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Ephesians 6:10 ESV
I don’t know about you, but I know that I am not naturally a strong person physically or emotionally. I am only strong in the strength of the Lord. I could not do what I do every day, especially at the age of 71, if it were not for the Lord giving me all that I need to make it through each day.
I could not write what he gives me to write in my own strength, and I could not respond to opposition in the way that I should, either, without his strength, courage, encouragement, and wisdom working in me and through me for his glory. That’s just the reality.
Ephesians 6:11-12 ESV
Every day we are going to come up against situations or people or conversations that test and challenge our faith in Jesus Christ, and that require us to apply the armor of God to our lives and to our situations. For, we have an enemy who is fiercely scheming against us.
So, he is going to throw all kinds of darts at us, either to try to tempt us to sin, or to attempt to get us to doubt God or to be fearful, or to try to get us to retreat from obeying the Lord and from speaking his truths. He especially doesn’t like it when we refute his lies.
And, yes, Satan and his demons are the source of all opposition against us if we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, but he does use other humans to do his dirty work, sometimes with their full knowledge and participation, and sometimes with them not knowing they are being used in that way.
Ephesians 6:13-17 ESV
Some people find this subject confusing. They don’t understand what it means to put on the full armor of God. And other people believe that we are already wearing the full armor of God if we have trusted in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.
But all throughout the New Testament Christians are being encouraged and instructed in what we need to put off (or away) and in what we need to put on. So, this is something we must do daily, for every day we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.
So, how do we do this? For example, when someone lies to us and tries to convince us to believe the lies we are to refute the lies with the truth. We are not to believe the lies. And we learn the truth by daily studying the Scriptures in their context so we know what the truth is.
Too many people who call themselves Christians don’t know what the truth is or they don’t know how to discern truth from lies because they are relying on other people to tell them what to think rather than studying the Scriptures for themselves.
They are also not putting on the shield of faith or the breastplate of righteousness because they are relying on their own strength, and their own wisdom, and their own goodness, and their own resources, and they are not relying on the Lord for their strength.
So, the armor of God is something we put on, that we apply, that we utilize, and that we put into practice in our lives each day in our everyday circumstances. So, we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we must put off sinning and put on righteous living.
And we must be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, for many people are dying and going to hell if they do not trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And then Satan would have his way. So, we must tell people that Jesus died to deliver them from slavery to sin.
And our faith in Jesus Christ is not something we do one time. We must put our faith into practice every day, choosing to obey the Lord and to resist Satan and to flee temptation and to live righteously according to the will of God and not according to our flesh.
Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV
Prayer is also essential to us living for our Lord each day and for us fulfilling his purpose for us. For prayer is the way in which we communicate with God. It is us talking with him, it is us listening to him, and it is a time when he speaks his words to our hearts, too.
We also need to be praying for one another, especially as we become aware of specific needs, for we encourage one another in this way, and God answers prayer according to his will, and it ministers to others when they know that we are praying for them.
We also need to pray for one another to have the courage to refute lies and to speak truth, for there are so many people who are deceived because they are believing the lies and they are denying the truth. So, they need to hear the truth so that they will reject the lies and embrace the truth.
Forever with Us
An Original Work / February 5, 2016
Based off Psalm 46
Be still and know
God is over all things.
Throughout the earth,
He’ll be honored as King.
The Lord Almighty,
Forever with us.
He is our refuge
When we’re in distress.
Therefore, we have
Not a reason to fear.
Trials will come,
But our God is still near.
He is our helper,
So we do not fall.
Mountains will quake,
But on Jesus we call.
Joy to the Church,
Even if sorrow comes.
Enemies rage,
But our faith marches on.
God’s Holy Spirit,
Now living within,
Gives peace and comfort,
And grace without end.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
I don’t know about you, but I know that I am not naturally a strong person physically or emotionally. I am only strong in the strength of the Lord. I could not do what I do every day, especially at the age of 71, if it were not for the Lord giving me all that I need to make it through each day.
I could not write what he gives me to write in my own strength, and I could not respond to opposition in the way that I should, either, without his strength, courage, encouragement, and wisdom working in me and through me for his glory. That’s just the reality.
Ephesians 6:11-12 ESV
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Every day we are going to come up against situations or people or conversations that test and challenge our faith in Jesus Christ, and that require us to apply the armor of God to our lives and to our situations. For, we have an enemy who is fiercely scheming against us.
So, he is going to throw all kinds of darts at us, either to try to tempt us to sin, or to attempt to get us to doubt God or to be fearful, or to try to get us to retreat from obeying the Lord and from speaking his truths. He especially doesn’t like it when we refute his lies.
And, yes, Satan and his demons are the source of all opposition against us if we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, but he does use other humans to do his dirty work, sometimes with their full knowledge and participation, and sometimes with them not knowing they are being used in that way.
Ephesians 6:13-17 ESV
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Some people find this subject confusing. They don’t understand what it means to put on the full armor of God. And other people believe that we are already wearing the full armor of God if we have trusted in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.
But all throughout the New Testament Christians are being encouraged and instructed in what we need to put off (or away) and in what we need to put on. So, this is something we must do daily, for every day we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.
So, how do we do this? For example, when someone lies to us and tries to convince us to believe the lies we are to refute the lies with the truth. We are not to believe the lies. And we learn the truth by daily studying the Scriptures in their context so we know what the truth is.
Too many people who call themselves Christians don’t know what the truth is or they don’t know how to discern truth from lies because they are relying on other people to tell them what to think rather than studying the Scriptures for themselves.
They are also not putting on the shield of faith or the breastplate of righteousness because they are relying on their own strength, and their own wisdom, and their own goodness, and their own resources, and they are not relying on the Lord for their strength.
So, the armor of God is something we put on, that we apply, that we utilize, and that we put into practice in our lives each day in our everyday circumstances. So, we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we must put off sinning and put on righteous living.
And we must be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, for many people are dying and going to hell if they do not trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And then Satan would have his way. So, we must tell people that Jesus died to deliver them from slavery to sin.
And our faith in Jesus Christ is not something we do one time. We must put our faith into practice every day, choosing to obey the Lord and to resist Satan and to flee temptation and to live righteously according to the will of God and not according to our flesh.
Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Prayer is also essential to us living for our Lord each day and for us fulfilling his purpose for us. For prayer is the way in which we communicate with God. It is us talking with him, it is us listening to him, and it is a time when he speaks his words to our hearts, too.
We also need to be praying for one another, especially as we become aware of specific needs, for we encourage one another in this way, and God answers prayer according to his will, and it ministers to others when they know that we are praying for them.
We also need to pray for one another to have the courage to refute lies and to speak truth, for there are so many people who are deceived because they are believing the lies and they are denying the truth. So, they need to hear the truth so that they will reject the lies and embrace the truth.
Forever with Us
An Original Work / February 5, 2016
Based off Psalm 46
Be still and know
God is over all things.
Throughout the earth,
He’ll be honored as King.
The Lord Almighty,
Forever with us.
He is our refuge
When we’re in distress.
Therefore, we have
Not a reason to fear.
Trials will come,
But our God is still near.
He is our helper,
So we do not fall.
Mountains will quake,
But on Jesus we call.
Joy to the Church,
Even if sorrow comes.
Enemies rage,
But our faith marches on.
God’s Holy Spirit,
Now living within,
Gives peace and comfort,
And grace without end.
