Tools for the Spiritual Battle - Safe & Sound by David Powlison
Safe and Sound will help you to remember that you are in a spiritual battle.
“Lord, you are the strength of your people. Save your people. Bless your heritage. Be their shepherd and carry them. Thank you that those who look to you in faith will be forever safe and sound. “ (p.84)
David Powlison is the kind of author whose work is always worth reading. His words on speaking the truth in love and the dynamics of biblical change are master classes in taking the truth of the gospel and applying it to the heart of the problems Christians face. His last work, Safe and Sound, an explanation and application of the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, is especially worth reading because it contains some of the last words he ever penned.
In the first part of the book, Dr. Powlison explains the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, and I learned a ton about the allusions to the Old Testament that are found in each piece of armor, as well as how Christ is the fulfillment of everything that we are to put on. In the second half, Dr. Powlison takes that truth and applies it to the different areas of temptation we all wrestle with (fear, anger, escapism, etc.). There are also a few helpful chapters on what to do (or not to do) if a person has an explicit occult or animalistic spiritual background.
The words that Powlison pens in the closing chapter as he reflects on his life and the reality of his impending death are worth much more than the cost of the book itself. You would do well to regularly read and strive to live by the words Dr. Powlison writes in this last chapter. It is clear that Dr. Powlison was committed to fight his final clad in the armor of Jesus with the Holy Spirit as his strength. It truly was an honor to be let into some of his concluding thoughts on life and ministry.
The appendix describing the contrasting characteristics between Jesus’s “ekballic” mode of ministry and our mode of ministry is really helpful when thinking about the more extreme types of spiritual warfare. I found it to be a helpful moderation between two extremes, and applicable to the problems that I and the people around me are facing.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to the person who desires to grow in their ability to speak words of truth to the challenging situations of life!
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