Past Commentary by a Common Terry
The dark is so dark
May 17, 2026
When I was a kid, one of my favorite movies was The Court Jester with Danny Kaye. Such a fun movie. We waited every year for it to air again. It is the story of mild-mannered Hawkins (Kaye), thrust into a situation that demands he be anything but mild-mannered.
At one point, he is forced to face the massive and vicious Sir Griswold on the jousting field. A battle to the death. As he is being prepared to do something he cannot do, he is asked what his weapon of choice is. He looks at the armament and sees several options—a sword, a club, mace and chain, etc.
Hawkins eyes light up. “I’ll take one of those. Oh, and one of those.” He looks over at Sir Griswold, then says, “I’ll just take them all.” Which, of course, he can’t do.
“I’ll just take them all.” Every weapon for both protection and attack, I’ll use them all. That’s a good strategy. Take them all. Use them all.
The book of Ephesians builds to the final description of the battle between good and evil. It is not just any old normal run-of-the-mill adversary. Our battle is, “...against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
We must be ready for whatever might come our way, but we are determined, “...to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13) And then Paul outlines the strategy and describes the spiritual armor with which we will be equipped.
The darkness is so very, very dark. It is evil. It is cosmic. It is beyond this world. And it is deadly. If we choose to belong to the King, joining Him in His purpose to defeat this darkness, shining light into the corners and crevices, we must be armed to the spiritual teeth with the weapons that not only can protect us, but can overcome the enemy. Otherwise, the darkness and evil continues in our lives, attacking us with the evil one’s flaming darts. (Ephesians 6:16)
We don’t take some of the armor. We don’t pick and choose which spiritual armor to wear and use. We need all of it. We take one look at the evil of this world and the darkest dark and can say nothing other than, “I’ll just take them all.”
This is important. Every piece of armor, every spiritual trait we are to possess, grow in, and demonstrate, are an answer to what the evil one attacks us with.
We follow the Truth of God in a world that is filled with lies and deceit. Otherwise, we are tossed around like a rudderless ship on the ocean, susceptible to every ridiculous bit of information and influence out there.
Righteousness is the choice to live in the godly right of God’s way, not giving in to the barrage of temptations to live otherwise and act like a heathen instead of a citizen of the Kingdom.
The Gospel gives us peace as we head into battle. We are ready because of the saving message, belief, and conviction we have. It can’t be shaken because it is His gospel. His good news.
Faith is more than belief. It is trust. It defends who we are and what we stand for. No matter the earthly outcome, our confidence is solid.
Salvation protects our thoughts and intentions as we know not only who we are and who we belong to, but our eternal promised destiny.
The Word is more than a book. God’s Word is life itself. We immerse ourselves in the Word because it repels the evil one. It is the lone piece of attack armor.
It is all wrapped in Prayer. We are in constant communication, connection, and conversation with the King, the General, the Warrior that leads us into battle.
The dark is so very dark. We need them all because they are weapons of light. And light wins.
At one point, he is forced to face the massive and vicious Sir Griswold on the jousting field. A battle to the death. As he is being prepared to do something he cannot do, he is asked what his weapon of choice is. He looks at the armament and sees several options—a sword, a club, mace and chain, etc.
Hawkins eyes light up. “I’ll take one of those. Oh, and one of those.” He looks over at Sir Griswold, then says, “I’ll just take them all.” Which, of course, he can’t do.
“I’ll just take them all.” Every weapon for both protection and attack, I’ll use them all. That’s a good strategy. Take them all. Use them all.
The book of Ephesians builds to the final description of the battle between good and evil. It is not just any old normal run-of-the-mill adversary. Our battle is, “...against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
We must be ready for whatever might come our way, but we are determined, “...to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13) And then Paul outlines the strategy and describes the spiritual armor with which we will be equipped.
The darkness is so very, very dark. It is evil. It is cosmic. It is beyond this world. And it is deadly. If we choose to belong to the King, joining Him in His purpose to defeat this darkness, shining light into the corners and crevices, we must be armed to the spiritual teeth with the weapons that not only can protect us, but can overcome the enemy. Otherwise, the darkness and evil continues in our lives, attacking us with the evil one’s flaming darts. (Ephesians 6:16)
We don’t take some of the armor. We don’t pick and choose which spiritual armor to wear and use. We need all of it. We take one look at the evil of this world and the darkest dark and can say nothing other than, “I’ll just take them all.”
- The Belt of Truth.
- The Breastplate of Righteousness.
- Shoes that are the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
- The Shield of Faith.
- The Helmet of Salvation.
- The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word.
- Prayer envelopes it all.
This is important. Every piece of armor, every spiritual trait we are to possess, grow in, and demonstrate, are an answer to what the evil one attacks us with.
We follow the Truth of God in a world that is filled with lies and deceit. Otherwise, we are tossed around like a rudderless ship on the ocean, susceptible to every ridiculous bit of information and influence out there.
Righteousness is the choice to live in the godly right of God’s way, not giving in to the barrage of temptations to live otherwise and act like a heathen instead of a citizen of the Kingdom.
The Gospel gives us peace as we head into battle. We are ready because of the saving message, belief, and conviction we have. It can’t be shaken because it is His gospel. His good news.
Faith is more than belief. It is trust. It defends who we are and what we stand for. No matter the earthly outcome, our confidence is solid.
Salvation protects our thoughts and intentions as we know not only who we are and who we belong to, but our eternal promised destiny.
The Word is more than a book. God’s Word is life itself. We immerse ourselves in the Word because it repels the evil one. It is the lone piece of attack armor.
It is all wrapped in Prayer. We are in constant communication, connection, and conversation with the King, the General, the Warrior that leads us into battle.
The dark is so very dark. We need them all because they are weapons of light. And light wins.