There's a Crack in Your Armor Perry Stone

prince of darkness.

THE

TRAINING

OF

A

WRESTLER Special gyms were assigned for training the athletes, and the wrestling schools were called the palestra . The root Greek word for palestra is pale , which is the Greek word for “wrestle” and the word Paul used when he said we “wrestle” (Eph. 6:12). The endurance and strength training were pivotal, as a strong opponent would attempt to wear down a weaker one. The wrestlers trained not only in the gym but also in their daily lives. Some were soldiers or did hard manual labor to build muscle and strength. Our daily lives must be a part of our training process—encountering different people, different religions, various attitudes, and observing the clash of the cultures all come into play in our spiritual equipping. It is noted that the Greek word for “exercise” in the Bible actually means to “exercise naked.” This is not an encouragement to become a “Christian streaker.” I say this because some Christians only have on a helmet of salvation and have omitted the rest of their protective gear, walking into a battle without spiritual clothes. The helmet wearers are saved, go to church when convenient, and have accepted Christ only as “fire insurance” to stay out of hell. The warring believer, however, is to be covered with specific armor to prevent the hands of the enemy from gaining access to any part of their