Christian, arm yourself! When the world comes knocking at your door, inviting you to live in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, lawless idolatry, and whatever other flood of debauchery they’d like you to join, you stand firm. Arm yourself! Take up your weapon. Suit up! “Avengers assemble!” “Go-go-go Inspector Gadget!” Equip yourself with power. Be ready to fight, fight to the death if needed! Fight to the last man standing, and let it be you. Serve no quarter to the enemy. Arm yourself.
But I’m not talking about conventional weapons. Not guns or knives or pointy sticks, not crossbows or quarter-staffs, not nun-chucks or javelins. I’m referring to what Peter tells the Christians of his day: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.” Satan, the world, and your own flesh wage war against you, to drag you back into filth, your old way of acting before you knew Christ. The world is full of sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, lawless idolatry, and a flood of debauchery. You could partake of these things again, being the dog that returns to its vomit. You could drink the dirty water or drink out of broken cups that hold no water again, but don’t. Fight. This is not what you were saved for. You live for something better, not the passions of the flesh, but the will of God, to live in the Spirit the way God does. Arm yourself.
Arm yourself with this attitude: Christ’s suffering on the cross. In your place condemned He stood. He was beaten, broken, bruised, bloodied, but He knew no sin. He had no majesty that we should look at Him, He had no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows knowing only grief. Like a lamb led to slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers, He was silent. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And He was buried with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. In the end, what was His final wish? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Truly this man was the Son of God, a suffering servant.
Fight the good fight of faith. Kill sin in yourself and resist the forces that would drag you back down a broad road that leads to destruction. Be self-controlled and sober-minded. 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. The love of Jesus, His mercy and grace, the price He paid in suffering on the cross, is far better than any pleasure this world has to offer. Arm yourself!