"Put on the full armor of God , so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11
The word of God describes the personal arsenal of state of the art weaponry that is provided to all believers. They are encouraged to put them on and to stand firm in the battle line. The fact that all but one of the weapons is defensive in nature should lead a stand up person to expect relentless attacks from the devil. The plurality of the word "schemes" should be a hint to the persistent nature of the attacks that will come their way. The word "devil" is a clue that the accuser will throw anything and everything at those who will stand against him. His schemes are not based on truth, but on the most absurd, and unbelievable lies. He is not aiming for accuracy, just confusion. He knows that if he can cloud the field of battle with the fog of war, then he will seem much larger than he really is. This is when the most valiant soldier will sometimes weaken in the knees, refuse to stand and run from the battle.
Strength for the battle comes from the hand of God. When Dana and I met with her oncologist for the first time, we were very impressed with his understanding of the conflict we were facing. He had been recommended to us by dear friends, Lowell and Shirley Thomas. Dana and I had met for the first time in their home in September of 1974. On Monday nights they hosted an outreach night for Single Adults of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church. I had joined the church the day before, and I showed up at their home at their invitation to get better acquainted with the singles of the church. I was not in great shape. I had worked all day running a jack hammer. I was working on a combination demo and construction site at the seminary. We did not have classes on Monday so I had put in a long day tearing out a reinforced steel stairwell in one of the buildings we were renovating. The work had left me with ringing ears and shaking hands. I couldn't hear real well, and my hands shook so much that it made me look like a drunk with the delirium tremors. When I tried to drink coffee from a Styrofoam cup I was a caffeine sprinkler system. It was all over the map and rarely in my mouth. When I placed my hands on one of the fold up card tables, I made it wobble like an earthquake had just hit the house. The night was not going well until Dana walked in. She was fashionably late, and made a spectacular entrance. When I saw her for the first time I was stunned. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She still is. I somehow managed to maneuver the seating arrangements so I could sit across from her at the small card table that night. I was in love, and in a great deal of conflict. I had never believed in love at first sight, but I was having my core beliefs shaken as badly as my hands. I was convinced that this lady was to be my wife. It would take me over two years to convince her of God's plan for her life, but I was certain of his plan for mine. That is another story.
When Lowell and Shirley Thomas recommenced Dr. Olivares to us, we made an appointment and drove to his office in Garland, Texas. It was 90 miles from our home. This 180 mile round trip would be the first of 12,000 miles we would drive for various medical procedures over the next two years. When we met with this fine man, we were impressed that he seemed to take what we were going through at a more personal level than other medical professionals we had met. He shared with us that his own wife had just gone through the same battle with breast cancer, and he was fresh from the fight. When he told us that he thought cancer was evil, and that it had to be fought with prayer, I was convinced this was the man who could help us. As he began to share with Dana about what she faced, I heard him describe five elements of the battle plan that he had in mind for her. Over the next two years, we would see God's hand at work in each of these five areas.
He told us that we must hit cancer hard with everything we had available to us. This meant that first of all we must attack it with prayer. Because it is an evil scheme, then it must have a spiritual response to it. He went on to mention a positive attitude, good nutrition, regular exercise, and medical science. As we drove home and reflected on this first interview with the oncologist, we both believed that God brought him into our lives. Over the next two years, as we began to implement and then learned to coordinate these five powerful elements into our fight against breast cancer, we would see the hand of God at work in a powerful way.
The power of prayer was not new to us, and the practice of praying together was already a vital part of our married life. However, we had never walked through this kind of valley before, and the shadow death seemed particularly intimidating. We would find out that we had alot to learn about the power of prayer, and the role it can play in giving us the strength to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. What we had learned before the fight with breast cancer was like basic training. We were going to find out that the path to victory we would expose our inexperience in real warfare, but would begin the process of turning two green recruits into seasoned veterans. It would lead us to surrender to the will of God for our lives, but to never give in to the lies of the enemy. Prayer was how we first began to learn how to hit back. We would not wallow in being victims, but find our first taste of victory in striking fear in the heart of the enemy. We would gain comfort and strength in the middle of the battle because prayer allowed us to hear the screams of the enemy being on the receiving end of the strong hand of God. All we had to do was stand. God would do the rest.
"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless study, prayerless work, or prayerless religion. He mocks at our wisdom, laughs at our toil, but he trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick
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