Trials #6—Trial Tactics

If you put on the full armor of God, you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the Slanderer … you will be able to resist in the evil day, and, having done all you can, stand firm. Ephesians 6:11–13

Soldiers practice their skills, study the terrain, read intelligence reports, make and rehearse plans, don body armor, and load weapons, not to keep them out of combat, but to make them more effective in combat. For this is where their faithfulness, courage, skill, and resolve will truly be tested. Without these essential habits and tools, even experienced combatants are vulnerable and impotent. Success in kinetic warfare depends on employing the tactics and tools best suited to situations as they arise. This is equally true of spiritual warfare. In the fight of faith, every day is an evil day. Our enemy will attempt to destroy our confidence in God and our commitment to Christ. He will try to replace it with the belief that we can do better than the Lord at creating our best possible future. To prevail in this contest, he slanders God’s ability to do us good, God’s willingness to do us good, and the true goodness of what God is able to do for us. To counter these evil attacks, we must resist with every fiber of our being, employing all of the tactics Jesus recommends to his followers for these kinds of fights: remaining true to our commitment, acting righteously, remembering that we are at peace with God, and trusting the vast array of the promises conveyed by the Spirit throughout Scripture.

Sovereign Lord, grant that I may order my life this way, so I successfully engage the slander of God’s goodness in every trial I face.