Tag Archives: Armor of God

Put on and press on

 

 

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11

 

I Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

 

Many images are conveyed concerning our life journey. One is the image of standing firm, protected by God’s equipping armor. Another is one of throwing off everything that hinders us and running a race with perseverance, of pressing on to win the prize. Yet another is being still, laying down in green pastures.  Which is it? Stand firm, run the race, or lie down in peace?

 

The answer is all of the above. God always has our very best interest at heart, protecting us from evil and providing us with His grace. Because we so easily come to think of this life as our only life, He reminds us that we are strangers in a foreign land, and that we are in a daily battle against evil which wars against us in the spiritual realms and sometimes in the physical realm too.

 

And so we are commanded to put on His protective armor that equips us for the battle. His belt of truth secures us. His breastplate of righteousness guards our heart.  His gospel of peace fits our feet with readiness and help us to stand firm. Our faith in Him shields us from fiery arrows that seek to wound and kill us. His helmet of salvation protect us from being taken by the evil one. The Sword of His Spirit is double-edged. It is the Word of God that protects us and attacks falsehood with the truth of God. With our spiritual armor on, our job is to stand firm, unwavering in faith, fully persuaded that God is able to fight the battle and win the war.

 

The thing about spiritual armor is that is not like traditional battle armor that we’ve come to know. It is light and agile. It doesn’t entangle us when we need to move. And so pressing on while running the race is another image of our journey with God. Running requires effort and perseverance. If you are running to win a race and the prize it offers, you can’t be encumbered by things that entangle you. You need to be free to run and keep on running. A successful runner doesn’t look behind. The spiritual runner keeps her eyes focused ahead, fixed on Jesus, unwavering in her faith that she will attain the prize and that it will indeed be worth the effort and pain endured in the race.

 

As a sheep depends on the good shepherd for green pastures, press on in your dependence on God and in your humility. You can’t fight and run in your own power. Press on by resting in the strength of God, not your own. Press on while resting in the green pastures, listening to and obeying the shepherd’s voice.

 

 

Medical Update (May 2014) – fighting the battle

Mostly good reports from this past week’s U of I visits:

Most blood counts continue within low normal range.

Low immune globulin but I am fighting infections well.

Excellent pulmonary functioning scores.

Can now wear short sleeves with sunscreen. Whoo hoo.

Received childhood vaccines for polio,Hep B, and H.influenza B.
(More to follow in coming visits.)

Bone density scan reveals osteopenia but not yet osteoporosis. (Adversely affected by chemo and prednisone treatments & age.)

Constant muscle/joint aches due to GVHD not RA.

Revisit in 6 weeks.

The interesting thing about the ongoing Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) skirmish is that all you can do is arm yourself with the protective ‘armor’ of medications, exercise, and rest. Then try to stand firm while the battle wars within. It is like the battle we each face daily against elements of the spiritual world. We cannot see the enemy, but we experience the blows. Our job each day is to put on the protective armor of God (Ephesians 6:10+) and to STAND firm. And when the fighting is over, to stand still.

Let’s be found standing firm, brothers and sisters, equipped with the belt of truth wrapped around us, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, praying always in all situations. Our own strength is not sufficient. But God’s is.

Facing the enemy

Walt Kelly’s Pogo cartoon was a favorite of mine when I was a teen. Often political and satire in nature, this strip about a possum living in Okefenoki Swamp, often hit on important life truths. This one features Pogo’s most famous quote, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” While the focus of this cartoon was environmental pollution, it speaks another truth to me. That is, when our minds consider the image of enemies, we might do well to look at ourselves first. Why?

We often are to blame for making up our enemies. We are so adept at categorizing people who look, think, talk, and act differently from us, we have this tendency to put a label on them and to regard their interests as opposed and threatening to ours. We put up defensive fences to keep them distant. In our minds they become ‘enemies.’ Quite the opposite, learning to understand each other helps us to learn from each other. It is a very small circle that includes only those who agree with you in every way. It seems to me we encounter enough real foes in life that we needn’t imagine more just because we find ourselves different from one another.

Another reason we become our own enemies is that we are so good at looking at what we see and then conjuring up irrational thoughts about it. Say the word very slowly and you find that “rationalize” sounds a lot like “rationale lies.” What rational lies have you told yourself over and over again. The truths in life often aren’t readily perceived by the eyes, but by the heart and mind. You have one image of yourself and likely, God has another. I think we are best off seeing ourselves as the one who created us sees us. Whenever you hear one of those negative inner voices, answer it with the promises of God over your life and your future. As the old saying goes, “When fear comes knocking, let faith answer the door.”

Another reason we become our own enemy is that we don’t dress properly. To go outside in this -25 degree weather without a coat and gloves would be asking for trouble. Likewise to go swimming with all your winter clothes on is just as dangerous. The bible tells us that when we strive against each other we are really facing a battle of spiritual forces. It tells us to “dress” properly each day with the spiritual armor of God: the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the boots of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and the helmet of salvation. If we don’t, our vulnerability is our own doing. And notice that the armor of God doesn’t come with any protection for your back, so don’t run from attacks from the enemy. Just make sure the enemy you face isn’t yourself.

Path to Peace – Dress for “Success” – Part Two

In yesterday’s discussion about one of the paths to peace we suggested a practical way to prepare yourself to pursue peace throughout the day is to visualize “putting on” the character you want to be known for, the character that nurtures peace in your life and those whose lives you touch.

The Bible says that those who believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and are committed to being fully devoted followers should have a certain sense of not being ‘at home’ here on earth. That is, we enjoy the blessings of this present time on earth. But we have to make a decision about where our real citizenship remains. If you are interested in a practical life application assessment of this, you might reflect on tough questions like:

  • Am I so comfortable in my current situation that I can’t bear the thought of moving somewhere else?
  • Could I be just as content living in a house half the cost of mine?
  • Do I enjoy spending time with my friends so much that I really don’t have time or much interest to share with other people?
  • How many non-Christian friends do I have?
  • Would I rather spend time learning about my favorite sports team than reading God’s Word?
  • Does the thought of spending an hour in prayer sound attractive, boring, or frightening?
  • What is the most important thing I have learned in life, and how am I applying this in my daily life?

As you put on each article of clothes today you can meditate specifically as you put on the:

  • belt of truth buckled around your waist
  • breastplate (shirt/undershirt) of righteousness
  • shield of (shirt/sweater/jacket) of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one
  • with your feet fitted with the (shoes of) readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
  • helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Prepare your mind to stay the course and your hands ready to fight against evil. Real power comes from the Word of God which is alive in you. You can’t have it without reading it, meditating on it, and applying it to you life.)

Getting dressed each morning by visualizing the armor of God, prepares you for the battles of the day, those that are seen and those of the mind and spirit which are unseen, but nonetheless very real. Stand firm and you really can experience peace in the middle of life’s most threatening storms.

Today marks 4 months of being cancer free. Thank you God for the immense mercy You have shown me every-single-day of this unexpected journey through Leukemia. Even on the toughest days of this ongoing battle, you have helped me to stand firm in your armor. And when I had no strength to fight, you, my One True God, fought for me, so I could be at peace even in the middle of the battle.

“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 Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:14-18

One Page At A Time

Are you ever tempted to turn to the back of a book to see how it ends?

I am. I want to see the trailer and read the synopsis, before I watch the movie. It fits in with how I am wired to think. I tend to grasp details better when I have the big picture in mind. I generally see the trees (and the leaves, and bark and insects) after I get a glimpse of the whole forest. But in life, we can’t skip to the end of our story.

We simply have to live our story one page at a time.

That probably is a good thing. Sometimes, knowing the end may discourage us from pursuing the path before us. You’ve heard it said that we should live each day as if it were our last. The problem is if we all did that, we probably would never do dishes or pay the bills or other things that need to be done!

But sometimes, knowing that things will end well actually carries us through the tough times. (We know the headlines at the end of the bible tell us, “God Wins!”) But no matter how rich your faith account is, there are tough days. Today, my mind, my spirit, and my body are at odds with one another about this cancer. Physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, each day presents its own battle.

A wise man once said we need to put on our armor each day, not just so we can fight, but to be able to still stand at the end of the day. Some chapters of our lives are about climbing grand mountains, discovering great treasures, or winning victorious battles. Other pages of our life story are simply about standing firm in the midst of the battle that is still raging around you…and at the end of the day to remain standing.

What does this page of your life look like? And what “armor” do you put on each day that allows you to stand firm in the midst of daily battle?

“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.” Ephesians 6:13