My 12 Favorite Scriptures Pt 8

Video Talk

Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 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.

“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, 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.”

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If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), in walks of holiness and righteousness, and not in deliberate and habitual sin, Satan is going to be on the attack against us. And he will be devising all kinds of wicked schemes against us to try to trip us up, to try to make us fearful, and to try to get us to fall back into sin or to get us to be discouraged or to give up the fight and to yield to the flesh.

And so we need to put on the armor of God daily in order to fight off his wicked schemes against us. And this is not just reciting this Scripture or going through some kind of religious ritual. What this is talking about, in reality, is putting our faith into practice every day. We need to have our minds bathed in the word of God and walking in obedience to our Lord. And we must guard our minds against all evil by being selective and guarded about what we are taking into our eyes and minds and ears daily.

And then we need to be in a mind frame and attitude of prayer 24/7 to where the Lord can speak to us at any time, day or night, and when we can talk with him at any time of day or night, even while cleaning house or driving a car or taking care of small children or working a job where you get a paycheck. We should be able to talk with him like he is sitting there right next to us, and as though he really is our best friend. And we need to pray for one another and pray we all may be bold in our witness for Christ.

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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