Fighting Fire

Ephesians 6:13-17  CSB

“For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation 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.”

Firefighters have a variety of tools at our disposal. We have Pike Poles and New York Hooks for tearing into walls and performing demolition. We have shovels and McCloud tools for wildfires. We have saws galore. And of course, we love our extrication tools, but you may know them as “the jaws of life.” Heck, we sometimes call the firetruck a “rolling toolbox.”

I’m willing to bet, though, if you ask any firefighter what their favorite tool is, most will say the Irons. “The Married Pair.” The Halligan Forcible Entry Tool and the ubiquitous Fire Axe. Little known fact about firefighters… we like to break stuff.

The Irons are offensive tools… they are not for defense. The aren’t used to protect us from damage, they’re used to demolish anything that stands in the way.

Advantages of the Gear

The Irons are portable and easy to use in high stress situations. They are sharp and durable and effective for making holes and popping doors. They are versatile and can be used in a variety of rescue situation.

The Irons are useful for 3 things:  Smashing your way into a structure, smashing your way out of a structure, and smashing anything within the structure that gets in the way of your objective.

Here’s the most important thing to remember about the Irons:  We would never go interior on search and rescue or interior on a fire operation without them. We are taking and axe or Halligan in with us because we need them to gain access or egress. We’re getting in, we’re getting through, and we’re getting out.

Illustrative of the Word of God

The Irons are extremely useful in demolishing stuff. They’re built for that. The Word of God is the thing that we carry to smash any argument that draws people away from God. It breaks down walls in people’s hearts. It tears apart bad theology and false philosophy.  If the battleground for the spiritual firefight is the mind, the Bible is the tool that demolishes bad ideas, doubts, and temptations.  If the Enemy brings a deception, the Word obliterates it.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 CSB

“since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments  and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

The enemy’s main tactic is deception. It’s the Word of God that we use to smash open the deception and expose the truth. It’s absolutely critical that we realize that the Word of God is the weapon that empowers us to go on the offensive against the enemy’s lies.

Firefighters study and practice many strategies for using these tools to breach and demolish. The believer must learn and fine tune their use of the Word of God.

Why you need to carry the Word of God

We need the Word of God for Offense. The Word is what we use to send the enemy running. It’s a powerful weapon to counter attacks and deceptions. We can confront falsehoods and point to the Truth. We bring the hope of the Gospel to the lost and the Word of God provides access.

We need the Word of God for Demolition. Without a vital knowledge of God’s Word, we wouldn’t be equipped to tear open ideas and see what’s underneath. The point of fire demolition is to open up walls and see if there’s fire extension inside. This prevents the fire from rekindling.. A healthy understanding of God’s Word exposes false argument and ensure that we aren’t taken captive by deception, even when it’s hiding in unexpected places in our hearts.

We need the Word of God for Navigation. The Irons provide access into a blocked entrance and create an exit. The Word of God is what we use to navigate life’s challenges. In a world that is confusing with so many ways to get sidetracked the Word of God is what centers us and keeps us heading in the right direction, though the enemy would try to block our mission for the Kingdom. Many of have “locked rooms” in our hearts, they’re parts of us that we don’t want others to know about or worse, they’re parts of us that we are hiding from the Chief. The Word of God opens those doors.

We need the Word of God for Transformation. The Irons help us change the construction of a the structure of our thinking. The Word helps us transform our minds and hearts.  It penetrates us deeply, exposing sinful thoughts and desires. It corrects and redirects us. It leaves us different, but also open the Lord to move in us.

We need the Word of God for Escape. We can easily be overwhelmed by the Enemy’s deception if we don’t answer it with the Word of God. Even when we fail and sin, the Word provides us wisdom for repentance and forgiveness.

What strongholds… locked doors… exist in your heart? What rooms in your heart need the door busted in? What thoughts need to be taken hold of?  Let’s start breaking things!