Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Ephesians 6:14-15

Good morning!

Ephesians 6:14-15: 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.


How can I stand my ground against such a big foe? Who am I to stand up and fight and be strong?

God gives us the weapons we need in advance so we can be ready! First...truth! Know God's promises and His Word and keep it in your heart. Know who you are in Christ. Dark forces cannot stand against that as hard as they try. They can never take that away from you! And notice it is to be buckled around your waist. What is the first thing you always see men do in old Westerns when they are in a duel? They stand, with their hands close to their belts, ready to draw their guns. In any military or police force, their weapons are on their belts, buckled in place. It should be the first thing you reach for when you are battling the enemy. Jesus is alive! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son! No weapon formed against me shall prosper! These are the truths that will defeat your enemy in any situation.

Just last night as I lay trying to go to sleep, another awful image pops in my head about my children getting hurt and I immediately recognized it, spoke out to those evil forces in my head and said, "In the name of Jesus, get under my feet!" And it did! It was gone and I went right to sleep.

Stand firm and be ready to speak truth to your enemy.

The easiest thing to do when faced with a tragedy is to get angry. We don't understand why things happen and instead of letting it go and giving it over to the Lord, we hold onto it and try to fix things on our own. We suffer much more and longer than we need to and we let that anger turn into sin. It is so easy to do and we have all done it. But this is exactly what the enemy wants...you to be sinning and out of God's will. You are vulnerable now to slide even further away from the One who can defeat him. You have lost...he has won, yet again. But with the breastplate of righteousness in place, the enemy has no way in. Protect with all your might the truths God has given you and the goodness in your heart. Don't let anger or grief or sorrow ruin all the good in your life.

How does a mother continue life without her precious daughter? How does a father wait for hours while his son is under the knife having a tumor removed from his spine? They keep their sweet images of their children in the heart and protect it with their life. They remember the good and God keeps their heart from being corroded by sin. I will keep praying and praising God for my healthy children. I will picture their laughs anytime the enemy tries to trick me. I will stand strong and guard my heart at all times. God has a plan for my children and that is what I will remember, not the devil's lies.

Stand firm with your breastplate of righteousness in place.

I imagine the men in duels are still scared. Even though they have the weapons at their side, they are still scared. The mother who is burying her little girl is still frightened of the emptiness of her house. The father is still scared that the surgery wasn't a success and that the tumor will come back. But God gives us another weapon to help us move forward instead of just standing still. His peace! We can know God's truth and give our hearts over to Him for Him to protect but we can still be fearful of the unknown. You won't get anywhere in life staying where you are. Through the pain and tragedy, God still has a plan for you and a road for you to walk down. His peace that flows like a river will fit your feet like a pair of snug boots and take you where you need to go. It may take a while for you to get there but you will get there!

Stand firm because now you are ready to walk in God's peace.

But we are still missing some vital pieces to the puzzle. Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what will complete your armor!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Can't wait to hear from you!