Victory

I read these verses on Saturday in the middle of my big house clean. Beth, dealing with her arthritis discomfort and her head cold, needed to nurse and cuddle. Moms know that all cold viruses are not created equal; a real nasty one blew in here somehow, despite my hand gel obsession. 

Grabbing my Bible while she nursed, I turned to Ephesians:

The Armor of God

 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Scripture Source 


These verses give us compelling reasons to be in the Word and in prayer. Satan, ever attacking in the most devious ways, gets a stronger foothold on us when we get too busy or distracted to stay connected to the Holy Spirit, through Bible reading and prayer.


Friend, have you opened your Bible today? Grab it now and claim victory over enemy one.


We have a rheumatology appointment this afternoon requiring the use of two elevators--one that goes up eight floors. Please pray for Peter, who obsesses about the elevators getting stuck? When I say he obsesses, I don't exaggerate; he asks about thirty times prior to the appointment: "Are you sure it won't get stuck?"  


At first we thought it was the Generalized Anxiety Disorder cropping up, since that can encompass a lot of different fears or phobias. But when a person continually asks for reassurance, and becomes very upset when you don't deliver, that crosses over into OCD (the asking is a compulsion associated with an obsession). When they ask for the verbal reassurance, it's similar to the OCD sufferer who has to continually check to see if the stove is on or not, or if the door is locked. Continually washing the hands is another common compulsion. Their brain tells them if they don't perform the compulsive act, the fearful thing will happen. For example, the house will blow up because of the stove, the elevator will get stuck, a major germ will cause death, a burglar will absolutely get in.


It adds considerable stress and sadness around here, so prayers are appreciated. Thank you!