The Battle & Our Armor

 By: Joanne Viola

Life is a battle. If I may be honest, some days I forget this. And then come the days, when life brings the reminder as the battle is fierce. Perhaps that is where you find yourself today so may I share some of the reminders which helped me lately.

“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.” 
(Ephesians 6:10-11, NLT)

It is the Lord’s armor and only by the Lord’s protection that we are able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Not some. All.

Let’s take a closer look at each part of the armor He has provided for us:

• The belt of truth. “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth …” (verse 14a, NLT). We can stand firm in the truth of God’s Word. We need not be a victim to any of Satan’s lies.
• The breastplate of righteousness. ” … and the body armor or God’s righteousness” (verse 14b). It is His righteousness which guards our hearts from evil, keeping us pure and holy and protected by the blood of Jesus.
• The shoes of peace. “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared” (verse 15). The peace which comes from the Gospel can shine through us and be a light to all we encounter even in the most difficult of days.
• The shield of faith. “In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil” (verse 16). We need not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat but can be ready for the enemy’s fiery darts which try to get us to doubt, deny, or believe lies.
• The helmet of salvation. “Put on salvation as your helmet …” (verse 17a). We are to keep our mind focused on Christ and not give the enemy a stronghold on our thoughts. We are to keep our thoughts protected by the assurance that we are indeed saved and belong to God. 
• The sword of the Spirit. ” … and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verse 17b). We are to respond to the enemy’s attack either with the spoken or written word of God. We can use God’s Word to expose the tempting lies of Satan and send him fleeing.

We are to be wise and recognize the reality of the evil and dangers we face in the spiritual realm. However, we need not live in fear for God has given us all we need to defeat the enemy and stand firm. The enemy is no match for the powerful Word of God in our lives.

We can be armed and ready and overcome
as we fight our battles
in the mighty power of Christ.

 

Reflection: 
Do you remember to put on the full armor every day? Do you utilize parts of the armor more than other parts? How can you be better armed for each day?

 

**This is an edited post which first appeared on this site HERE.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

 

 

Don't Rehearse Your Anger

By: Lauren Thomas 

Anger can be helpful. It helps us know a wrong has been committed. This can help us protect the innocent and separate ourselves from evil. However, not all anger is accurate. This is due to our fallen natures, our selfish perceptions, and finite understanding. It’s what we do with anger that makes it beneficial or harmful – both to ourselves and others. In fact, Ephesians 4:26 tells us that anger itself is not the problem; it’s the sin that can result from anger. Yet, in Colossians 3:8 we are instructed to “put away” anger, wrath, malice, slander. Notice that progression? Anger is a slippery slope.  

If you’ve ever been wronged, you’ve probably walked this slippery slope. And the pathway down the slope is “rehearsal”: we mentally rehearse what we wish we could say to our wrongdoer; we mentally rehearse how we could defend ourselves; we mentally rehearse how we could use our words to protect or vindicate ourselves. 

 

This is very natural – according to fallen natures. Our brains are trying to find a way out of the issue. But, this rehearsal is harmful – emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually. Spiritually, because it leads to a “root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12:15). Relationally, because it strengthens the belief that “they” are the bad guys, you are the “victim,” and that there need to be “sides” for others to choose from. Emotionally, because instead of helping us find a way out of the problem, our brains are merely strengthening a neural pathway of negativity. Physically, this mental rehearsal damages our bodies by creating a stress response that wears us down.

 

What’s the alternative to rehearsing our anger?

 

1. Take those thoughts captive. As soon as you catch yourself rehearsing, remind yourself of how damaging it is to you and others. Acknowledge that the slippery slope of anger can lead to sin. Repent and focus on something else.

 

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

 

2. Surrender the outcome to the Lord and rest in his protection. It is not our job to vindicate ourselves. That belongs to God. Once you’ve taken captive your thoughts, give them to the Lord.

 

no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
    and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Isaiah 54:17 ESV

 

3. Trust that God will give you the words you need in the right moment, without rehearsing them. In Mark 13:11 and Luke 12:11-12, Jesus instructs his disciples to not plan what to say when they are brought to trial, but to rest in the Holy Spirit who will give the words needed. 

 

Reflection:

Do you experience this rehearsal of anger?

What will you do next time you notice yourself rehearsing your anger?

How do you think taking these steps could change your experience of anger?

Position Yourself Correctly

By: Jenifer Metzger

You do not have to fight this battle.

Position yourselves, stand still, and

see the salvation of the Lord. He is with

you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be

afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, g out

to face them, for the Lord is with you.

2 Chronicles 20:17 CSB

When I read the above verse in 2 Chronicles, two words stick out to me: position yourselves. When we position ourselves correctly, we can see the salvation of the Lord, we can have confidence that He is with us, we don't need to be afraid, and we don't need to be discouraged. All of that if we just position ourselves correctly.

So how can we position ourselves correctly?

Repent of sin. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins. Since we are human and sin daily, we need to repent of our sins daily. Thankfully, God has no limits on His forgiveness. We ask forgiveness, He is faithful and forgives. Does that mean we can go on sinning? Absolutely not; we need to strive to live a holy and sinless life. But God knows we are human and imperfect. He knows we will sin and He is waiting on us to repent.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful

and righteous to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 CSB

Read the Bible daily. The Bible is our daily bread, our instruction. We need to read the Word daily and meditate on the words we read.

This book of instruction must not depart from

your mouth; you are to meditate on it day

and night so that you may carefully observe

everything written in it. For then you will

prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

Joshua 1:8 CSB

Pray continually. Prayer is simply talking to our Heavenly Father. Pray in all things and about all things. Pray by giving thanks, pray for others, pray just to worship His great name. We need intentional prayer time, but we can also pray as we go about our day.

 Rejoice always, pray constantly,

give thanks in everything; for this

is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CSB

Seek God. God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him. The beautiful thing is when we truly find Him, we get this amazing taste and want more of Him, so we seek more.

You will seek Me and find Me when

you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 CSB

Obey His commands. God doesn't set boundaries as a way to control us. It's the exact opposite in fact. God loves us so much that He wants the very best for us. He sets loving boundaries just as we do for our children. We need to obey His commands.

This is love: that we walk according to His

commands. This is the command as you have

heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.

2 John 1:6 CSB

Forgive others. When we withhold unforgiveness, we are only hurting ourselves. God knows this which is why He calls us to forgive. When we freely forgive, God freely forgives.

Bearing with one another and forgiving

one another if anyone has a grievance

against another. Just as the Lord has

forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

Colossians 3:13 CSB

When we do these things, we have placed positioned ourselves to see God. Let's strive to be women who are positioned for God.

Discussion:

1. Think over these things. Is there one you struggle with more than the others?

2. We all want to see God, yet we often fail to position ourselves to see Him. Strive to be a woman who positions herself correctly.

Names of God Series: Believing in Jehovah El Emeth

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Alex Shute

"Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth." 

~Psalm 31:5

In our names of God series, we next come to the name Jehovah El Emeth, which means literally "The Lord God of Truth" pointing to the reality that God is the ultimate source of truth.

This may seem like an obvious claim, but in our day and age of relativism when there seems to be  a common disdain for the concept of absolute truth in our culture, I believe it to be timely and important for us to study this particular name of God.

We are likely already well acquainted with the concept of Jesus as being the Truth, a claim He made about Himself in a famous passage from the book of John. But what we may not have put two and two together on before is that God the Father is also referred to as the God of Truth, making this concept one of continuity in the Godhead across the Old and New Testaments both. 

What this means is that there can be left no room for doubt as to whether or not absolute truth and only absolute truth are to be found in our God. What this means for us is that we can trust Him, for there is no dishonesty or dissection in Him. We can go to Him for guidance and wisdom when we don't know what to do or which way to turn. When we don't know which way is up, we can ask Him what is true, knowing that there is no guile or dissection found in Him. In a quickly changing, often confusing world, what a blessing that is to be able to rely on!

Reflection Questions:

1) What stands out to you the most about this name of God?

2) How does it change your viewpoint or outlook on life remembering that our God is a God of truth?

3) Does the way you live your life illustrate for others that you do believe Him to be a God of truth?

Remembered & Seen

 By: Joanne Viola

 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, 
because I have rejected him; 
for God sees not as man sees, 
for man looks at the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looks at the heart.” 
(1 Samuel 16:7, NASB) 

The verse has been stuck in my thoughts for days now. Physical appearance has probably never been more important to society than it is nowadays. All day long we are bombarded by commercials and social media posts touting weight loss injections and drinks, face creams, hair products, make-up, and styling tools. Our feeds are never ending.

Yet in this verse, we uncover God’s criteria when He looks at people.

Samuel was tasked with anointing the king whom God had selected to rule over His people. When sitting down at feast, Samuel looked over all of Jesse’s sons and thought all of them were present. Here we see Samuel being influenced by what his eyes were seeing.

But God’s response was the same for each, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 

Finally Samuel asked, “Are all the young men here.” With that question, he discovers there is one young man out tending to the sheep. When brought before Samuel, the Lord responds, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1 Samuel 16:12, NASB)

God does not look at the physical but delves deeper. It is what is in our hearts which God takes into consideration.

God is looking for our lives to be a display of honor, integrity, humility, grace, compassion, and mercy.

This verse is a caution not only to Samuel back then, but to each one of us today. We are to look past what we see with our eyes, and be sure to listen to the voice of God to see as He sees.

“Our filter is profoundly skewed by our hurts and fears, our cultural trends, and our own judgments. But if our eyes opened up to see what God sees we’d marvel at the things God values, and at what He finds distasteful.”

(from Prevail by Susie Larson, page 73)

David was out in the pasture, doing his normal responsibilities of tending sheep. He was forgotten by his father and brothers, and unseen by Samuel.

But he was neither forgotten nor unseen by God, and neither are any of us.
May this fill our hearts with hope.
You are remembered, seen, and cared for by God.

 

 

Reflection: 
Are you feeling forgotten or unseen today? How do you remind yourself to stay faithful and humble to what God has called you to do?

 

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash