I sat in a large room with several other people, feeling defeated, confused, lost, and broken.  I had been through a battle over the last 18 months where the values I held close were trampled and forgotten.  I had almost lost my family due to some choices I had made and I had deserted my Mom who needed me more than ever, and for no reason that I could understand.  It had been as if a blind fold was put over my eyes and my values & priorities had been crumpled up and thrown out the window.  I had lost my purpose and my way and felt like a child being punished, sitting in the corner with a dunce hat on my head.  But I listened to the bible study leader and heard Ephesians 6:10-20 for the first time and my life was turned around.  I learned about a spiritual war that is taking place around us where Satan and his demons push temptation and turmoil to encourage us to fail as Christians.  Ephesians 6 tells us about a struggle we all have with powers of a dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  I listened intently as I heard story after story from the people around me of how they experienced real life instances of these demons in their lives.  I began to understand that what I had experienced was a spirit wanting me to pull away from God and the values I had held dear.  Paul clearly states in Ephesians that the battle is not against flesh and blood or people, but against the rulers and authorities of this dark world.  The more I understood about the truth, the less I blamed myself for my mistakes.

I have taken the first step in warfare, which is to acknowledge there is truly a war taking place.  The devil is surrounding us with temptation and tests of our faith all day, every day.  He wants us to fail as Christians so he may throw in a bad driver to frustrate us as we drive to work, a co-worker who pushes our buttons, or images that flash across our computer screens or TV tempting us to watch.  As Christians, we have to understand this battle is taking place so we can focus on God and away from these temptations.

Warriors for God was created from that day in the Ephesians bible study.  I dove in to research this war that had overtaken me and thrown me off my path of faith.  I then saw so many other marriages failing in our community in addition to battles with addictions, depression, and other Christians suffering from losing their way.  There was no other explanation and it was so clear now how Satan had his hand in each situation.

So what do we do about it? Once we know we are in the middle of a war, what is the next step?  Our instincts tell us to flee or fight.  If we flee then we lose the battle and Satan wins.  Our marriages fail, our children suffer, addiction consumes us, and depression continues.     Why would we flee when we have the most powerful omnipresence on our side?  God doesn’t want us to fail.  God has provided the tools for us to overcome Satan and continue to win the battle.  Ephesians 6 describes our responsibility to put on spiritual protection that God has provided us.  This armor protects us from Satan’s attempts to break our fellowship with Jesus and the impact from the enemy.

Warriors for God is a ministry created to encourage Christians to strengthen their faith and fight the battle against Satan and his evil powers.  We have the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes from the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, and prayer.  All believers should wear this armor of God every day and night to protect their faith and fight the spirits who target their values.  Are you ready to stand and fight?  Are you prepared to put on your armor for God?