Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Hebrews 13:1-2 “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Several years ago, my wife and I went on a Greek sailing vacation with two other couples. My wife was the captain of our 40-footer, with a robust sailing portfolio as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy. It wasn’t easy corralling the three fighter pilots that made up the majority of her crew, in part because we were a bit sure of our prowess in any endeavor.
One of the couples that joined us had extensive motorboat experience, and at some point were tired of anchoring in the bay. Instead, they wanted to pull the sailboat up onto the beach. That’s when we decided to take a snorkeling fieldtrip under the boat. Unlike motorboats, sailboats have a very large keel that sticks deep into the water to lower the center of gravity and prevent the sailboat from tipping over. A little bit of education about the unseen parts of our voyage opened their eyes and informed their understanding of the context in which we were operating.
Sometimes in life, we seek to operate without the knowledge of the unseen parts of our voyage. We forget that there is far more than just flesh and blood. There are principalities, powers, rules of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. There are also angels of which we are unaware.
May our humble connection with God regularly educate us with an understanding of the context in which we are operating, and spur us to put on the whole armour of God while wrapping ourselves in a demeanor of brotherly love.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO OPERATE IN A WAY THAT UNDERSTANDS THE FULL CONTEXT OF OUR SPIRITUAL SITUATIONS. There is much more going on under the surface than we realize.
