Stand Firm, Part 2

Suddenly fear gripped Arthur. But he held his course. He glimpsed out of the corner of his eye his father cheering him on. As Henry approached, Arthur thrust his lance forward, carefully guiding it to the most vulnerable part of Henry’s armor. As Arthur’s lance struck, Henry fell to the ground, having received a fatal wound.

Arthur had done it! He had won the joust, and now his father’s kingdom was safe for a little longer. He looked up to see his father coming towards him. Suddenly, though he was so happy, he became terribly ashamed. “Wonderful job, my son!” The king said.

“But father, how can you be proud of me? I was afraid the entire time!” Arthur said, scarcely daring to lift his eyes from the ground.

“My son, you did it. You won. You overcame your fears. You are now victorious. Thought there are many battles left for you to fight, I will always be with you. And you can trust this armor in any battle.” And with that the king and Arthur went off to join the victory party.

The just, loving king represents our Father and our Lord, the one who we have given our lives to serve. Arthur is you and I, the ones who he has called to live for him and fight in his army. Henry represents those things that we fight against every day. The things that try to weaken our faith. But we can know that we will always overcome through the power of our father and the strength of the armor he has given us.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)