Have you put on your spiritual armor today? In order to be ready for the spiritual attacks to come, we must prepare for battle every single day. God provides us with a way to fight every battle, but we often choose to fight with our own limited supply of strength. If we turn to Him during our time of need, He will get us through each battle, small or big. He knows the whole picture. He sees the story because, well, He wrote the story. He equips us with armor to help us face every circumstance we will encounter. By donning His armor, we will stand firm against the devil’s schemes. Without our armor, we cannot stand. We cannot be an effective warrior for Christ. So, are you ready to get your armor on?
The Belt of Truth
The enemy will try to deceive us by telling us lies disguised as truth. Remember Eve in the Garden? Satan twisted God’s truth into a believable lie. He made Eve doubt God’s goodness. He made her focus on what God had forbidden instead of what He had blessed her with.
What God really said:
Genesis 2:15-17 – The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
What Satan said to Eve:
Genesis 3:1 – The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
See how sneaky Satan is? His twisting of God’s Word made Eve doubt what the Lord really said.
But, we can stand firm against Satan’s sneaky attacks by having the Belt of Truth around our waists. With God’s Truth, we can rebuke the devil’s lies, schemes, and manipulations. We can turn to Jesus, who is Truth, when the devil tries to deceive us. Jesus will always point us to the truth of God’s Word. So strap on that belt, ladies, and be ready to stand firm against the devil’s attacks!
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Satan wants to attack us where we are most vulnerable. And for many of us, it is right in the heart. It is where our emotions and sense of self-worth stem from. If the devil can get a foothold by playing with your emotions, then he will do it. He knows where we are vulnerable and he will always try to kill and destroy us. It is a scary thing to think about. But it is real. So, protect your heart with the Breastplate of Righteousness which will never cause you to doubt God’s unending love for you and offer a barrier from despair and discouragement that Satan will try to use against you.
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
Our foundation is Jesus Christ and the Good News of His saving grace. The shoes that God fits us with will allow us to move when the time is right; to share this Good News with others. Satan wants us to think that sharing the gospel is useless and hopeless. So, be ready by putting on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace and get ready to move when God says “Move!”
The Shield of Faith
Satan will try to throw every fiery dart he can at us. He will try to lure us, tempt us, and deceive us. He will use every weapon in his arsenal to try to discourage us. But with God’s Shield of Faith, we will be able to see past our current circumstances and difficulties to our ultimate victory. We can deflect those darts and run to God’s Word and His unending promises – that He loves us, will never leave us nor forsake us.
Stay firmly rooted in the truth of Jesus and God’s Word. When you are in doubt or feeling discouraged, RUN (don’t walk!) to Jesus. He will help you through whatever you are facing. Place your faith in Him and He will provide.
{Be sure to check back tomorrow for Donna’s post with the rest of the armor!}
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Let’s Pray:
Lord, in the matchless name of Jesus, we come before you today asking that you help us to strengthen our armor. Give us the wisdom and knowledge to defend ourselves against Satan’s attacks. Help us know the Truth of your Word when Satan tries to deceive us. Protect our hearts and guide us as we live out our faith daily. Open our eyes to any opportunities to share your Good News with those around us. And, Lord, please help us deflect the fiery darts that the enemy tries to throw at us. Help us to know the truth and to see past our current hardships. Let us look to You, Father, for our every need. Amen.
Your Assignment:
Leave a comment below and tell us which piece of armor discussed today do you have the most difficulty wearing? Do you struggle with the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, or the Shield of Faith? Why? Which piece is the easiest for you?
Blessings,
Jennifer
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Good points, Jennifer. Your assignment really made me stop and think about my armor. I would say that The Belt of Truth is the easiest for me to wear. Getting into the Word helps me to discern and separate the lies of satan verses God's truth. The one I struggle with often is The Breastplate of Righteousness. Satan still trys to sift my emotions at times, which were totally out of whack for years. Thankfully, God has helped me in this area, but I still have to work on it. Thank you for this assignment – -it was a good time to reflect on where I believe I stand.
I'd have to agree with you there, Martha. Satan loves to play with my emotions, too.
Great post! Like Martha, the Belt of Truth is the easiest for me to wear, and the Breastplate of Righteousness is the most difficult, though that sometimes trades places with the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. I wear them well at times, and at other times… not so much. But I get better every day, and am definitely MUCH better than I was a couple years ago! PTL! 🙂
Woohoo! I struggle with both the breastplate and the shoes, I think. Thanks for your comment!
I agree, the breastplate of righteousness has not been worn as it should have been over the years but I find it fits better in recent months! Maybe it's the weight I've lost?! ha ha I, too, wear the shoes of the gospel of peace better on some days than others. It's all about faith and trust, isn't it? Thank you, Jennifer, for another wonderful post! I'm always blessed by your writing and I always find comfort in your prayer at the end! You have a special gift with words!!! 🙂
LOL Colleen! Thank YOU for your lovely words. They warmed my heart today. <3
Shoes. I say.
Me, too. Those shoes just don't fit right sometimes!! 🙂 I'm working on it, though!!