The final pieces.....Eph. 6:16-17

I have loved re-learning the pieces of armor this past week. It's wonderful when you find yourself digging into His Word, what He'll show you. I learned alot, I remembered alot, and I am deeply reminded of the importance of putting your armor on EVERY SINGLE DAY! And, armor up those children. They are "in the world" and under so much these days. We need to cover them in prayer and in armor. Their lives are under such influence and temptation. We need to do everything within our power to pray them up , teach them and protect these children God has given us.

The final 3 pieces of armor are..... the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

The passage says this, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Can I just say that when I think about all these pieces of armor I feel empowered?! I AM! I am empowered through Him. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

The shield of faith: the "shield of faith ministries" defines it this way.....

The Shield of Faith is not a real, physical shield. It is faith that acts like a shield. Faith that deflects the arrows of assault, fear and doubt that hurtle toward us from our enemy. Without faith no one can see God; furthermore, without faith, no one can snatch the wounded from the flames of Satan's arrows. The weapons we fight with are not carnal; they are spiritual and mighty to tear down everything that keeps the seeker from Christ.

I really like this visual. For me, the bigger my faith is, the bigger my shield is. The shield of faith is up to you. Keep your belief level high. Keep your faith high. Then you've got one mighty big shield to deflect those arrows aimed right at us. The more we believe God to do His mighty thing....even during times of severe doubt, our shield will cover us. I'd rather have a big one though.

helmet of salvation: this may be my favorite part....well, I can't say that....its all my favorite.
But, the beauty in this helmet is awesome! Ya see, our salvation is sealed when we receive Christ as our personal savior. 1 Corinthians 1:22, God "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts...." We are sealed by Him and Satan CANNOT get into us. Our salvation is a done deal. As simple as our part is, it is a done deal. Satan can mess with us all we allow him to, but he CANNOT take Christ out of our hearts. No matter what we have done, how long we have strayed, no matter the sin. Christ is beautifully sealed within us through the helmet of salvation. Thank God for that bc as long as I was away from Him.....its a wonder He didn't throw His arms up in the air and say "I'm tired of waiting on this one." He's got patience. He'll never leave. He's got glorious patience.

sword of the Spirit: I have always thought of the sword as one sword because it represents the entire Bible. But, when you think about the sword....isn't the sword thousands of swords??
Aren't there thousands of scripture in the Bible that teach us, lead us, help us, encourage us??
YES! Well, the sword of the Spirit is actually thousands of little swords making up one big sword. That is the best news yet. Our sword is much better than we ever thought!

We began with the Truth buckled around our waist and we ended with the Truth in our hand.

The Truth is everything. It is key to battle. I pray that you have also re-learned, renewed, and regained confidence in your God as He is ready to go with you in battle. You just have to remember to put that armor on.

Armor up everybody! Armor up everyone you love!

These boots are made for walking....Eph. 6:15

Well, ok, that's not what vs. 15 says of Ch. 6! It does say this though....

"and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

This part follows the belt of truth and the breastplace of righteousness and now....the feet!

This part is easy for me to get....at least I'm thinking so.

Our feet need to be walking in peace. We need to be living daily life in peace. We need Him, the Prince of Peace, with us in ALL things during ALL times.

ALL things during ALL times.

I pray that the peace of Christ rules in your heart always! (Col. 3:15) I pray that if you are in an anxious time.....an unsettled time.....an unsure time......a fearful time.....a lonely time......even an excited time.....let Him give you peace. Allow Him to cover you in peace. Allow Him to pour it right into your heart and mind. We need to live out this peace in ALL situations so we may reflect the true beauty of God.......at His finest.

I truly believe that people look to us, and sometimes at us, in these difficult times to see exactly how we are going to play the thing out. They want to see if we will "carry on" like a crazy person or get all caught up in the "talk" of it all, and not show the beauty of Christ's peace.

Can't you hear them now...."They say they are a Christian and they teach or talk of these things but they don't do it when it happens to them!"

We don't need to worry about what others are thinking or saying about us in these difficult situations, but we need to remember that there is a beautiful trade off when we cast our cares and anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7). He will take those cares and give us exactly what we need for that moment or situation. And, it might just be some peace my friends.

Whatever is going on in your life, ask Him to cover you in peace. And, thank Him, praise Him, and allow Him to shine through you. This will attract others to Jesus and then when their difficult time comes.....they will seek Him for some peace. Glory!

May your boots be walking in peace. I need it and I bet you would like some too.

Blessings everyone~

the breastplate of righteousness....Eph. 6

Boy....Once you get a Word in your head....sweet Jesus doesn't let it get out.....y'all this one is "on me" right now and I'm so thankful. I don't ever want to forget my armor. I'm sure I will, but I bet I'm quicker to remember to get it sooner than later. Thats the beauty of studying His Word. It just sinks into your soul. HALLELUJAH!! Come on in Word....come on in and settle!

Ok, the belt of truth was first. It holds up the armor and it should be first for crying out loud.
We are nothing without His Word. It holds the answers, the Truth, and the key to life with Christ.

So, next in order is the "breastplate of righteousness." Can I be honest for one second??? Let me tell you that growing up in the church and hearing that word "righteous" for so many years and I had NO IDEA what the dern word meant. It was one of those big, grown up church words that scared me and made me think something bad. It was so ingrained in my mind as a bad thing that it has truly taken me years and training, re-training, training again, training some more, before I am able to get it without second guessing what it means.

Maybe I heard the word "self-righteous" so much that I couldn't get the "self" part out of it.
Anyway, righteousness can mean "right standing with God" I guess I define it in my mind as being right with the Lord's ways....not the "Fran way." The Lord's ways are right and just. (Deut. 32:4)

So, if we are to have a breastplate of righteousness we need to have what is right and just protecting ourselves. Read this below..... PERFECTLY said once again.

The Word library says this....

"The breastplate covers the chest. In our case the breastplate is made not of iron but of righteousness. A soldier with his breastplate on goes boldly into battle full of confidence. Righteousness allows us to stand before God, men and demons.

Whereas the belt of truth show you what is yours and what you can do, righteousness allows you to do it. Without the breastplate of righteousness our faith would be like any mere religion - a form of godliness but no power to act. Satan would knock us down with one word of condemnation, nor would we have the boldness to go before the throne room of God's grace."

Ooooooooohhhhhh that was good.

We've got a battle girls. Lets make sure we are ready with confidence before our God, man, and enemies. Oh, how I love the thought of knowing what that breastplate of righteousness does for me. I had no idea the power behind it. I've got my belt of truth buckled, and my breastplate of righteousness ready "to do the thing!" I'm powered up in Jesus' Name!!

I can't wait to get my heart and mind into the next part.....my feet being fitted with readiness!

Isn't His Word just the best??? Or is this one just hitting home with me?! Regardless.....

I love Him!

The belt of truth...Ephesians 6

Well, we know that putting our armor on is and should be as normal for us as brushing our teeth! But, I hate to say this.....I don't put all of it on. As a mom, I'm in my prayer time praying many things for my family, for situations, for all sorts of things and I don't immediately ask for my armor to be on. That's a scary thought y'all.....

We go out into the daily world without our armor. Maybe we have one piece of it or even two or three, but all six??? I can promise you that I have NOT had my full armor on more than I have had it on. And...if you read below, this 1st piece of armor is key to holding up the rest of the pieces....

Vs. 12 of Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil.

I read this as not fighting against actual bodies or people, but about all those things listed above that is our struggle. I am under attack daily...even hourly on some days. Today I felt under attack by feeling pressures from requests made to me, inadequate feelings in speaking, not using my time wisely, being short with my children, having thoughts of pride, the choices I make, etc, etc, etc. My list can change and also go on and on and on.

We need to be able to see and know when life is happening around us and when things are not of God. Life will hit us and in order to handle, deal with, and battle against Satan we must have our armor on.

The 1st piece of armor listed is the belt of truth.

This makes more sense to me with each day that I walk closer with Jesus. Ya see...if we have no idea what His Word says or how He feels or what He says or how He thinks about our life, than we have no concept of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, yes vs. no. The Truth did not become known to me until I was 28 yrs old. And, I grew up in the church. I had NO IDEA what the Truth was or how in the world it impacted me in daily living.

So, our 1st line of defense is His precious Word. Y'all...I'm not the best and I'm so much better than I was even last week, but His Word is life to me. I think I realized it most recently when we were moving and I couldn't find my Bible. I felt like I had lost my child. It was a terrifying, scary, sad, anxious feeling. It took me 24 hrs, but it was found. My heart felt differently when this Truth was found and put back at my side. It was like being reunited with my best friend. And, it wasn't too long ago when I thought folks like me were completely C-R-A-Z-Y!

Dig into His Truth and dig into it OFTEN! Don't use your Bible only for Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights. Get yourself into Bible study, small group, individual study time, whatever floats your boat.....but, get into His Word. Remember, in order to be covered, your 1st line of defense is the Truth. And, we gotta know it. And, know it well. And, desire it. And, can't get enough of it. And, want to be around others that will teach me, encourage me, help me. Y'all this is what drastically changed my life. I just had no idea what I was missing.

Ephesians 6:14..."Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist....."



From the "Living Word Library...." The comprehensive description of all the pieces of armour is a very useful aid in discerning and understanding them. The first piece of armour is our belt. A belt made of truth, holding up and keeping in place all the other pieces of armour. Naturally speaking, a belt is used to hold things in place; spiritually the belt of truth does the same thing. Truth keeps us secure in Christ and makes effective all the other pieces of armour.



Couldn't have said it better myself! :)



Spend time in His Word. I pray for all of you to put your armor on. And, I pray that you and I will learn how valuable each piece is to daily living. Teach this to your children if you can. Share it with others who may need to be reminded of the armor that is ours.



May you stand firm. Isaiah 11:5 tells us that "righteousness will be his belt and faithfullness the sash around his waist." Tighten your belt. He is our fearless leader. We are mighty soldiers.



I'm going to be ready. Hope you will too! The breastplate of righteousness is tomorrow!
Blessings~

We need our Armor!

A scripture came to mind the other day as I was thinking and planning some stuff for kids at church and I passed it along to those leaders and then it came up again today at church and I CANNOT get it out of my mind. For some of my church friends that will read this, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say...."Pray this scripture HARD over the ones you love!" So, let me give you the scripture that we have heard and may know very well.....but, I pray it falls fresh on you today....

Ephesians 6:10-20 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

These verses are LOADED with info and stuff!! My heart is about to explode with feelings and my mind is racing 100 mph with thoughts, but I gotta break this down piece by piece.....

And don't worry.....not all in this one post....but, I will break this down each day for my own benefit. I need to go through this scripture and pray it over myself, my family, and friends DAILY! Y'all, our armour is everything!

The very beginning of the passage tells us to put the armor on! PEOPLE, put your armor on every.single.day before you do one single thing. Bc, the second half of this says that in order to go up against the devils schemes, we need our armor on!!

WE NEED OUR ARMOR ON!

We will battle Satan every day and in order to succeed against him and be able to go head to head with him, we need to be covered. And, as we see in this passage, there are 6 pieces of armor that are to be put on 1st thing every day. I'm not doing a good job right now of putting all my armor on for myself, much less my family, or praying it for loved ones.

We are gonna take a look at each piece of armor this week and make sure we are covered, protected, ready, and able to go against the devil. We are sealed by the blood of Christ and he cannot get through to us and take that away. But, he can come after us hard and we will be ready with our armor on!!

Get suited up friends! And, get your family suited up too. Its a scary, rough, cruel world out there. I'm ready for battle!! I've got Jesus on my side. I pray that you'll remember your armor each morning. Come back if you want to talk about the pieces of armor this week.....

Love you all~