“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:12-13
Maybe you’ve heard the ancient story of Achilles... a great warrior and hero of Homer’s Iliad. As legend tells it, his mother dipped him into the magical river Styx when he was a boy. Holding him by his heel and lowering him under, she knew that immersing him in this body of water would make him invincible. It worked.... Achilles became a strong warrior that couldn’t be defeated in battle. However, he did have one weak spot. Where? You guessed it... the only spot that didn’t get dipped... his heel. The one spot that his mother failed to cover in the magical water would be the exact place an arrow would land and sink in... killing Achilles. This fictitious hero of legend was felled by a weak spot he didn’t even knew he had.
In Ephesians 6:12-13, we read that we, too, are in a battle. And the enemy that fires his arrows is relentless and has great aim. His sights are set on the areas of our lives that aren’t covered in armor. His goal? To take us down... to neutralize us by exploiting where we struggle.
Where is your achilles heel? For many, the struggle is generosity.
We hold tightly to what we have in fear of not having enough. We give what’s left over because we don’t trust. We forget that giving to the local church is an act of obedience… of faith… and reveals whether or not we trust what God says in His word about provision.
Do we really believe the Bible? Are we in love with the parts that make us feel good and skim the parts that challenge us to stretch? Why did Jesus talk so much about money? Because He knew that it would be the one area that exposes many to the attacks of the enemy. And the devil is a good shot.
I know this. When we are generous with what God trusts us with… we receive blessings from Him. And maybe one of the biggest blessings of all is knowing that the enemy can’t take us down by the achilles heel of giving. Are you ready to put on that piece of armor? Let’s get stronger together…
