready? Share your reflections below.

Kim Potter is a writer and the founder of A New Thing Ministries, which sends a daily teaching to thousands of people all around the world. Her articles have appeared on The Elijah List, in Charisma Magazine, and on Spirit Fuel and iBelieve.com. Kim’s message is one of hope. She speaks to the hearts of those who have grown discouraged or disappointed by the circumstances of life, to impart hope. Her daily inspirational writings are available at ANewThingMinistries.com. Photo Credit: israel palacio on Unsplash.