The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15 NKJV
A large part of training for law enforcement and military is survival tactics. They are taught how to best survive in difficult situations like coming under fire from the enemy. It is a teaching that requires practice and so it’s not a one time and done sort of thing. It is something that for us meant we had to practice several times a year to keep sharp and being taught new methods as they were being developed.
You often hear it said in law enforcement training that our most important goal is to make it home safely at the end of our shift.
That’s our goal as Christians as well. Our end goal is to make it home safely. The Bible is our instruction manual for defensive tactics, and it is full of survival tactics for dealing with life in a lost world.
Ephesians 6:12-18 lists the most obvious which is dressing properly for spiritual battle. Each and every day we are apt to find ourselves involved in spiritual warfare. It is important that we wear the armor God provides. We are instructed to gird our loins with truth. Truth is an important part of the Christian’s armor because Jesus clearly stated in John 8:44 that the devil was a liar and the father of lies. So, we must be truthful.
We are to wear our righteousness like a breastplate. A breastplate protects our vital organs from arrows and bullets. As sinners, we can only be righteous through God. 1 John 1:9 tells us if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We are told to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We are to carry the shield of faith. We are told in Ephesians 6:16 that it is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Our faith in God should be bigger than our fear. It will shield us from attacks.
We are to wear the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects the brain or the mind. Our salvation protects us from the sin and temptation that begins in the mind. And last but not least, the only offensive weapon we are to carry is the sword of the Spirit. This is God’s word.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.”
As human beings we are either survivors who make it through this cold cruel world to be in heaven with our Lord and Savior or we are defeated by the devil. There are no other options. If we suffer defeat and fall for the devil’s lies, we suffer the second death which is being thrown into the lake of fire.
The Bible is full of Scripture passages to help you deal with the struggles you face in your everyday life here on earth. God gives us these survival tactics because He wants us to be with Him in heaven. In order to do so, however, we must conquer the trials, tribulations and temptation we face on earth.
The first step to survival is to be sober and alert and know the enemy is ready to pounce (1 Peter 5:8). Suit up in the armor God provides and be ready.
Have a great day!