Putting on the Full Armor of God

You've heard it before... "put on the full armor of God". But, what does that really mean?  Are you supposed to dress up like a knight and walk around in a suit full of metal? Today, we're going to break down Ephesians 6:10-18 and talk about what it really means to put on that armor of God each and every day.

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 Lord’s people."

Well, that might be a lot to take in.... so let's take it verse by verse. 

Ephesians 6:10 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."

Here, we are seeing the most basic (but often the most difficult) of requests: be strong in the Lord. Don't let the devil come and take over, yet stand on the rock. When you are lost and don't know where to go to, turn to JESUS. Lean on Him and know He will care for you.

Ephesians 6:11

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."

He is now preparing you for what is coming in the next passages. Put on the armor of God. Not half of it, not one toe, not one finger- the whole armor of God. By doing this, we can stand against the devil and his wicked ways because we are armed and ready to fight. 

Ephesians 6:12
"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."

Okay, so "our struggles are not against flesh and blood". What does this mean? This means that, while you think your struggles and temptations are just human nature, that might not be entirely true. The devil has control of us- or, at least he's trying to get it. Our main struggles are good vs. evil. Although we may think the person who is anti-life is our main enemy, or the murderer is our enemy, it is not the case. It is the wicked and evil powers that this person has fallen for. It is important to realize that these powers are strong, conniving and powerful. Instead of judging or hating these people we see as our enemies, we should pray for them and be the light they need to bring them to Jesus.

Ephesians 6:13
"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."

Because we just learned that it is not flesh and blood that is our enemy but evil powers, we need to also learn how to fight against these things. This verse gives us all the reason we need to put on the armor of God. When the day of evil comes, putting on the armor of God will allow you to stand your ground. If you have on the armor you can fight the evil. Just like in war, when he jabs you with his sword, you will have the protection there to prevent it from breaking your skin and hurting you.

Ephesians 6:14
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,"

Now, we are starting to talk about what the armor of God entails. In this verse, we see two pieces: the belt and the breastplate. The belt of truth: Listen to the one and only truth- that of which is written in the Bible. Do not compare yourself to the lies of the world but rather the truths of our God. The breastplate of righteousness: have a good heart- be humble, caring, nice and thoughtful in all your actions. Do not be cold or mean to others. Stand up for what you believe in.

Ephesians 6:15
"and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

The Bible is so detailed, that it even tells us what to put on our feet. Isn't that amazing?! Put on your feet readiness.. this means being ready to do what God calls you to do (yes, we all have a calling/purpose). If He convicts your heart to go one way, go. Be ready to up and leave at any moment. 

Ephesians 6:16
"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

In battle, the shield might be one of the most important items you could have. (but, remember, the armor is not complete unless you have everything) First off, what is "faith"? Faith is the knowing and belief that God will keep His promises and do what He says He will do. Faith is having confidence and trust in God. Therefore, the shield of faith deters the devil. You know that The Lord has promised to care for you and will protect you. When you feel sin and temptation creeping in, hold up your shield of faith and stand firm against it. 

Ephesians 6:17
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

The helmet is also a hugely important piece of the armor. The helmet of salvation is knowing and remembering that Jesus Christ died for your sins. With that knowledge, you can defeat anything. 

Ephesians 6:18
"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 Lord’s people."

This is the final piece of armor: prayer. The Lord is asking us to constantly be in prayer for ourselves and others. He wants to have a relationship with us, but how can He if we don't talk to Him? He also wants us to pray for others. There is power in prayer and we must acknowledge this. 

Every morning you get up, you must put on the armor of God. We will be tempted each and every day by sin. We must do what we can to fight it. This means staying in faith, being humble, praying for ourselves and others, believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, being happy and content during the storm and trusting that God will fulfill his promises to us.

So, when you wake up, whether it be by praying, reading your Bible or listening to 5 hours of sermons, don't forget God because He didn't forget you. 

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Proverbs 31: 25-26

"Strength and honour are her clothing and she shall rejoice in the time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31: 25-26

These two verses are among my favorite. They are what I strive to be. In two sentences, it sums up what a strive for my life. Let's break it down.

"Strength and honour are her clothing"

In today's society, this can be hard to hear. But this is saying it doesn't matter how you are dressed. You can have on the oldest, most worn clothing but that doesn't matter. It's about your strength and honour and confidence that should spew out. Who needs the newest clothes when you have God? I believe this verse also plays on being modest. Never should we show off what God has given us ladies in an immodest way. This is an unpopular idea today, but a woman should be properly clothed in modest clothing. Everything about us should be God like- even our clothing.

"She shall rejoice in the time to come"

Why be worried or sad about tomorrow when you have an amazing God on your side? He cares for you and loves you- He holds your future. Nothing you can do or say will change what the future holds- so be happy about it and know that whatever happens is God's will. 

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness"

Above all, don't speak ill of people. Be smart. Have common sense. Be kind. When you open your mouth, think of what God would want you to say. Uplift others, don't bring them down. Do and say to others what you would like to be done and said to you!

Today, I Sinned...

Yep, that's right. Today, I sinned and today, I hurt God. What did I do that was so horrible, you may ask? Well, it doesn't really matter what I did, does it? All that matters is that I hurt HIM. I disappointed HIM. But, today, there is something I can be sure of:

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

So, really, what did I do today? Well, let's see. First off, I had negative thoughts. I spent time thinking about things that were not constructive in pleasing my Lord. I thought about the way people looked, or the way people acted. And, while we are to judge people in accordance to their Christian walk, I had no right to have those negative thoughts. 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Second, I worried. I worried about school. I worried about my friends. I worried about the past. I worried about the future. Hey, I even worried about the present. I'm a natural basket case. This is something that I struggle with, but I know that only through the blood can I be sure that whatever fate is in store for me, I am safe and sound. No matter what, worrying really isn't going to change anything. Because what will be, will be. If it's meant to happen, it will. So, can we really justify WASTING our time (that's right- wasting) with worry?! The time is going to pass, so we might as well spend it focusing on what we can do to glorify His name rather than our silly thoughts and worries. 

I could pick many verses in The Bible on the topic of worry, but this is by far my favorite:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:24-34

God does not want us to hurt. He does not want us to let Him down. But, unfortunately, it's something that happens all too much. The devil is a sneaky creature, constantly trying to trick us, but if we stand firm in Jesus, the devil will lose.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

We sin on a constant basis. We may not think that a little negative thinking here or a little worry there can actually disappoint God, but it does. Thus, it is important to remember that you are letting Him down. If you want to really put your mind to use, go to Him in prayer and ask Him to help you. Read scripture. Learn about what The Bible says about worrying and negative thinking. And, if you find yourself doing it, repent.

Being Blessed

Each and every day when I wake up, I realize how truly blessed I am. I mean, first of all, God woke me up today, right? He allowed me to have at least a few more hours of life on this planet, right? He keeps my heart beating and my lungs working and my eyes blinking, and every other intricate part of my body working, right? It is not until we start to realize that being blessed doesn't only mean we have a "good life". If you are alive, you are blessed. So many (and I have definitely been guilty of this, too) think that they are only  blessed if they get that new car they wanted or if they get that promotion they've been wanting. But this just simply isn't the case. And, once this is realized, life become even more amazing.

Make sure you are constantly thanking God for your life- not just for the things in it.

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A Christian in College

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"It's like being a cat in a room full of dogs."

Well, that pretty much explains it. And I could leave it at that, but I won't. I will be starting my senior year in college this fall (yay, me!!),  but let me tell you- it has been HARD. And let me just say this before I continue....you hear all of those statistics about how so many people lose their faith and walk away from the church, but I am so proud to say that I actually found Jesus while I was in college. I guess I'm an exception, but I feel like this is important for you to know before reading the rest of this. And that is because I used to be one of those "secular students". And by secular, I mean wordly, not focused on God and letting the devil take hold of me. This all changed dramatically during my sophomore year of college (yeah, that's a different topic) and, after that, I started really understanding how wrong the average person's "college life" is.

"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." Ephesians 4:18-19

 A lot of kids think that going to college is going to be so fun. Not because they are going to be filling their minds with new material and information, but because they get to be away from their parents and on their own and without any restrictions. And, frankly, most KIDS go crazy once they hit college. Many drop out because they didn't prepare for learning, just for parties. Some stay in school but make the lowest grades possible just to get by, because they are more focused on the parties and events.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think participating in events (if they are appopriate) in college is wrong. No, I encourage these things. But that all depends on if you can handle it. It's important to remember that classes come first and if you can't join that club because you'll have to skip class, yeah- don't do that. Don't even think about it. I am a student ambassador for my school. This entails giving tours to people looking at the campus. This takes a lot of time. But, I only do it because I know that I can handle it and balance it along with my other needs.
But, back to the main point here. What I'm trying to get at is that it's really difficult to be a Christian in college and maintain your faith. Each and every day you have to fight temptation and walk past inappropriate situations and circumstances. But, I truly believe that after the 4 (or 5, or 6, or however long it takes) years are over, it makes you that much stronger. After I was saved, I thought "there's no way I can do this. I can't be a true Christian and still be in college." But, then my attitude changed. And now I think of it like "hey, there all these people here that are lost. They either left the church or they were never in it to begin with. And I actually have the possibility to help here." Yeah, that's right- help. 

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

As a Christian, you should be ministering to everyone around you all the time. This includes when going to school. Now, I'm not telling you to go around shoving the Book down people's throats. No. BUT. People notice things. People notice how you dress, how you act and what you do. By not dressing immodestly, for example, like so many other girls do in college (you know, the booty shorts and super tight shirts) you're already standing out. And this isn't a bad thing. You should strive to be different and to be a guiding light everywhere (in this case, in college) and never want to lower your standards just to fit in with the other people. 

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm." Psalms 20:7-8

You Have Brought Me Back To Life

 

Really reflecting today on how amazing my Creator is. I thank Him for who He is. His caring and loving nature. No matter how many times we turn away from Him, He's right there waiting for us with open arms. The God who created everything....the big things....the small things.....He cares for it all. Every human heartbeat is controlled by Him. Every creatures breath is controlled by Him. Every gust of wind.......that was Him. I will never be able to fully show God how much I love Him. Nothing I ever do will be enough. And He's ok with that. We just have to surrender our lives to Him. Put Him first. And the rest He will effortlessly and beautifully take care of.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.
Psalms 34:8


Check out this song by Hillsong Young & Free. "Back to Life"