“…be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power….”
Ephesians 6:10
Picture yourself seeking counsel from a friend or mentor, and she provides this challenge: “Be strong in the Lord! Find your strength in His mighty power!”
The admonition is delivered with gusto. You respond with a passionate, “YES!!
You leave motivated to embrace it and walk in it. You say to yourself, I will be strong in the Lord! I will find strength in His mighty power!
As the emotion subsides and you begin to process and think through the follow through, you then ask yourself: But how exactly do I do that? What does it look like to be strong in the Lord and to find my strength in His mighty power?
To answer that question, we need to read through Ephesians 6. Thankfully, Paul not only tells us to find our strength and power in God, he also provides insight in what that looks like lived out.
We choose to daily appropriate His strength and power by putting on the full armor of God.
The imagery chosen by Paul prompts several thoughts:
Armor—we are at war!
Life in this world is indeed a daily battle. And that battle is not only against the evil “out there,” but against the evil that can rise up in our own flesh. We are a new creation in Christ living in a body that sometimes pulls us in the opposite direction. We empathize with Paul’s confession in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
We choose to suit up.
When Paul says “put on” that is a call to the believer to do our part. Only Jesus can save us; that’s our salvation. But we must cooperate with Him in our sanctification – our growing in Christ. Living things are growing things. We began our new life in Christ as spiritual babies. As we abide in Him, we will grow spiritually. Are you and I different today than a year ago? Five years ago? Are we choosing to yield to Him? Putting on our armor will have us ready to face today’s challenges.
The full armor is needed.
A solider doesn’t go into battle wearing only her helmet. She needs every element of the armor to be fully prepared. Spiritually, the warrior for God needs to be fully suited up:
- Belt of truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Gospel shoes of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit
I have a friend who prays through this passage every morning and “puts on” each element of the armor. Will you and I accept this challenge? Let’s give it a try. It will be a daily reminder that:
- We are at war.
- We must choose to suit up to be ready.
- We need the full armor to fight well.
In John 15, Jesus taught us to abide in Him. My translation says remain in Him. He reminds us: apart from me, you can do nothing.
Putting on our armor is our daily choice to abide in Christ, to remain in Christ. It’s the only way to victory. God has given us everything we need in Him. We just need to do our part to claim what He has provided.
If your life feels like a losing battle … if you feel like you are living less when you know there’s more … if you’ve lost the joy of living for Him … if today has you feeling like you want to wave the white flag … then know you are not alone. We’ve all been there. Stuck. Spinning our wheels. Unable to move forward.
Perhaps when we are stuck, the best thing is to go in reverse. Back up. Regroup. Remind yourself who you are and whose you are. PUT ON YOUR FULL ARMOR.
Would you pray it on with me now?
- Lord, I’m buckling on your truth for today. Help me be true to your Word. Jesus, You are “the way, the truth, and the life.” I will follow You today.
- God, I know that I am not righteous, but I’m grateful that I have been declared righteous in Christ. When the enemy wants to shame me, I’m grateful for your breastplate of righteousness that honors and protects me.
- Thank you, Jesus, for the good news of the gospel. Because of my sin, I was at war with God, but in You, I have peace with God. I praise You as my Prince of Peace. I will walk in that peace today.
- God Almighty, in You I can lift my shield in confident faith. The condemning arrows the enemy shoots will fall away without finding their mark. You are my protector. My faith is in You all day long. I will not be shaken.
- My salvation is found in Christ alone. My hope is in Christ alone. When my mind wants to make it complicated, when reason screams that grace is illogical, and when the enemy mocks the outrageous truth that Jesus died for me, the helmet of salvation brings victory to the battlefield of my mind.
- Lord God, I love Your Word. It is powerful. It is life-giving. I agree with the writer of Hebrews, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow…” I choose to daily sharpen my sword so that I will be ready to face today’s challenges with strength, wisdom, and power. Give me an insatiable hunger and thirst for Your Word. Holy Spirit, bring to mind the Scripture hidden in my heart, right when I need it.
Let’s choose to not leave home – or stay home – without being completely dressed!
Laura is pleased to welcome her friend Barb Maples for a discussion in this week’s devotional video. Barb shares insight from John 1:17: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Can we keep the law? God’s Word is Truth … and it says we cannot. Does this mean life is hopeless? No! Through Christ Jesus, God extends grace to us.
Visit our Downloads page today for your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark. During May, we will be studying the Belt of Truth … one of the components of the Armor of God, from Ephesians 6.
