I will put on the full armor of God as I fight against the enemy of God and not the people of God. 

Verse

Ephesians 6:10-19 NIV

The Armor of God

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. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel . . .

God, please make us strong in the Lord and your mighty power. Give us the determination to put on the full armor you provide, so that we may take our stand against the devil’s schemes. God, we know that the struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

God, may we put on our full armor so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground no matter what.

Thank you, God, that you make us to stand strong with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, and our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Make we take up our shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. May we put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. 

And may we pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests for your people.

God, may we fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.

As we were putting laundry away, I was recounting to my husband an earlier incident that really knocked my confidence to the ground. The words that woman spoke to me were clearly from a place of her own pain, but between the timing and my own tender heart, they struck me right to the core. I spent the whole day trying to preach truth to my soul.

I know how to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.

I know how to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.

Goodness, my whole book is based on this principle. Everything about my healing has been a result of believing that our thought life matters and that we need to soak in the truth in the face of the lies the enemy will spin our way.

But in that moment, I was worn down and struggling to know the truth that sets me free.

And I was growing more and more irritable rather than finding the peace I craved. Just as I was about to launch into my upteenth reason about why that woman was out of line, my son stood at the door, innocently munching on a PB&J sandwich. I snapped at him, “What do you want? I’m talking to dad.”

Based on the look on his face and the way he scurried away, I could tell I was out of line. I turned to Stephen with a knowing look, and he confirmed it.

“Buddy,” I called to the other room. He sheepishly returned. “Was I disrespectful in my reaction to you?”

“Yep.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

“Yep,” he said with a tender smile.

For some reason, I thought maybe I should ask this twelve-year-old-son of mine for his perspective, as I had shared with him what happened earlier in the day.

“So, what do you think my problem is?”

“It’s like what you were saying to me last week. I think you need to give it to God and remember that the battle is in the spiritual realm.”

Out of the mouth of babes. He was right. I was busy fighting a battle in the flesh, within my own emotions, and against another woman who would never hear my thoughts (thank goodness).

What I needed to do was fight in a war against the enemy of God, Satan.

His minions were at work undermining every ounce of God’s good purposes that manifested in my life that morning and throughout the remainder of the day. While I was taking up the Word of God and preaching it to my own mind, I neglected to use it as a sword against the devil. It wasn’t just my heart and mind that needed to take up a different battle stance.

The Enemy needed to get off my territory and retreat far, far away.

When God tells us to take a stand, it’s because that’s what prepares us for every defensive and offensive move necessary to do battle against the Enemy.

God’s instruction for us to put on our armor is not a passive move. It’s not casual. It’s intentional and purposeful, as we buckle the truth around our waist, secure His righteousness across our chest, fit our feet with the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on our salvation, and arm ourselves with the Word of God.

In any and every situation, we must be prepared for battle with the Prince of Darkness, bathed in prayer and determined for the victory found in Christ as we fearlessly make known the Gospel of truth.

What is your battle stance? Is it time to put on your armor, daily, and stand strong?

To continue this journey of living brave and inviting the next generation to join you in the journey, get a copy of Brave Together: A Conversation Starter for Cultivating Biblical Mentoring Relationships.

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