Riot Gear
By Karen D’Amore
“Put on the full armor of God…”
Ephesians 6:11a
On April 30, 1992, a somber spirit hovered over the crowd as we lay to rest a fellow police officer. As the parade of police cars exited the cemetery, an emergency broadcast echoed from the police radio, “all units report to the command post.”
In response to the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King, riots had erupted in the streets. Looting, assaults, arson and murder plagued neighborhoods within a 30-mile radius.
Dressed in our formal police uniforms, none of the officers in my police car were properly equipped for battle. Delaying our response to the command post, we returned to the police department to retrieve body armor, riot sticks, helmets, gas masks and tactical shields. After equipping ourselves for battle, we took to the streets and engaged in a war of civil unrest. For six days, with the assistance of National Guard tankers, we fought fires, dodged bullets, and stood guard over injured and dying citizens.
As women, the majority of us will never participate in a physical war. But as Christ-followers, we face the threat of a spiritual battle everyday. We fight against an enemy we cannot see. Our struggle is not “against flesh and blood, but against…spiritual hosts of wickedness” (Ephesians 6:12 NASB). Preparation and protection is the key to winning the battle. Each day we must put on the full armor of God…individually AND as the Church. Using the armor and weapons He supplies, we are able to fight in His power and strength. Only then are we are able to stand.
It would have been a foolish to set foot on that Rodney King battlefield without the proper riot gear. Recalling specific incidents of that experience, had I not been adequately equipped, I could have died. Yet now, as I rush to begin my days, I often leave home unprotected and ill-equipped to withstand the spiritual battles I encounter. Exhausted and discouraged I crawl into hiding, too defeated to return to life’s battlefield.
In our daily routine, we prepare ourselves to face each day by fixing our hair and putting on make-up and clothes. But as Christ-followers, we can’t stop there. Each day, as we prepare to face the world, let us put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Only then will we…“be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 2:10).
GOING DEEPER:
1. What steps are you taking to ensure that you are equipped to withstand the spiritual battles in this life? What steps are WE taking to ensure we are equipped together to withstand the spiritual battles?
FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 6:18; Romans 13:12
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon. She’s a leader for Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need Center.
