Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

We have to be war-minded regardless of your stance on the issue. The difference is that we are fighting a battle everyday-all day whether you know it or not. There is a constant battle over your soul, between the light and darkness, looking for a point of entrance.

As believers in Jesus Christ, who have been saved by grace, we can’t be naïve to the notion that we are a part of a war.

The war is a struggle between Christ and Satan and the battles we fight daily is the demonic spirits trying to interfere so that they can pull us away from the Lord. Nonbelievers are already oblivious to the things of God so they are easy victims for demonic activity to interfere in such a way that they will ultimately never find salvation.

As believers we have to remember Ephesians 6: 10-18. We have armor that God has given us, spiritually because it’s a spiritual war, that will help us fight off those attacks of the enemy, even when we aren’t aware of what’s going on.

Don't forget to suit up!

Pass

Not every opportunity is for you.

There are some people who think anytime there is an opportunity to do something is for them to jump on and don’t think twice about it.  Yet, I have learned that that’s not the case. Some opportunities are meant for someone else to benefit from.

It can be hard to weed out those opportunities for you and those that are not. One factor that you cannot ignore, just like before you got saved, is that your body and your heart will give you a quick heads up. Intense anxiety or fear, nausea and sleepless nights are key indicators that this may not be for you whether it’s before your start or during the process.

Anxiety and fear are not of God. Yes, you are to fear the Lord, but not scared of God but to respect Him to the point that you don’t want to go against Him because you love Him. No other fear is acceptable! Don’t believe anyone that says there is healthy fear outside the Lord.

Philippians 4:6

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

God’s blessings and opportunities are not coupled with fear and anxiety. Especially to the point where you can’t sleep and feel sick. If you’re still unsure about it, pray!

Prayer eases the anxiety for those situations that aren’t for you and eliminates anxiety for those that are for you, but the enemy is trying to make you anxious. If prayer doesn’t remove the fear or anxiety trust that the opportunity is not for you.

Tongues

The infilling of the Holy Spirit has long been a point of contention amongst the Christian denominations.

Despite there being proof in the written word, spread out through new and Old Testament, some denominations don’t acknowledge it or acknowledge it but won’t practice it. The power that comes with speaking in tongues is an amazing experience and gift from the Lord. He left us His spirit so we can be led/helped and connected to Him.

Acts 2:11-13

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹¹ Cretans and Arabians too—we all hear them speaking in our own native tongues [and telling of] the mighty works of God!

¹² And all were beside themselves with amazement and were puzzled and bewildered, saying one to another, What can this mean?

¹³ But others made a joke of it and derisively said, They are simply drunk and full of sweet [intoxicating] wine.

The speaking in tongues can transform your prayer language into a language unknown by you but understood by others.

Ephesians 6:18

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Praying in the Spirit means to pray in tongues, the evidence of having the Holy Spirit in you is with the evidence of speaking in tongues-speaking in the Spirit. A heavenly language designed for your spirit to speak to God. This is important, to have your spirit freely and clearly pray for what you can’t articulate.

Don’t push Him away by choosing not to believe in the gift the God has given to you.

The Little Things

Every blessing counts!

I sometimes forget to acknowledge certain blessings in my life because they seem like just “good things” that happened rather than blessings from the Lord. I don’t want to forget those blessings, big and small because if I don’t notice those “small” blessings I may overlook the “big” ones in the future.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear^[a] when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Every day that we wake up we are blessed, regardless of our situation in life, we are still blessed. Of course there are times when we feel like our circumstances outweigh the blessings, but we have to remember that we are able to live another day and take advantage of more blessings to come.

Don’t ignore the smaller blessings and demote them to just being a “that’s nice” moment or experience, thank Him for the blessing(s) when they happen and realize that you are blessed, because He loves you.