"Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
~ Ephesians 6:13-18
~ Ephesians 6:13-18
I gotta tell you. Never have I been more aware about what is going to happen without having a CLUE about what is going to happen. I know.....totally makes NO sense but it does at the same time make sense!
Every night before I fall asleep I try to read my bible. Maybe it's only one verse or maybe it's a whole chapter, but every night I find something in that Book to read. Most of the time, because I'm usually totally pooped by that point and the fact that I have ADD, I can read it but it isn't until much later that I fully understand what I read.
That's what happened last night.
I'm a big talker. Oh yeah, baby. All tough and capable and relatively fearless about most things. But today? I'm struggling with fear. Full on fear, my friend. And I'm not even really sure why until I just now realized what God was telling me.
You see.....I found the above verse last night. Yeah, I've read it before but last night I believe God was trying to tell me something. I believe that He was telling to be prepared for battle. A battle for my whole heart. A battle for my complete reliance on Him verses only a half reliance on Him and the other half on me.
I cannot do this without Him.
So as I sit here now, I realize I need to put on the "full armor of God" with all that I am and all that I have.
The belt is God's truth....the words He whispers through the darkness of my mind when the fat bastard ("FB") tells me things that are wrong and not to be believed.
The body armor is God's righteousness....the fact that I am within His will and doing as He has directed protects me and lets the world know my actions (so long as they are truly His will) are justified. It is God's shield of protection over me.
The shoes of peace that come from the Good News....well amen and amen! That tells me that God is going to have me on the move and on the offensive against FB. I am to "walk in peace" because I KNOW the Good News and have been saved by the blood of Jesus.
Hold up the shield of faith....I will walk by FAITH and not by sight. I will take God at His word, believe His promises and remember that He is bigger than anything FB can throw at me.
Salvation as my helmet....The war will be taking place in my mind and FB wins if he gets my thoughts and steers me away from what God is telling me to think and believe. The salvation I have received by faith in Jesus Christ will protect me so long as I PUT IT ON! Helmets don't do any good lying on the seat beside us!
Sword of the Spirit....God's Word indeed. By battling with God's truths and promises, the sword is quick, powerful and sharp.
So my fear? GONE. Gone because I have and will continue to put on the full armor of God.
JC is my BFF....
4 comments:
When my son was young and fear would creep in we taught him to quote Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."
He would say it over and over and over until peace would overtake his fear. Such a simple verse with a strong statement of faith. I've seen it work countless times in my own life too.
Blessings - Lisa
This is one of my favorite scriptures. We are all putting on the armor of God. We fight battles with the evil one everday. Do not underestimate him. As you gather your armor, remember why you are, who you are and whose defense you are rising to. All true warriors know that in order to serve Him, you first cleanse yourself and then protect yourself through obedience and shine with the light of Christ and step forward into the unknown but with Him as our commander and leader, How Can You Fall? There are more that are for you than against. You just may not always see them. I promise, they are there. Step forward. He will catch you.
The best thing about your armour is that it was built by your Commander. He will sustain you. He will guide you. He will protect you.
There is nothing you can do within your own strength except discipline yourself to His service. FB can jump in the lake, for you are complete in Christ. Christ won't let anything come on you that you can't handle!
Keep it up! You're doing great!
With God on your side, who can be against you?
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