Devotional
Lord’s Army: Ephesians 6:10-17 – “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
I think horror movies and thrillers have desensitized us to the reality of the devil. When we open our Bibles and read of the devil and the evil spirits, we imagine some fantasy character that makes a good villain but cannot harm us in real life. Make no mistake about it, the devil is real and there is a war for your heart. God wants it, and the devil wants to corrupt it.
In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives us a wealth of knowledge about living as God’s children. In Ephesians 6:10-17, he gets specific about how to defend against the things of this world that will try to pry you away from loving and obeying God. Our strength is not our own, it comes from God and His mighty power! We must saturate our lives with His truth, His righteousness, His peace, unwaivering faith in Him, knowledge of our salvation through Jesus, and the Holy Bible, God’s Word.
Never give up on spending time with God. Learn all you can. Grow in wisdom and strength so that God may equip you to defend against everything that would try to turn you away from Him.
** I encourage you to use these passages from God’s Word as a resource in your daily life. Don’t let this truth just rest on this tag or on this shirt. Use it! Let it become a part of you, let the scripture be written on your heart and move you to live your life in obedience to God out of love. Dive into God’s Word, spend time with Him in prayer, connect with other believers, live for Jesus who died for your sins and rose again! **
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