Age To Come blog has this on spiritual preparation, with weapons of war as metaphor for trial and power:

The full armour of God

I thought, what with things Anglican here, there and everywhere, now might be a good time to remind ourselves of the larger picture. The excerpt below taken from here.

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and have done all to stand.”

This is the indisputable message of God to all who would hear it today. It is not to move to a far off land, it is not to hoard or store, it is to prepare ourselves spiritually for what is about to descent. The message of the hour for God’s remnant is to make sure that their retain the whole armor of God, from truth, to righteousness, to the preparation of the gospel of peace, to faith, salvation and the word of God. All these parts make the whole, all are equally important, and all are necessary to our ability to overcome the darkness, and to stand in the evil day.

We cannot have the breastplate, without the sword or the helmet, or the helmet without having our waist girded, and our feet shod. All work in concert, to make up the true warrior of Christ, one who is not only willing to stand, but able to stand, who has done all in preparation for the battle that is to come.

We must be complete Christians, in complete armor, whole and unwavering in the face of the evil day that is upon us. That the evil days are approaching is no longer a debatable issue, for all one must do is turn on the morning news, or surf a few news sites to see where the world is headed. I speak not of a singular nation, but of a global crisis that will test the faith, endurance, and resilience of every man.

These are the days in which few will stand, and many will fall, wherein one will know in whom they have placed their trust and in whom they have relied.

We prepare not that we may boast of our foresight, we put on the armor not so others might see we are warriors, but simply that we might stand, and having done all to stand.

When all the messages of ease and comfort, of opulence and excess will be proven an illusion by the reality that will set in there will be chaos within what we now know as the church. Uncertain, unprepared, defenseless, many will run to and fro looking for truth, looking for an anchor in the storm, and it will be in these days that some will be called upon to point the way to the Bible, to the cross, to Christ. With wisdom as our guide, may we prepare now for the soon coming days, may our foundation be firmly planted upon the rock that is Christ and His word, that in our obedience and humility we might have peace, and the comfort of knowing that we are safe from harm in His eternal embrace.

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But you know, I'm bored and tired of the occult metaphors. I remember the preacher telling us "always carry your Bible, and you can tell folks it's your sword. And if you ain't got that handy, just carry your little New Testament, you'll at least have your dagger." Metaphor has its limits.

There's the literal word, which is mental and weak. Then there's the metaphors, which may help take you further in. But ultimately you've got to sit down and practice, then get up and practice.