A Fallen Christian’s Warning Story About a True Christian Without Armor
You’re walking down the road with the Lord, talking and discussing scripture and life. That’s right. As a true Christian, you walk and talk with the Lord every day.
Don’t you? I do.
While we are in deep discussion, and I get really distracted. I see a glint off in the distance and to my left. My mind wonders what that glint might be. Now, I am getting curious.
At that point, I believe the Lord was talking, but the distraction stopped me from hearing what He was telling me. I believe it was about better understanding the scriptures, but at that point of my distraction, He might as well not have been speaking at all.
I think He even called out to me. If He did I didn’t hear Him.
I can tell you this as I think about it more, if He did say something, it was about how to use the scriptures in my ODWM (Our Divided World Ministry) designs for His Glory, with a lot of great ideas I never would have thought about and was eager to work on at the time.
But my mind drifted to the glint once again. So much so that I walked away from the Lord, not even realizing it. I became so focused on the object in the distance. I did not know what it was, but I became captivated.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9
As I was getting further from the Lord, I started encountering many emotions I had locked away (or so I thought) from my crappy and sinful past. Not thinking about the change coming over me, so I continued moving towards the object. It was further away than I originally thought.
When I glanced back for a mere second, I could just barely see the Lord. But I endured to know what the glint was no matter what and kept moving forward. The closer I got, the smaller it was becoming.
Now, I was more obsessed with wanting to know what it was and even forgot about the Lord completely. However, my frustration took over me with bouts of anger. Where the hell is this glinty thing?
I kept walking, but it didn’t seem any closer.
In the meantime, I hear from someone on my cell who needed my help. But, I can’t. I’m on a quest to find the unknown object still in the distance. I feel like I am walking but getting nowhere. So, very reluctantly I pause my journey, and listen to him talk, and it went on for several days, and just when I thought there was some good things to help him – someone else got in the way to distract him from a better path.
In case you are wondering, alcohol was the path he was on for a long time.
I became angry, cursing and would have done physical battle to the distracter, if not for the actual physical distance and my distraction with the object.
Yes, the glinty object.
Determined to keep moving (forward or backward, I wasn’t sure). Once again, I was distracted by another person asking for some help. How the hell would I get to this object if everyone keeps distracting me?!
Now, it’s family, and something not even important except wanting to ask me a question. A question! Really? Now my patience is really wearing down quickly. I was too busy searching for the glinty object that I just rushed through an answer and moved on.
These strong feelings of frustration, anger and just plain meanness have been happily elusive for years, so why are they surfacing from the past I left behind over 8 years ago? I didn’t miss them at all. Don’t get me wrong, I am not emotionless. I could control them only with the Lord and Holy Spirit’s help and guidance over the years.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
James 1:19
Now my journey continues for the object, as I angrily fight through other people and silly questions. I don’t have time for this. I just need to get to the glinty object that distracted me days ago.
Finally! I arrive at the object but there is nothing here! Now I am really annoyed. Did someone else get it? No. Impossible! I had my eyes on it all the time. My vocabulary quickly changed to four-letter words thrown at those who had distracted me, even though they were nowhere near me.
Maybe I went the wrong way because of all the distractions with people and questions? Damn it. That’s it. It’s their faults. Now I feel trapped in a bubble of anger, anxiety, and loneliness. Why is this happening?
Actually, I can tell you, even though I have not yet found my way out of this bubble.
Remember my walking and talking with the Lord daily? Do you also remember my distraction, and just walking away from the Lord as if He wasn’t there?
At this point, you have to still be wondering, “What was the glinty object?”
It was actually Satan’s symbolic sword. The glint was only in my mind.
Satan uses it to separate true Christians from the Lord. It’s all part of our wandering ways as Christians. We have the Lord at our sides, but allow (unknowingly) Satan to take control of our emotions. That’s His ultimate goal. To get us away from our Lord and Savior.
You might think, “I can just walk back to the Lord… right?” It’s not that easy once Satan gets even a small grasp on you. First, I have to get rid of these ugly emotions. Easier said than done because they can take a long time to purge them from the heart and mind.
When you walk away from the Lord, He moves on. He will be there for you when you are truly ready to re-join Him on your path.
Satan’s grip in the past was very strong before I accepted Jesus Christ in my life. My journey might take some time and battling with Satan, but I am working on finding my way back to the Lord. My battle will be difficult, but not impossible.
The last thing (for now) to say to you is to “Always!” keep the armor of God at hand and ready to put on. Satan is lurking behind every door (yes, even church doors), ready to change your mind about the Lord. BE READY AND PREPARED!
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 to find out more about the Armor of God to help protect you from Satan’s reach and grasp.
Here’s a breakdown of the armor and its components:
- Belt of Truth: Represents the foundation of our faith and understanding of God’s Word.
- Breastplate of Righteousness: Symbolizes the righteousness that comes from Christ and protects our hearts and minds.
- Shoes of Peace: Represents the gospel of peace and the assurance of salvation.
- Helmet of Salvation: Protects our minds from the enemy’s attacks and doubts.
- Shield of Faith: Defends us from the fiery darts of the evil one.
- Sword of the Spirit: Represents God’s Word, which is our weapon in spiritual warfare.
Always be vigilant, and aware of what you do and say daily. Don’t get caught in Satan’s trap! PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY THOUGHTS, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS OR POST THEM IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW
“Blessings to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”
H John Johnsen
Our Divided World Ministry
john@ourdividedworld.com
https://ourdividedworld.com
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