Verse: Ephesians 6:13-17
13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Thoughts
Michela did a great job yesterday reminding us of the importance “gearing up” for life—of not forgetting to put on the proper gear for our daily battle with the enemy. It’s like those dreams where you walk into work or school, and then realize you forgot to get dressed. Remember the panic of those dreams? What if we got that same panic response every time we tried to live our lives without the armor of God?
Paul has just finished telling us we are in a spiritual battle. And that we have an enemy who isn’t just sitting there twiddling his thumbs. He has “strategies” to tear us down. So we need to get ready by daily wearing the armor of God. But what does this really mean?
When I was a kid, I used to think this meant just praying this prayer: “God I put on the armor of God, the helmet of salvation, the….” But now that I’m older I realize that’s not really it. It’s more about how we actually live our lives. This isn’t some magical prayer we pray, it is an embodiment of our faith. Like Jesus put on flesh to come and save us, we put on Christ daily (Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14). We live “incarnationally”—making our faith more than just a set of beliefs, but instead a way of life.
So we can ask ourselves these questions: Are you living your life with Truth holding your life together? Like a belt? Integrity, character, uprightness—do these describe how you live? Are you living in Righteousness, which will guard your heart? Are you choosing to do right even when it’s not easy or popular? Are you a person of Peace? Or are you someone who looks for ways to fight and tear others down? Is your Faith growing and vibrant? Are you pursuing a relationship with Jesus, drawing closer to him, and allowing him to lead you? Do you stand in the truth of your Salvation, knowing that God has saved you from your sins as a free gift, and you do not have to earn his love or approval? And finally, the only weapon (offensive tool, versus defensive) is the Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God. Do you read the Word? Do you get it into your heart and mind? Do you live it out?
This is how you “wear”the armor of God. By living it every day! As we live in Truth, Peace, Faith, etc – we put ourselves in a place where it is much harder for Enemy to find ways to attack us or hurt us.
Take some time this morning and read through that list. Allow the Holy Spirit to point out one that you could grow in. NO CONDEMNATION OR SHAME. Just allow him to show you, and then make a plan for how you can start to grow in that area!
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for your love in my life! Help me to grow in the discipline of living in the armor of God.
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