The Evil One plays for “all the marbles” while we play the game of marbles.


Ephesians 6:10-12


It all boils down to this… We’re playing “friendlies” and the Evil One is playing “keepsies”.

In the game of marbles, the difference in those two approaches (rules) determines whether or not you’re gonna be able to take your marbles home if you lose.

Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse is one of the most descriptive accounts of how life’s game of marbles is played.

But before we dig deeper into the power of God’s word, let’s think back – maybe even waaaaay back…

If you’ve ever played marbles, you know that the object of the game is to shoot at the marbles inside in the circle and knock them out of the circle. You take turns with your opponent and play until all the marbles are gone. When the game is over, the player with the most marbles wins!

Sounds simple enough, but there’s nothing easy about it.

Not only are the marbles hard to hit, the Evil One, the owner of the age that’s roaming the edges of the circle and looking for a soul to devour, makes his own rules. Not only that, he places things inside the circle that he knows will tempt us… things that we shouldn’t be shooting for.

Like fancy marbles… You know the ones I’m talking about – the beautiful, multi-colored marbles with the golden tiger’s eye in the middle. We see them and just have to have them.

So, we aim for the more difficult shot, shunning the easy ones that can help us win the game. Instead, we shoot for the one that catches our eye – the object of our attention.

It’s a rigged game. We don’t stand a chance unless we use all the power we possess…

And how do we do that?

Imagine yourself wearing a full suit of armor – one that covers you from head to toe. We’ve all seen images of how the Knights of The Round Table would put on these suits before going into battle. They were practically invincible to the forces they were going up against.

In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers in Ephesus to consider their lives in a completely new way. They’re no longer slaves to the sin of their old ways but rather born into a new life in the spirit of God.

In other words, it was a “whole new ball game”.

The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to see yourself as a new being. Pray to remember that you’re no longer playing the game of marbles by the Devil’s ever-changing rules. You’re playing the game under the order of God, outfitted in full body armor, just like the Knights of the Round Table.

So, the next time the Devil thinks it’s gonna be easy pickins, pull out the ultimate shooter and blast his marbles back to the depths of Hell where they belong.

And then, pick up that marble with the Tiger-Eye and put it in your pocket. You are victorious, just like God promised you’d be.

You’ve won the game of “keepsies” – for all the marbles.


Ephesians 6:10-12

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.