Constantinople.
It is now known as Istanbul, Turkey, but in its ancient days, it held a lot of political weight in the known world. The city acted as a form of continental gateway as it sat as the geographical crux of Europe and Asia.
Its fall was to the infamous Ottoman Empire, but make no mistake, its origin dates all the way back to the 13th century BC. It was a magnificent place.
Throughout its history it boasted of incredible walls that offered state of the art defense. The greatest however were that of Roman Emperor Theodosius II. After a massive defeat which resulted in a large number of deaths, he knew something had to be done. So, in the 4th century BC, this double set of walls was constructed.
These walls stood century after century, and withstood siege after siege. But something changed. It did not change drastically, but it did change and ultimately was Constantinople’s demise. With the increasing usage of gunpowder and the invention of the cannon, the defensive effectiveness of walls got lower and lower.
Meanwhile, cannons got bigger, and invaders were able to load them faster. Nonetheless, these innovations were not overnight marvels. But as the weapons changed, defense remained the same.
The wiles of the Devil are much like Constantinople’s invaders. They do not stay the same, they constantly attempt to attack the integrity of God’s Word and therefore, the integrity of Christians.
Do not become stagnant defenders. Build your defense and fight back!
We build our defense, first by equipping the Armor of God. It is in His armor that we make our stand (Ephesians 6:10). Next you, identify who your enemy is, and no, it is not that pretentious person that comes to mind, it is the evil forces led by Satan himself (Ephesians 6:11). Only then, can you take a stand (Ephesians 6:12).
This armor consists of loins girt in truth and heart covered in the breastplate of righteousness. Your feet must be swift, shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. A shield is only useful when it has maintenances and is repaired. Do not allow your shield, your faith, to dented. For your defensive arsenal, if this factor is compromised, then you may fall in your faith, just as the Byzantines fell to the Ottoman Empire. Be alert, the Devil is crafty. He is renovating cannons to comprise your shielding, but do not let him get close enough. Shortly, we will view our offensive!
The helmet of salvation completes an armor defined with the very word- “Peace” (Ephesians 6:13-17; Philippians 4:6-7). We can be confident that we will hold, unwavering as we abide in Christ, despite the great offensive (Hebrews 6:19).
But what is our offense?
It is a sword! The Sword of Truth, God’s very word! It holds dual purpose. It may thwart the blow of an attack but is also a very intimate weapon of attack itself. Our weapon is not a bow and arrow to strike invaders from afar, God calls us to be intimate and fight face to face, confident that Christ goes before us!
The enemy is crafty indeed. But we can take presumptive action and stand.
Do you believe this? Is your shield strong and your sword raised? If so, let us watch and be ready for sieges!
Good post last year I learned about the fall of Constantinople so this is fresh on my memory; good spiritual truth to be watching out
It is an interesting time in history! Thanks for the great feedback!