Ephesians 6:10-24 (New Living Translation)
The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] 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. 13 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. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[b] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[c] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[d]
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[e] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. 23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,[f] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, I’m a little early – 10 minutes or so – but I want to start this now!
10/13/08
Scripture – Ephesians 6:11:Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
Application – For a while now, every time I feel like I get closer to God, I feel like things start working against me. I’m late for appointments, I get behind the really slow drivers or hit every red light, I get upset with the kids easily, Jim gets home late when I really need a break, I get sick or overwhelmed with house stuff. Every time and can see through the stress, I remember that I am fighting off the devil. I have allowed myself to be lazy in my faith for so long and now that I am fighting to have God in my life again, Satan is fighting to keep me on the lazy side. When I allow myself to think straight, I have just been telling myself not to let things get to me, things that stress me out. They are either there as challenges from God to make me a better person, or more so they are Satan’s way of trying to divide me from my faith. As I have been more aware of this, it is much easier for me to just relax and “get there when I get there” or talk to my kids more instead of yelling. The hardest times have been as I have been feeling more and more depressed and overwhelmed but I do feel like I have turned a corner there and overall have been calmer, a better mom to my kids, and have started working more for what I need to get done instead of taking rests. As much as I need sleep and resting time, I am also realizing that if I don’t like the way things are going, I have to be the one to change it.
Prayer – Dear God, please let me be a patient mother, loving wife, and faithful servant for you. I know that you will protect me from Satan and the hardship he brings to our family. I know that when times get tough, you still have a plan for us. I know that as I become more and more faithful and obedient, that Satan may try to pull me back to him even harder. Please keep my mind clear and my heart true so that I may be the person you want me to be. Please also work through me to encourage Jim and Jacob to understand how wonderful it is to have you in our lives. In your name, Amen.
ok, I won’t be as thorough tonight, caden spilled water on my keyboard, so this is all on my phone, BUT, thanks so much for your post Shauna! It made me cry to see what you wrote, I think now is a great time to tell you that I have been praying for you to have God in your life for the last few years, you and mom, and to be doing this with you is so cool! And as far as Jim and Jacob go, I will pray for them as well, look at William, he went from thinking I was crazy to believe in a so called God to being the one leading our family in faith! So if that says anything as to what God can do, he definately listens!
As far as the scripture for today, I read it over a few times and the scripture that kept screaming out at me was Eph. 6:18, pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion. I definately do not do enough prayer! Especially with the boys learning from us! My prayer today is to help open me up to more public prayer and private prayer, that I can take every opportunity to pray!
Love you!
Starting this really late, but I will get caught up! This is truly important and I cannot allow myself to give it a back seat.
Scripture that called out to me: 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
Application: This tells me to remain strong and let God protect me and keep me strong against all those things that threaten to destroy my faith. It reminds me that God is there to help me stand firm against temptation and wrongdoing and that if I follow in his ways, he will lead me through this mess of a life I have going on right now.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for protecting and comforting me. Having you in my life once again has brought me such peace and when I start to stress out I try to calm down by thinking of how you will be there for me and that you will not give me anything I cannot handle. I give thanks for KTIS radio who has been so helpful to me when I need some extra comforting reassuring voices. Thank you most of all for bringing me to Eaglebrook (thanks to you too Shauna) as this church has brought me to a new level of wanting to know more and serve more! Amen