Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Have you ever noticed what most people do when they get tired? Yeah, they quit. They say things like “I was just happy to be here” or “You can’t win every time” or “Pass the chips and salsa.” Okay, they probably don’t say that last one, but you get the point. But not champions. Champions don’t say things like that when they get tired of the battle. They say different things, and usually to themselves in a way that makes them look like crazy people.
“Okay, this is why you trained,” or “Nothing’s gonna stop me now,” or the one that applies the most to this passage…
“It’s time to dig down deep.”
I’ve always read this verse and thought it sounded crazy because they way we typically think is more like “and after you have done everything, wrap it up!” The concept of still standing even after you’ve given everything you have to give is very foreign to most of us. It’s almost like it isn’t what humans do, and isn’t that the point? This passage isn’t talking about standing in our own strength at all. Paul encourages us to put on the full armor of God – every last piece – so that we can stand. There’s more to it than that, though, and I think that’s where most of us miss the obvious.
Football gear on a child doesn’t protect the kid from NFL linebackers.
The gear is good, but without the foundation to support it, we’re sitting ducks against the enemy.
Jesus told the crowd in Matthew 7 to build their faith on a strong foundation like a builder puts a house on a rock. It’s the rock that holds us in the storm, and it’s the strong roots that have grown deep that allow us to stand even after we’ve done everything else and there doesn’t seem to be anything left.
So dig deep. Fill the holes around your feet with as much concrete as you possibly can. Strengthen your faith so that the armor completes you instead of compensates for you.
And stand.
