Thursday, May 30th, 2024
I was recently reading old journals and I came across something God gave me to help me better understand each piece of the armor discussed in Ephesians 6:11-17. On April 10th, 2020 (not long after the start of COVID shutdowns) this is what I had written down:
Put on your belt of truth and let Me light up the lies. Adorn your breastplate of righteousness and let My blood continually wash over you and protect you so that we will have sweet unhindered communion together. Lace up your peace sneakers and let Me show you the path we will walk today. Raise up your shield of faith and listen patiently for My voice even amongst the sound of fiery darts flying by. Slip on your helmet of salvation and trust Me to protect your brain and bring clarity, wisdom and rest for your mind. Unsheathe your sword of the Spirit, declare the timeless promises of My Word and watch as I weave everything together for your good and My glory.
In January of 2023 my children and I started a morning routine of spiritually putting on all six pieces of our armor before they left the house (they were in public school at that time). Even as we now homeschool, we still do this every morning. It’s our opportunity to declare out loud the truth and the power of the Word of God. We are telling the enemy that we are ready for battle. We are also reminding our souls that we will choose to trust in God and the example He provided.
Unfortunately, life on this earth is never going to be problem-free. 1 Peter 5:8 says:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Our response needs to be what it says James 4:7:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Resist is an active word. Curling up in a ball in the corner and hoping the enemy ignores us is putting us in a defensive position. We instead need to go on the offensive. We need to withstand the enemy by putting on the armor of God. The roaring lion doesn’t care what day of the week it is, what time of day it is, or what kind of day you are having. His steal, kill and destroy goals are never abated.
Final Thoughts…
I encourage you to read the passage in Ephesians 6:11-17 that talks about the armor. See what God highlights as you do. In those seven scriptures there are three times that “stand” shows up. Putting on our armor requires us to stand. We have to stop shrinking back in fear, stand up, put on our armor and believe that God will do what He has said. The enemy isn’t going to leave us alone. We must choose to enter the battle with the right gear. This isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a command.