There is a spiritual battle raging. You can feel it. While you pray, you can feel God’s protection. When faced with something evil, God gifts us with discernment to recognize the evil. I am often brought back to Ephesians chapter six. Verses 10 through 20 describe standing strongly in the Lord and His power against the devil’s schemes and the forces of evil by putting on the full armor of God. Verse 13 promises that if we do the upkeep on our spiritual armor,
we will remain standing!
Put on:
THE BELT OF TRUTH As believers, truth should be a staple. Even what we humans consider a “little lie” has no place in our lives. I don’t want anything coming between me and God. “An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies” Proverbs 12:17.
THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS The righteousness we have is God’s to give; we cannot earn it. We accept his gift of righteousness in faith. Romans chapter 5 verse 1 tells us “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Habakkuk 2:4 we are told “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.” Funny how our righteousness and faith seem cyclic. Faith is the only way to obtain righteousness as we accept the free gift Jesus offered through His sacrifice for our sins, but by purposely clothing ourselves in the righteousness of Jesus daily, our faith grows and helps us live fully for Him.
SHOES OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE Romans 5:1 says, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our assurance is that Jesus did enough by dying on the cross. So when we have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, we are confident of being His children but are also prepared and firmly planted in our faith, even in the difficult times. In history, soldiers often had their shoes studded with nails like cleats to keep their footing. Good visual for being planted in my faith! The word “readiness” found in the NIV makes me visualize movement. We are also supposed to be on the move, sharing our faith with others! Each time we share the gospel (which is Jesus) with someone else, our own faith is strengthened and more grounded.
THE SHIELD OF FAITH Hebrews 11:1 tells us the definition of faith: confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Through our faith, we understand that we are working toward a heavenly realm and we CAN endure the struggles of life because God IS on our side! That keeps my eyes on Him and my work for Him.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT Verse 17 tells us that our sword is the Word of God. Jesus used the Word against the devil. We can too! Read it, absorb it, memorize it, and use it for God’s glory!
Let’s pray and put on our armor for the battle each day, trusting that God is with us!
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
-Ephesians 6:11
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