Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation

     Take the helmet of salvation
       ~ Ephesians 6:17


  Salvation is not a one-time thing. You can’t pray a prayer and just move on. Paul says we must continue to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12). Salvation is on-going. Where repentance is like getting off the highway, turning around, and driving the other direction, salvation is the entire process of getting onto the right path and continuing on that path – it means following Christ.
  Jesus told a parable about a king who had a wedding feast for his son. He invited many but they made excuses for not coming, so the king invited everyone from the streets. A man came in without wearing wedding clothes, so the king had him tied hand and foot and thrown outside. The king invited the man, but he did not want to change. God invites everyone to live in His kingdom, but not everyone is chosen.
  In Acts, Luke tells of a time the apostles preached in a city and many believed and were baptized including a sorcerer named Simon. When Peter and John came later, they found that even though Simon believed and was baptized, his heart was still not right before God. Simon was no longer defined by sin but by what Jesus had done in his life. He needed to stop acting and thinking as a sinner and begin thinking and acting as Christ.
  Salvation is not one single prayer or one altar call; it’s a life-long commitment to following God. You can’t earn salvation, but you also can’t be the same person you were before God entered your heart and still follow Christ.
  Are you defined by your sin, or are you defined by the transformation Christ has made in you? Have you been living your life however you want hoping a prayer from years ago was enough? Are you ready for Christ to daily transform you and bring you closer to Him?

Read further:
Ephesians 6; Philippians 2:12; Matthew 22:1-14; Acts 8:9-25

Armor of God: Shield of Faith

       In addition to all this, take up the shield of
     faith, with which you can extinguish all the
     flaming arrows of the evil one.
       ~ Ephesians 6:14


The enemy is real. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Believe it. Satan is trying to snatch away the good God has planted in your heart. Don’t think you are immune from attack or that you are strong enough to stand on your own. But do believe that you can stand.
When the enemy comes, “resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Pet 5:9). Take action and take up the shield of faith. Faith is an action. Lay down your defense and trust God to defend you. We overcome the world and its sins, pleasures, and pitfalls in victory through faith. God gives us the victory, so stand firm; be immoveable.
When you are tempted, where do you turn? Are you dragged away by the temptation and the sin, or do you stand firm in your faith in God?


Read further
Ephesians 6; Matthew 13:9; 1 John 5:4; 1 Corinthians 15:57-58; James 1:13-15

Armor of God: Readiness from the Gospel of Peace

     and with your feet fitted with the readiness
     that comes from the gospel of peace.
       ~ Ephesians 6:15

Read and study your Bible daily. Meditate on God’s Word day and night*. Prepare!
Why on the feet? The feet take the body wherever it goes. God’s Word will guide you to the spiritual place in which He wants you to be. The burden of spiritual growth is on God* read His Word, and let Him bring you to Himself.
You’re a messenger. You need to know the message that you will impart, and you need to be able to get to wherever you will deliver the message. So prepare, and then go!
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" ~ Romans 10:15* (Isaiah 52:7)*
Do you daily spend time studying the Bible? Are you prepared to share the reason for the hope in your life?*



Read Ephesians 6

Armor of God: Breastplate of Righteousness

    Stand firm then, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
      ~ Ephesians 6:14


Righteousness comes from God. “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”¹ Righteousness can’t be attained by works or by fulfilling the law. This is yet another example of God’s grace because we are not good enough or worthy enough to be righteous on our own.
Righteousness has spiritual power for spiritual protection.² The Armor of God is not physical, but it also not for physical protection. Prepare physically and wear corporeal armor to protect you from attack in the body; prepare spiritually by reading the Bible, praying, and having a personal relationship with God and put on the Armor of God to protect yourself from spiritual attack.
Do you believe the LORD? Do you trust that God will protect³ you spiritually? Have you put on the full Armor of God?

1 Gen 15:6, See also Isaiah 61:10, 2 2 Corinthians 6:7, 3 Genesis 15:1 “Do not be afraid, Abram/ I am your shield”



Read Ephesians 6

Armor of God: Belt of Truth

     Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
     buckled around your waist
      ~ Ephesians 6:14

    Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6). I often hear “this is right” or “this I know” or “this is proven”. That’s all well and good, but it’s not always true.
    Jesus is the Truth.
    In any situation, what Jesus speaks is the Truth. No matter how a situation appears, what Jesus speaks into the situation is the Truth. When a man was blind, Jesus spoke the Truth that he could see. When a man was crippled, Jesus spoke the Truth in his life that made him well. When you sin then confess*, Jesus speaks the truth that you are already forgiven and saved.
    Buckle this belt of Truth firmly around your waist to remind you that God’s Truth is what you need to believe amidst all the doubt and disbelief and false knowledge. You can trust in God; you can trust God.
    Is there an area of your life that needs to hear God’s Truth? Do you accept His Truth, or is the comfort of the normal and the “proven” more appealing?



Read Ephesians 6

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.
       ~ Ephesians 6:10-13


The enemy is very real and very capable. “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7)
God is also real. He is more powerful and more able. You have already lost the battle if you try to master sin on your own. That is why you must “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph 6:10). You can’t stand by your power because the battle is spiritual, not physical. Trust the Master of all – spiritual and physical – to protect you so that you may be able to stand.
Are you feeling the burden of trying to stand on your own? What can you do in your life to stand closer to the Lord?



This is the first in a series about the Armor of God. Check back for more.

Read Ephesians 6

Jesus Way

     To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
       in you I trust, O my God.
     Do not let me be put to shame,
       nor let my enemies triumph over me.
     No one whose hope is in you
       will ever be put to shame,
     but they will be put to shame
       who are treacherous without excuse.
     Show me your ways, O Lord,
       teach me your paths;
     guide me in your truth and teach me,
       for you are God my Savior,
       and my hope is in you all day long.
      ~ Psalm 25:1-5


What way do you follow?
Follow the Jesus Way. Let Jesus be your role model. When reading the Gospels, what aspects or actions of Jesus Christ stand out to you, and what is God telling you in this? God has shown me Jesus’ love, His servant nature, and that He lived to bring glory to God’s Name. Where am I showing love? Am I being a servant as Christ was a servant? How am I glorifying God’s Name? Am I even glorifying His Name? God may speak to you about the same issues or different ones entirely. Read the Bible and engage God. Ask Him to show you how He wants you to change.
When you do this, don’t get caught up in a to-do list where you simply check off items to feel satisfied. Doing that could be a burden or a stumbling block, or both. Who you are in Christ is a matter of the heart.







Read Psalm 25

I shall not be in want

     The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
      ~ Psalm 23:1

A shepherd takes care of all the needs of his herd of sheep. If they need anything, the shepherd will get it for them. The sheep trust the shepherd to provide and protect. God is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). How much more will He provide and protect?
God takes care of you. If you’re worried, give your worries up to Him. If you are afraid, run to Him for comfort. If you are in need, trust that He will provide. When everything is going well, know that God is the cause. He is holding on to you and will never let you go.



Read Psalm 23

God's Voice

     "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd
     of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him,
     and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his
     own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has
     brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them,
     and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
     But they will never follow a stranger; in fact,
     they will run away from him because they do not
     recognize a stranger’s voice."
      ~ John 10:2-5

God calls you and knows you by name. Do you know His voice? When He speaks to you, do you listen and follow Him? Sometimes it seems really easy to ignore God’s voice and say you didn’t know it was Him. But you know and God knows that that’s not true. Obeying God is not always easy, but the Good Shepherd will never lead you astray.
The enemy will lead you astray, though. Don’t listen to a voice that isn’t God’s. Don’t listen to advice that is contradictory to God’s teaching. Be active in not listening; run away from the enemy and his lies.



+Read John 10

God and you

     Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
     the Lord will hear when I call to him.
      ~ Psalm 4:3

You’re not just another tool in God’s workshop or another crate in His warehouse. Everyone of you is special to God. He loves you and hears you. He won’t just ignore you or leave you. He knows and wants what’s best for you, and He’s in a position to do something about it! Talk to God, knowing He will hear you, then listen and apply what He says in response.



Read Psalm 4

Miracles

          When evening came, his disciples went down to the
     lake, where they got into a boat and set off across
     the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and
     Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was
     blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had
     rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw
     Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;
     and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I;
     don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him
     into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the
     shore where they were heading.
     ~ John 6:16-21

When God is at work, when He does something amazing, when He does a miracle, are you afraid? Jesus' disciples were afraid when they saw Him walking across the water. But you don't have to be afraid. Stand in awe of God, and join Him! Be aware and ready to act. Watch for signs of God at work and then respond.



Read John 6

Do you want to get well?

     One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight
     years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that
     he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked
     him, "Do you want to get well?"
     ~ John 5:5-6

Jesus asked a man who had been an invalid for 38 years if he wanted to be well. He asks you the same thing:
Do you want to be well? Do you want to be free of sin? Do you want to be well in your soul?

     “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me
     into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am
     trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
     Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and
     walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat
     and walked.
     ~ John 5:7-9

The invalid wanted to be well, but he thought he needed someone to help him. The man thought his sick condition defined him. Jesus told him the truth: he could leave his sickness behind and be cured.
You don't need someone to make you well; Jesus already has! You are not defined by your sinful condition. Leave it behind and be free!




Read John 5

Do Work

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
~ Philippians 2:12

You need to work not to earn your salvation, but to work out your salvation. When God saved you, He didn't make you a perfect Christian, but He gave you the tools to follow Him and the promise that He would always be with you.

Hard Questions

"In the dark, men break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
For all of them, deep darkness is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness."
~ Job 24:16-17

Bringing wickedness and sin to light is not comfortable. Asking yourself and other people hard questions about where you are spiritually is not easy. Fear, shame, and guilt may cause you to shut the sin away, but it will come out in the dark times. Ask yourself and your friends where your heart is, and have them ask you, too. If you are uncomfortable talking about your heart and your spiritual state with the people close to you, you need to do it all the more! It is just like shining a light into the darkness: the light reveals the hidden things

Supernatural

"Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
~ Luke 24:25

You can't naturally understand the Bible because it is supernatural wisdom. Pray that God will open your mind so you can understand His wisdom.

Supreme

"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.
What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released.
If He holds back the waters, there is drought; if He lets them loose, they devastate the land.
To Him belong strength and victory; both deceived and deceiver are His."
~ Job 12:13-16

God is Supreme. He is bigger than any of your problems. When trouble comes, run to God even when you don't know why everything is happening. You have no hope of success outside of God. If He wants you to fail, you will fail; if He wants you to succeed, you will succeed. God is more powerful than anything, and He always has the victory.

Assumptions

"Surely God does not reject a blameless man
or strengthen the hands of evildoers."
~ Job 8:20

Sometimes your assumptions about God are wrong. Bildad's assumption was wrong. God did reject a blameless man. Job was blameless, but God let Satan try to make him fall. God rejected His own perfect Son. A common assumption is that God never lets harm befall His children. But He does. He has a plan in all of this, though.
     And we know that in all things God
     works for the good of those who love
     Him and are called according to His
     purpose. ~ Romans 8:28
I don't always know what is best for me, but I frequently think I do. I am often goal focused; I think that God wants a certain thing for me and that He will take the most direct route possible to get there. But the journey is every bit as important as the prize. The direct path may not be what is best for me.
If you feel like God has let you down, question your assumptions and be aware that God's plan may not be what you think it is.

You are more

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."

Job 1:21

You're more than what you have done. You're more than what's been done to You. You are a child of God.


You are more than the choices that you make
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes
You are more than the problems you create
You've been remade
(From "You Are More" by Tenth Avenue North)

Will you not follow Him?

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Luke 19:37-40

Your sole purpose is to glorify God and to follow Him. If you don't, all creation will.