"God's Armour"

Day # 135 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV

Wehoo! What a timely verse... today (the 15th - am writing on the 16th) is indeed a Sunday, and for the past few Sundays we have been studying 'The Armour of God' (yes added 'u' being Canadian). Today was technically the end of our 'armour' lesson, because it was ending at verse 18, with prayer. One of the most important parts of our armour. Most people stop at the sword of the spirit for the last part of the armour. I taught the children/tweens in my class that prayer is the most important (after their salvation of course).

In this crazy world, there are a lot of 'schemes' of the devil, and I wanted our 'kids' to be ready for battle. They do not wait until they are older, God wants them to be a part of His mission now. I (as their leader) want to see them become 'mighty boys/young men & mighty girls/young ladies of God'. The more truth we instill in them now, can and will stay with them as they grow and are faced with many more temptations and obstacles. With the armour, God is also with us all the way. HE never ever leaves us alone to fight our battles -- unless it is our choice, and we walk away from Him. His Spirit lives and dwells inside of us, and with the power of the Spirit, and the power of the Armour through God we can battle the wiles of the devil.

We must remember that WE ALREADY HAVE THE VICTORY through JESUS. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, which means He is the ONLY way to get to God. Through the precious BLOOD of Jesus, God has made provision for us to have the SAME authority here on earth. Jesus took the keys back from the devil, and the devil only has the power that we give to him. Stop empowering the devil with his lies, and start empowering yourself with the TRUTH.

So put on the ARMOUR of God today, and get out there... maybe not on the frontline right now... but at least TAKE A STAND. The frontline is actually worshippers & fighters -- intercessors & warriors! Take your stand as a SOLDIER of the KING!

"He is within and without. His Spirit dwells within me. His armour protects me. He goes before me and is behind me." ~ Mary Morrison Suggs

Here's a song I've always enjoyed, 'The Warrior is a Child':


HALLELUJAH! BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"Guard Your Heart"

DAY # 63 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life." Proverbs 4:23 HCSB

NKJV -"Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life."
MSG (v. 23-27) "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."
NIV- "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

"Guard" -- by definition is;
–verb (used with object)

1. to keep safe from harm or danger; protect; watch over: to guard the ruler.
2. to keep under close watch in order to prevent escape, misconduct, etc.: to guard a prisoner.
3. to keep under control or restraint as a matter of caution or prudence: to guard one's temper.
4. to provide or equip with some safeguard or protective appliance, as to prevent loss, injury, etc.
5. Sports . to position oneself so as to obstruct or impede the movement or progress of (an opponent on offense): The linebacker moved to his right to guard the end going out for a pass.
6. Chess . to protect (a piece or a square) by placing a piece in a supportive or defensive position relative to it.
–verb (used without object)
7. to take precautions (usually followed by against ): to guard against errors.
8. to give protection; keep watch; be watchful.

To guard our hearts, is a defensive and offensive thing. Defensively we keep our hearts safe, by protecting, watching over, take precautionary measures, and restraining idle thoughts & words. Offensively we position ourselves as to obstruct or impede our opponent the enemy. Definition #4 above states, 'to provide or equip with some safeguard or protective appliance, as to prevent loss, injury, etc.' Our defensive equipment isn't like simple sports protective equipment, we can wear spiritual armour from God. This will help us defensively and offensively. (Read about the armour in Ephesians 6:10-18) We wear our 'helmet of salvation' to protect our heads, our minds, our thoughts, our visions & dreams, our senses -- but also our heart. What goes in, must come out. That which we see, hear, touch, smell & taste affects us in more ways than we think consciously. It affects our unconscious thoughts as well. The 'breastplate of righteousness' is full body armour, that protects our physical body, as well as our hearts. The darts of the enemy cannot penetrate through the breastplate to pierce our hearts. The 'belt of truth' basically keeps us on our feet, telling and sharing the truth. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH and the life -- satan conversely, is the Father of LIES. Know the Truth! Speak the Truth! Live the Truth! If we didn't have our belt on, our pants will come down. We don't want to face the enemy with our pants down! Our feet must be fitted with the 'shoes of the gospel of peace'. Everything we do, everywhere we go we must be spreading the peace of the gospel to the world. The gospel is where our salvation lies, our heart must believe it and confess it. Standing firm then, we take our 'shield of faith', with which we can extinquish all the fiery darts of the enemy (which protects our entire self); and our 'sword of the Spirit' which is the Word of God. Get the Word in, and it's the Word that will protect you. Use the Word on all occasions, in good and bad. Seek out the blessings, and the promises that are in God's Word for you and every believer. But remember to be obedient to the tasks at hand that the Lord has called you to, to receive those benefits. If we have the right stuff going in, our mind and our hearts will usually tell us the right thing to do. We all know the saying, 'Garbage in, Garbage out' -- but we don't usually think about it conversely, 'Good stuff in, Good stuff out'. As in the translation found in the Message, "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust." We are going to see, hear, smell and possibly touch or taste some things that are not meant for a 'child of the King' -- those things all impact us, and the way we think, act and speak. If we keep our eyes straight ahead, the 'sideshow distractions' can just be blurs as we pass them, leaving them 'in the dust' -- striving ahead as we look forward to the plans that the Father has for us. However, if we allow ourselves to be 'tempted', just one simple glance to the 'left or right' can keep our minds entangled, and therefore releasing the guard that is set upon our hearts.

Guarding your heart, mind and tongue -- Right now we are reading a book called 'The Power of Your Words' by Pastor Robert Morris. (Gateway Church) Such a great reminder to watch our tongues, and to guard our minds and hearts. I highly recommend the book, and I've only read up to chapter 4. :)

You can order it at your local Christian bookstore or online -- It's an older book, so you probably will have to order it.

Remember Jesus said, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:6-8 NIV

"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."
2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"Our Greatest Refuge"

DAY #35 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." Hebrews 10:36 NASB

NIV- "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
KJV - "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."


'God is our refuge, and God is our strength. An ever present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, though the earth be removed. And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.' Those words of an old worship song still ring true today... God is our refuge and strength in time of trouble... yet He is always there in good times and bad times. When everything around us starts fading, sinking or disappearing... God will always be there. God never changes, He will remain the same yesterday, today and forever.

Patsy Clairmont once said, "If you are walking toward Jesus to the best of your ability, He will see you through life's unpredictable waters -- but you must risk launching the boat." So many times we say we are trusting God, we are walking with God and we expect God to perform like a trained dog who does tricks when we want Him to... yet we don't do our part to fulfill that blessing. We cannot get through rough waters and storms of life, if our boat is still tied to the dock -- We cannot walk on water without getting out of the boat. There's another comment made that 'Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel'. We all have to do our part as well. Start digging... start walking ... just get that boat moving. :) We need to remember that God promises to be with us in the waters. "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." (Isaiah 43:1-2)

God promises to always stand by us. He is always there for us, He will never leave us nor forsake us. But we need to also stand firm with Him. Mary Morrison Suggs once said, "He is within and without. His Spirit dwells within me. His armour protects me. He goes before me and is behind me." We need to remember to DAILY put on the spiritual armour of God, just as we would physical armour in a real-life battle. The world around us is filled with evil, and the devil is prowling around, seeing who he can devour. If we are covered by the blood, and with our armour there is little that he can do, but GREAT things that God can do in, for and through us as well!

Read Ephesians 6:10-18 -- Here is the MESSAGE TRANSLATION, "And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." One way in which this translation fails us as believers is that it does not tell us which part of the armour it is, nor that we have to wear it as armour. So, in another translation, here's the parts of the armour and what they do. (Eph 6:13-18 NIV) "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."

Everyday, we need to pray (and I know sometimes in my busyness I forget too, and I can't anymore) and put this armour on. Even sometimes throughout the day, when you may feel like you've been hit lots, put on a fresh suit. :) By the power of the blood of Jesus, and the strength of God through use of the armour He has given, and through prayer to the Father through Jesus nothing shall be impossible to Him that believes. Get out there and seize the day! Carpe Diem!

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!