Eph 6:10-20 talks of the armour of God, items every Christian needs to put on and take hold of if we are to make progress in our spiritual journey through a hostile world.
Armour is cumbersone, however, and so often we fail to prepare adequately for the battles we face. Since these battles are spiritual, they are often not visible to our natural senses and so we become complacent, underestimating the opposition and failing to tkae God’s Word seriously.
Life is like a journey through different terrains, and God gives us all the equipment we need to journey through each one. Sometimes it’s like a jungle with undergrowth taller than we are that has to be cleared if a straight path is to be followed:
A machete is a large cleaver-like knife which hacks through rain forest undergrwoth and is also used to cut down tall plants (such as sugar cane.) It’s a powerful weapon when used against people, as various South American uprisings have demonstrated.
Eph 6:16 talks of the shielf of faith which defends us against the flaming arrows of the evil one: the lies, doubts, temptations and snares which the devil uses to seek to de-rail us from our wholehearted pursuit of God. Eph 6:17 talks of the helmet of salvation which guards our minds and thoughts and urges us to take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
Sometimes, perhaps, that sword has to be like a machete, hacking through years of lies, years of doubts, years of false beliefs which have grown to formidable heights. The journey of faith must involve forward progress, movement, a refusal to stand still and settle for the familiar. As Kutless sing,
‘This is a day for new dreams,
A time for my faith to be strong,
My heart’s finding peace in the chaos,
I’m ready at last to move on.’ (Kutless, ‘I Will Go’)
A machete is a key part of any survivalist’s gear; it allows all the undergrowth to be chopped down and progress to be made. We have to be ruthless in cutting down anything which will stand in our way. Following God is not for the faint-hearted; faith is not a security crutch for the weak. Sin, doubt and unbelief will choke spiritual life. But God has given us all the armour and all the weapons we need to progress. Our task is not easy (as any gardener battling weeds will testify!), but is not impossible, for God is with us and helps us to advance.