Get your armor dirty

A lot of us have read the Ephesians 6 passage about the armor of God, but we’ve never really put it on. We’ve never gotten it dirty or had to depend on it to save our lives. And it’s not that we’re bad or have anything to be ashamed of. We just happened to grow up in an especially tru…

By Seth Barnes

06 October 2008, 12:10 am

By Seth Barnes

06 October 2008, 12:10 am

A lot of us have read the Ephesians 6 passage about the armor of God, but we’ve never really put it on. We’ve never gotten it dirty or had to depend on it to save our lives. And it’s not that we’re bad or have anything to be ashamed of. We just happened to grow up in an especially true cautious, oh-so-litigious, count-the-cost, make-your-plan evangelical culture.

More of us need to be activists. We need a lot more recklessness and a lot less deliberation. More of us need to get our armor dirty. More of us need to become fire-breathers. We need to stop pleasing people and play to an audience of one.

We need to at least put to a test our inner mettle. We need to embrace some great cause that is bigger than our own daily existence of earning a living and meeting our needs.

Some of us who struggle just getting started need to commit to memory Teddy Roosevelt’s immortal words:

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong
man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows
the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

I love that! When I get comfortable and want to rock back in my easy chair, I find that theological platitudes don’t do much for me – just more guilt for not being better. What makes the difference is that you get a revelation of the world’s need in a way that gets under your skin. Then, having been stirred up, you pray about what difference God wants you to make. That will get your armor dirty!

If you’re needing help getting into the arena, consider these needs:

Or for examples of heroes jumping into the arena, go here.

Comments (3)

sue

October 6, 2008 at 11:33 am

Amen!Does anyone have any spare armor they could lend me? 🙂
Jeff Goins

October 6, 2008 at 12:02 pm

you already have the armor, sue. Now, go get dirty!
Andy Ingram

October 7, 2008 at 11:39 am

I was just seeing a patient in the hospital, previously healthy early 50’s with a massive stroke, and she’s now basically brain dead. I sat there thinking, “what the h*** am I doing with my life”. What am I doing of any eternal significance. Nothing like a cold splash of death to bring you back to the reality of the life and death struggle. How often is my armor sitting, nice, clean, gleaming, in the closet, going unused. I need to get my hands dirty and get living. It really is life and death. Thanks for the reminder.