The good armor (6)

In my previous blog I described briefly how we can use our faith as a shield to ward off the attacks of the enemy, actually to ricochet them.

Let's read on in Ephesians 6, verse 17a.

And you will need the helmet of salvation ... Most translations say: 'Take the helmet of salvation'.

👉A helmet offers protection against head injuries. So actually this is not a weapon, but none the less part of the armor. Kind of like a musician who cannot properly play without his sheet music. Although not an instrument, sheet music is essential for performance.

The helmet of salvation, how should we see it? The Bible speaks of being saved from eternal death that was the result of sin. But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved (Ephesians 2: 4-5).

God's love and grace exceed our shortcomings. He offers us eternal life in His presence if we are to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Being 100% sure that He has rescued us from darkness and brought us into light protects us from every other thought ... Thoughts that we are not worth it, that we are lost, that it is not for us, that we did awful things ...

In that same chapter of the letter to the Ephesians, it says in verse 8: For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.

Receive that gift and let it guide your thinking, it can save you a lot of headaches!

The good armor (5)

Truth, righteousness, and the willingness to be a messenger of peace, I mentioned these weapons in the previous blog posts about the spiritual armor.

Let's read a little further in Ephesians 6 until we arrive at verse 16: In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The TLB translation says: In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

Flaming, fiery arrows of the enemy? Faith as a shield? So, how exactly does this work in our daily lives? Faith is the assurance of things we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see (Heb. 11: 1). Faith basically means that we do not doubt the existence of God, that we accept the Bible as His Word, and that we know He keeps His promises. If we can see that kind of faith (assurance) as a shield, we will understand that it will ricochet everything that brings doubt or goes against God's Word.

Everything yes, because flaming arrows are fired at us on a daily basis; thoughts that suddenly enter our heads or our hearts ... Is it all true? Does God Really Love Me? Have I been forgiven? Is the Bible actually true? etc. etc. We can extinguish those fiery arrows (meant to set our thoughts and feelings on fire) with faith.

The kind of faith that makes us say aloud: Jesus is the truth, God loves me with an everlasting love, Jesus has completely forgiven me of all sin, and His Word endures forever. I dare you to raise that shield when all kinds of lies and doubts about God and His Word are coming your way. Go right against it, proclaim the truth. This is how we fight the spiritual battle.

This time of darkness will not go on forever

The other day I was praying for a word of encouragement to share with the members of the Christian Nonfiction Lovers Book club on Goodreads. Just something more than a regular Christmas greeting...

The Lord reminded me of a scripture I had read just days before. So, I shared it on Goodreads and it triggered a lot of positive responses. Then I shared the word on Facebook as well and last, but certainly not least,  I want to share it with my blogging friends! Take it to heart, it might be exactly what you need to hear today!

"I was reading Isaiah 9 in my NLT Inspire Bible and verse 1 says: Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. I took that as a rhema word for today and it is my hope that sharing it with you will bring joy to your heart and encouragement to your soul.

God has designed the times and seasons. According to Genesis 8:22 there will always be seasons as long as the earth exists. Seasons in nature, seasons in life. A new spring is coming. Amidst this ever circulating cycle of life, God remains faithful and His love endures forever. He knows the past, present, and future… and yet, He is concerned with every detail of your life.

It is this amazing God who inspires us today and tomorrow and in the year to come. May His love guide you, His grace compel you, and His peace surround you."

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HEALTHY NEWYEAR!

The good armor (4)

"We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments," writes the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:4.

He understood spiritual warfare like no other. And you know what, God's weapons are just as much for us today. In my previous blogs, I wrote about truth and righteousness.

Let's continue to read about the armor in Ephesians 6:15, where it says that we should wear as our shoes the readiness to announce the good news of peace. Other translations speak about sandals of willingness, shoes of preparation.

👉We put on shoes when we are about to go out of the house. On a shelf they have little value. Knowing we can bring peace in a situation is not the same as actually doing it! The willingness to be a messenger of peace is much more than a good intention, it is something that must be put into practice.

Let's make it practical. Part of our armor is to be peacemakers in difficult situations, to offer God's peace when someone is troubled, to settle arguments that have been going on far too long, and to share the good news about the Prince of Peace... Jesus.  Easy? No. Possible? Yes!

Jesus had a good reason for saying: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5: 9).

I want to be blessed. What about you?

The good armor (3)

Being encircled (girded) by truth, what a nice thought from my previous blog. We can survive in a world full of lies when we are protected by the truth!

Let's continue to read about the spiritual armor as described in Ephesians 6. Verse 14 speaks about a breastplate of  RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Now, in general, most of us don't walk around in medieval clothing items anymore, but I think the idea of our righteousness being able to take a beating (attack) is quite clear.

The Bible says that no one is righteous by nature, not one! (Romans 3:10). Only God is righteous. Jesus is also called the Righteous One. Why? 👉Because He came to earth to present His righteousness in exchange for our failures and mistakes, for our sins.

Righteous means as much as: good, virtuous, upright, worthy, ethical, principled, moral, high-minded, just, honest, innocent, faultless, sinless, uncorrupted, pure, noble... well, you get the idea, it ain't about us! Within Christianity, as well as in all major world religions, we can see people trying to achieve some form of righteousness by working hard and following all kinds of rules. But then again, the more people try, the more they feel like failing.

This is exactly why Jesus' offer is so crucial. Our sins in exchange for His righteousness. What a deal! He offers forgiveness for our iniquities and thereby declares us righteous. 💓That righteousness (knowing that we are forgiven!) is our armor; it protects our whole being. In Romans 3:221-2 it says:  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 

Not because of good deeds, but because of faith we are declared righteous before God. This eliminates guilt, shame, failure, fear, and judgment. Knowing that we are forgiven... we should wear it like impenetrable armor. If you have made the choice for Jesus, don't let anyone tell you that things are not right between you and God. This is an area where many spiritual battles take place.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).