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Mar 13, 2026 06:00am

Suit Up, Soldier

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The wind howled outside. Tiny whistles seeped through the cracks of my log home as I felt the cold draft. Snow swirled, and with every passing minute, it got worse. Like a soldier preparing for battle, I donned my armor.

First, a double layer of protection for my legs and body. Then, I pulled on my toboggan to cover my head and ears. I looped my scarf around my neck and pulled it up to my nose and chin. Then, I pushed my arms through the coat and gave the zipper a tug—all the way to the top. I pulled the hood over my head and tucked the ends of my scarf into my hood. I slipped my hands into my gloves and then grabbed the tops of my boots and pushed my socked feet into each one.

Now, I was ready.

My enemy wasn’t flesh and blood, but it had a name.

Fern.

A winter storm that wreaked havoc across multiple states, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

With temperatures around ten degrees Fahrenheit, yet it felt like two, I was not messing around as I entered the arctic blast.

I knew the dangers, and I had heard the warnings. But we couldn’t just ignore the cold. We had to get out in it. There was work to be done.

Is this how you’ve felt this past week?

It would be foolish to try to go out in this weather without proper protection. We wouldn’t last ten minutes without our winter gear.

Thankfully, this winter weather will come to an end. The temperatures will rise, the snow will melt, and the roads will be cleared. We won’t have weather alerts flashing on our phones. This won’t be something we have to deal with every day.

Ephesians 6:10–18
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Followers of Christ have an enemy. He seeks to destroy the name, the work, and the kingdom of God. He is filled with hate, pride, anger, and deceit. He will stop at nothing in his quest to tear apart anything that glorifies God.

He is Satan.

Once a beautiful angel, his pride swelled, and he became convinced that he could be like the Most High God. That he could be better than God. He wanted to destroy God, his Creator. Because of his rebellion and pride, he was cast out of heaven, but he didn’t go alone. He convinced a third of the angels to rebel with him. They make up his army of demonic forces.

1 Peter 5:8
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

What do we do? Do we fear him? Do we try to run and hide?

God has given us a commandment to go and make disciples. We are to live like Christ and teach others to do the same. We are to share the gospel so that people can come to know the Lord and be saved.

We have work to do. Like a soldier, we need to be prepared and armored for the battle.

God has given us everything we need in order to withstand the enemy’s attacks. And here’s the best part.

We know how the story ends. Christ has already won the battle. He has defeated sin, death, and hell. If we are saved in Christ, there is nothing the enemy can do to us to take that away.

And one day, the enemy will be destroyed.

This season will come to an end.

But until then, we’ve got work to do.

Soldier, prepare for battle.

If you’ve never asked Christ to save you, if you’ve never put your faith and trust in Him, today is the day of salvation. Don’t put this off. You’re reading this for a reason. Surrender your heart to Him today and let Him lead you through this life. Scripture says, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” We are nothing on our own. We need the Lord. Go to follow.lifeword.org to learn more about Jesus and what it looks like to follow Him.