Wednesday Words of Encouragement
Ephesians 6:10-18 ~
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Do you have your armor on today? In order to stand against the devil we need to have it on each day but not just parts of it; all of it! As I read this passage this morning, I was thinking about why I find it so difficult at times to stand firm in certain areas of my life. Then I realized it could be that I forgot to put on part of my armor.
What about you? Do you find that there are days when you have truth and righteousness on but forget about putting on faith? Or you have everything on but forget about taking up the sword which is God's word? Or perhaps you put on all your armor but skip praying. I find it interesting that Paul wraps up this whole section with reminding them to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers. Prayer is one of the most essential components of our armor.
As you go through your days and strive to keep your eyes on Christ, being self-controlled and disciplined, remember to put on all the pieces of your armor and then to bathe the whole thing in prayer.
Without your armor, you will fail. This is not a battle we can fight unprepared. Put on the pieces of protection that the Lord has provided. It's only through being fully clothed that we will win our fight against those dark forces that strive against us.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Do you have your armor on today? In order to stand against the devil we need to have it on each day but not just parts of it; all of it! As I read this passage this morning, I was thinking about why I find it so difficult at times to stand firm in certain areas of my life. Then I realized it could be that I forgot to put on part of my armor.
What about you? Do you find that there are days when you have truth and righteousness on but forget about putting on faith? Or you have everything on but forget about taking up the sword which is God's word? Or perhaps you put on all your armor but skip praying. I find it interesting that Paul wraps up this whole section with reminding them to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers. Prayer is one of the most essential components of our armor.
As you go through your days and strive to keep your eyes on Christ, being self-controlled and disciplined, remember to put on all the pieces of your armor and then to bathe the whole thing in prayer.
Without your armor, you will fail. This is not a battle we can fight unprepared. Put on the pieces of protection that the Lord has provided. It's only through being fully clothed that we will win our fight against those dark forces that strive against us.
What a great post. - Really helped me to realize the importance of the WHOLE armor. God bless~ Lisa :O)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa! Sometimes it'll take me reading through something a few times before something like that leaps out at me. The phrase, "Put on the WHOLE armor" did that this morning. Have a great day!
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