~ Hello Sweet Friends ~
As we share in fellowship one with another
~ even in our blogging community ~
we often hear of our dear friends
going through a spiritual battle.
Thankfully, our spiritual armor is to be used
in a war that has already been won
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We praise you Jesus for the victory!
~~~***~~~
Paul, in the book of Ephesians
provides believers with a self-defense course
found in chapter 6: 10-18,
and Jesus will equip us with all six
dimensions of our spiritual armor.
He is our truth, our righteousness,
our peace, the object of our faith,
the source of our salvation, and
the living Word of God.
When we "put on" Jesus Christ
(Romans 13:14 & Galatians 3:27)
we are protected by the only person
Satan has never defeated.
That should cause us, as Christians, to stand strong
in the midst of this ever-present,
but unseen spiritual battle field.
We as believers, need ALL the armor
that God has provided.
It is up to us to put it on and make it useful.
We can't just read about it in God's Word,
we must prepare ourselves ~
we must be armed and ready ~
we must be strong in the Lord ~
and in the power of His might ~
so that we will be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil. (verse 10&11)
Satan will use many tactics to defeat us ~
but we do not have to live a defeated life ~
not if we do as verse 13 instructs us to do;
"Take up the whole armor of God."
Dear friends, we must wear it all!
* This is our self-defense course *
Put on the belt of Truth (verse 14)
Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)
and he cannot stand against the Truth.
Jesus said "I am the...Truth." (John 14:6)
Victory in spiritual warfare starts with Truth.
Be in the Word, know it and use it
to fight Satan off!
***
Put on the breast plate of righteousness (verse 14)
The breast plate guards our heart.
It protects the spiritual life of a Christian.
Our righteousness comes from Christ, not ourselves. (Philippians 3:9)
***
Make sure your feet are protected
by the gospel of peace (verse 15)
The peace in which we have through Jesus Christ
gives us security in the face
of Satan's accusations. (Philippians 4:7)
Satan loves to accuse us, doesn't he?
Praise God for the peace we have
through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
***
Put on the shield of faith (verse 16)
Our faith in God's promises
deflects and extinguishes the lies of Satan.
(Proverbs 30:5 & John 5:4)
I love that!
There are times when I am going through a battle,
There are times when I am going through a battle,
and at those times I will sing,
"Standing on the promises of God, my Savior."
If we just quote Scripture ~ out loud if necessary ~
the enemy will flee.
Remember ~ he hates Truth!
The only weapon for offense is the Word of God.
Put on the helmet of salvation (verse 17)
The armored helmet protects our brain.
Since the primary battlefield in the spiritual warfare
is in the Christian's mind and we have that assurance
of Salvation it will defeat those doubts
that Satan uses to attack us. (John 10:28)
This is an excellent verse to hide in our heart
when doubts arise concerning our Salvation,
which brings us to the sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God.
~ Sweet friends ~
It is a must for victories to be won
that we carry our sword. (The Bible)
There will be specific battles that we will encounter
and when we are in the Word and use it
we will be able to sing the victory song!
Hallelujah Jesus!
***
We can't stop here!
Verse 18 is very important;
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints."
Supplication: Asking earnestly and humbly.
We need to be on our knees in prayer
not only for ourselves,
but for our brother's and sister's in Christ.
We need to be on our knees in prayer
not only for ourselves,
but for our brother's and sister's in Christ.
In the Old Testament times when there was a war
and the armies of Israel fought in their own strength,
they always lost.
But when they cast themselves upon God's mercy,
victory always followed.
Without Christ we can do nothing! (Philippians 4:13)
So ~ Put on Christ ~ Be ready ~ and fight the good fight!
~~~***~~~
Our Precious Heavenly Father.
Thank you for Ephesians 6
which instructs us in how to be prepared
for the spiritual battles that come into our lives.
Help us to claim Your promise;
"that we are more than conquerors through You,
who loves us."
Amen.
Grace & Peace
~ Debbie ~
*I want to thank my dear grandson for allowing me the usage of his armored man*
*And thank you, dear Stephanie for taking the photo shots*
~
I joining in with
Roses of Inspiration
~~~***~~~
Our Precious Heavenly Father.
Thank you for Ephesians 6
which instructs us in how to be prepared
for the spiritual battles that come into our lives.
Help us to claim Your promise;
"that we are more than conquerors through You,
who loves us."
Amen.
Grace & Peace
~ Debbie ~
*I want to thank my dear grandson for allowing me the usage of his armored man*
*And thank you, dear Stephanie for taking the photo shots*
~
I joining in with
Roses of Inspiration
30 comments:
Good Morning Debbie,
This is a great post and so important in our world today.
Thank you for sharing this message.
The pics are perfect and how special to use your grandson's knight and Stephanie to take and edit the pics.
What a team you girls are.
I just love your music too. It just ministers to my heart!!
Blessings to you.
xo
Fabulous post, mom, one I will have to reread again :) I have always enjoyed this portion of Scripture and your shared it beautifully.
I really enjoyed the last portion about prayer. The Lord has been teaching and showing me things concerning my prayer life and your words were like icing on top of the cake :)
Like I said, wonderful post! It is so important that we put on the whole armor of God!
Love you!
Dear Debbie,
Thank you so much for sharing about the WHOLE armor of God in Ephesians 6. It truly is a necessity to wear that armor every single day in order to live a victorious life in Christ. Thank you also for including verse 18 because that praying...especially praying the word of Truth will be of great help in defeating the enemy.
Hugs to you, my friend.
Dianna
Thank you for this wonderful reminder and encouragement. Without Christ we can do nothing!
A good lesson from Scripture, Debbie. We sometimes forget that we have all that armor available through Christ, and that He did, indeed, defeat Satan. Blessings on your week.
Much needed post,Debbie. Thanks for sharing with us, God is so good to touch your heart to say the right things just when it's needed.
Praying always...it is now the same as breathing! thank you so much for sharing. mari
Wonderful true words. Our minister preaches on this, and even has a suit of armor and a sword he talks about.
What wonderful words of wisdom you have shared with us again, dear Debbie. How sweet of your grandson to lend his armored soldier to show the importance of wearing our own armor to fight the battle against Satan.
How beautiful! Have a blessed day my friend. Hugs, Diane
What a beautiful post! I love that part of scripture. We must never forget we are in a battle, but it is the Lord's and He will win.
Hi Debbie! I see you love the Scriptures as I do. There is just nothing like the Word of God for a hungry soul. Thank you for sharing your insights. :)
Have a lovely week!
What a beautiful post. We often discuss this--putting on the armor. I have an almost 18 yr old...the way the world is...well...I am sure you understand what I am saying.
Nice to meet you and my family just loves Stephanie!!! Blessings
What a wonderful post reminding us always to put on the whole armour of God.
Yes! Keep on the armor of God! Especially in these times of so much unrest and evil doings in this world. I am inspired by your words. Thank you for a lovely post. Blessings!
much appreciated!
Oh, Debbie, what a precious post today and such a wonderful reminder for us all to be fully armed! This past year (especially few months) has been a growing time for me in my prayer life. Through prayer and my time with Him, I've drawn ever closer during the hard time, and I am so thankful that He desires us to come before Him with all our cares and burdens...and for a time of worship as well! Thank you for this beautifully written post, and what a precious image from your grandson for this post! Hugs, my dear friend...and thanks for your prayers!
Reading your post reminded me of how easy it is to be so concerned about my hair and make-up, what I will be wearing, etc. before stepping out somewhere. Taking the time to make sure my armour is on is really what needs to be my priority. Thank you for posting this, my friend :)
Just the reminder I needed today, Debbie. We are in a spiritual battle but praise God, when we put on the whole armor, there is victory! (Loved the pictures too!)
Hi Debbie! Your post reminds me of one I recently wrote. How we just can't read Scripture, we have to internalize it. You said we can't just say we'll fight evil, we have to choose to put on that Spiritual armor. Yes! We can overcome, but not alone. Only with the strong defense of the armor of God.
What a comfort that is!
Blessings,
Ceil
I am still away on vacation, Debbie, but wanted to come see you, my special friend. I was smiling throughout your post and I think you know why. Thank you!
I truly needed to hear these words and verses today. Thank you for encouraging me. Also, your blog looks and sounds so lovely, I truly enjoy the visit here. God bless you ~Nadine
Debbie, the verses you chose and your encouraging words touched my heart. Thank you!
Hi Debbie! It's nice to meet you. I must apologize for taking so long to come visit you here. It's been a bit hectic at my place. :)
I see you are Stephanie's mom. She is just a blessing - so sweet and talented.
Good words on armor. It's something I think we need to be even more aware of in the times we live.
Our two boys had to memorize this passage as part of their Tae Kwon Do program. Yes, they had a wonderful Christian martial arts instructor. They were reminded that their true protection was spiritual, not physical.
Thanks for sharing this Debbie.
A wonderful post ~ Thank you!!
Stopping by to wish you a bright and blessed evening.
Thank you Debbie,
You are speaking directly to my heart today - worries have tried to built a nest in my mind and heart, it has been a bit of a battle - good at church and having peace of heart, but in the afternoon the worrying thoughts returned - until remembering His word and promises brought His peace and hope back. It is so important for us to be aware and have His word to cling to.
What a timely, solid, meaty post this is, dear Debbie. While I was reading it, I was surprised to hear music... the theme from Anne of Green Gables... so beautiful! I also scrolled down to read some of the posts I have missed. The reflections are all so well written from a heart that obviously knows her God. What a blessing it is for me to have visited your blog place today dear friend. Loved the photo of your husband with your three grandsons. And the verses about what it means to be a godly grandmother. Yes, a reminded to me as well, since I have three grandsons too, and a fourth grandchild, a girl, coming very soon. May God continue to use your words to bless others. Let us redeem this part of cyberspace for the kingdom of God!
Debbie, I have to say that I am loving your devotionals! Yes, that's how I think of these posts. I do believe they could be printed out and put in book form. Thank you!!!!
Joy to you, my friend!
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