As someone who prefers to engage in healthy conflict rather than destructive division, I often struggle with the illustrations that in my spiritual life, I’m somehow at war with an enemy. I’ve never been in a physical altercation with anyone, unless of course you consider a battle of wills; then perhaps, I may have gained a few victories out of sheer stubbornness, just ask my family and friends. Admittedly, I do also experience enjoyment in a good intellectual debate as I discuss in the post Barn Raising; however, those moments are fueled by curiosity and a desire to understand other perspectives, not a malicious intent to do someone harm. But one recurring theme on this pilgrimage to discover the Habits of a Flourishing Life, is that there is an enemy who is doing their best to “steal, kill, and destroy” any attempts made by myself, and others to flourish, to live an abundant life (John 10:10).

Several Scripture passages appear repeatedly as I journey through this season of discovery that serve as consistent reminders of my Lord’s guiding hand: Isaiah 43:19, Psalm 139, and John 10:10 among various others. And it’s John 10:10 that I introduced in the post Audacious Imaginations, and the one I want to continue exploring here from the perspective that Carlos Whitaker shares in his message and book Enter Wild. Whitaker reminds us that we will be opposed if we attempt to live a flourishing life; Scripture doesn’t say “that a thief comes to irritate, bother, and annoy,” but to “steal, kill, and destroy.” Now, the best news is that Spoiler Alert: we know who wins. And although We’re At War, our God has already conquered the enemy, so Satan is forced to deceive us into thinking that the battle is less serious, and to use creative lies to shoot fiery arrows into the weak places in our armor.

Whitaker openly shares of his struggles with anxiety and depression and how the enemy was able to manipulate this weak area in his armor, and how easy it was to fall into the trap that when our “trials get 60 percent better, it feels like 100 percent -it feels amazing, so we decide to stay there, we hang out there,” but what God is really asking of us in John 10:10 is to live in abundance, to flourish, to let our Audacious Imaginations take us to another level of living with God-given purpose. In Praying Promises, I will share more about how Whitaker encourages us to shift our mindset which opens the door to a flourishing life, but for now, I want to be sure that we recognize that We’re At War and that we find habits that will prepare us for battle – not of wills, not of intellect, but of a spiritual nature.

Personally, I have noticed a need to place my Armor On, to embrace spiritual practices that will prepare me for the battles ahead, and Ephesians 6:10-20 outlines just how that process works, and I encourage you to explore studies like Armor of God, that will walk you through that preparation. I’d prefer to consider my life to be blessed, which it is; and not to dwell on the fact that We’re At War, and someone is seeking to steal, kill, and destroy any good that ripples out from choosing to live a flourishing life where God is “going before me and following me and placing a hand of blessing on my head” (Psalm 139). Yet, if I choose to ignore that there is a battle raging that I may not be able to see, then I become vulnerable to the enemy’s fiery arrows that hit right at the heart of my weak spots-my mindset, my singleness, my fears, my doubts, and any other susceptible areas that can be used against my aspiration for a flourishing life. Since We’re At War, I’m choosing to place my Armor On, because deep in my heart, I know that a flourishing and abundant life is what God has for all of us, even if that life doesn’t unfold to match the image that I created in my own mind.

Please feel free to share in the comments below of a time when you, or someone you know, was able to conquer a battle that prevented the enemy from scoring a win.

References:

Shirer, P. (2015). The Armor of God. Lifeway Press.

Whitaker, C. (2020, September 5). “Enter Wild.” [Audio podcast]. Fresh Life Church. Retrieved from http://www.freshlife.church/messages/message.php?id=1173