How God Equips Us for the Battles We Face in Grief

The days and weeks that followed the loss of my precious baby were filled with a battlefield of emotions and temptations. After becoming so intimately familiar with the frailty of life, I found myself fearful over the well-being of my husband and living children. I was nervous when they were away from me—what if something happened to them while I wasn’t nearby to keep them safe? I was anxious when we left the comfort and safety of our home. There were so many more things that I could not control out there. Most days, joy seemed illusive. Even so, when I would experience even the faintest glimmer of pleasure or happiness, it felt like a betrayal of my precious baby. How dare I let myself feel happy when my baby was no longer here with me? Or so I felt in those early days following the death of my baby. Though outwardly I was battling against fear, loneliness, anxiety, and despair, the real enemy was Satan. My emotions were merely a symptom of a greater war raging on in my heart. My flesh was fighting a spiritual enemy that I knew I could not face on my own. In my brokenness, I was fumbling through the battle with wavering faith. Just as with any battle I would not stand a chance without being properly outfitted to fight. Thankfully, God not only allows us to stand in His strength, He also fully equips us for the battles that we face each and every day—both the evil that attacks us from the outside, and the lies that try to work their way into our hearts. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:11-13 While the Lord is already working on our behalf, strengthening us through His might, we have been given responsibility in the battle as well. We have been tasked with putting on the armor that God has provided. The phrases “put on” and “take up” are calls to action requiring a sense of urgency. The war for our hearts has already begun. The spiritual battle that is raging all around us doesn’t cease. We don’t get a break from Satan’s attacks. If we want to stand firm against the enemy, we have to take up our armor daily, starting now. Everywhere we look, we can find feeble substitutes for our armor. There are a plethora of coping mechanisms and self-help books available to us. You will stumble across an endless amount of ways to self-medicate in an attempt to ease the pain, dull your senses, or trick you into believing that everything is okay. We could try to manage the anger, fill the void that loneliness leaves behind, or distract ourselves from the fear, but this will always fall short of offering the protection we truly need. We must lay aside our insubstantial defenses and go into the battle with the armor that God Himself has supplied. The “armor of light” (Romans 13:12) was made available to us by the blood Christ shed on the cross on our behalf and is infused with the same power that raised Him from the dead. It is not a bandaid, offering us temporary relief in the battle. Rather, our “weapons of warfare…have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). In my grief, I didn’t want to merely ignore or suppress the fear, loneliness, and anxiety that had taken root in my heart. I wanted their stronghold in my life to be destroyed. If I had failed to take up the spiritual protection that God has so graciously supplied, I would have been left unable to fully recognize the power of His strength in my life. The victory had already been secured. Christ has already won. I just needed to reach out and put on the armor. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 Dear sister, through Christ you have been given access to supernatural power enabling you to fight your battles and achieve victory. Will you call out to Him today? The victory is assuredly yours if you will only choose to trust in Him, put on your armor, and fight. When God is for you, what can stand against you (Romans 8:31)? When the sorrow threatens to over take you, when Satan tempts you to despair, equip yourself with the defenses that God has supplied, and He will enable you to stand.

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