Wednesday Devotions

Sunday in the Backwoods
Thomas Faed

Wednesday Devotions 5/2

Today's Text: Ephesians 6:10-20

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put 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.

Fallen angels headed by Satan...they are everywhere a Believer is. We battle against Satan and his army constantly. Their deception is powerful, making us fall away from God and live for ourselves, even as mothers. Living for ourselves can be so subtle we don't recognize it as sin or as backsliding. But it is sin, as surely as adultery, lying, and cheating are sin.

Dear Lord, I must admit frustration. I awoke at 4:30 AM to read your Word, pray, and write...all before the children awoke between 7:00 and 7:30. In the first hour three children woke up, needing comforting or coaxing back to sleep. Help me, Lord, because carving out time is huge. I know this is hard for all mothers. Please intervene and keep my children asleep. 

Help me to live for you...to dedicate every day to you, giving up my right to myself. For I was bought and paid for and I love you, Lord. Help me stand firm in battle, and order my days for your glory.

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.

Here is how a Christian defeats Satan and his army:

~ Truth:  Satan is all about deceit. God is all about Truth. We must cling to truth, wear truth like a belt, in our hearts and in our interactions.

~ Righteousness:  This refers not to our behavior, but to the righteousness imputed to us by God through faith in the blood of Christ. As a breastplate, it protects our hearts from deceit.

~ Our Feet to spread the Gospel:  We are to advance into enemy territory and spread the message of grace. Don't be quiet about your faith. Talk about it, write about it, sing about it. Stay close to God so you have a testimony to share.

~ Faith:  Our faith shields us from doubting God's faithfulness in the midst of enemy attacks.

~ Salvation:  This is like a helmet to protect our minds, our thoughts. Without salvation, a person cannot discern truth from lies. 

~ Spirit:  This is the Word of God, like a sword, speaking of its power to defeat. A sword is offensive, while a belt, breastplate, shield, and helmet are defensive. When Christ was tempted in the desert, he responded to Satan using the Word of God. Nothing is more powerful than the Word of God, which is why we carve out time for it and try to memorize it.

Dear Lord, thank you for these glorious tools. Help me to stay armed. Help me to remember that Satan and his army are real and they are everywhere. Their attacks may be subtle, but if I am armed, I will see through their schemes. Help me to submit my will to yours, so that I may be victorious and ever useful to you. Satan wants me to claim my right to myself, while you want me to give it up. Help me to choose you, every hour, every day.

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 mysteryof the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

I like to think of power and strength as two separate entities. To me power is ability, and strength is will. The Word of God is my power, and prayer is my strength. I need both power and will to defeat Satan, and to bring glory to God. Believers have two important duties...defeat Satan, bring glory to God.

To pray in the spirit means to pray with the mind of God, with His priorities, His will. 

It's confusing to hear that we must "pray without ceasing", or "pray on all occasions". This is not impossible, actually, and it begins with a disciplined devotional life: with you, your Bible, and your personal prayer system. Try not to use devotionals as the backbone of your time with the Lord. They should never replace your Bible, only accompany it at times as extra reading. It's tempting to want all the work done for us, but sitting with just a Study Bible is priceless. 

When you carve out this time for God, endeavoring to search and know his mind and heart, he works wonders and gives you a mind for prayer, a heart for prayer, so that you're not only praying at your devotional time, but throughout your day as well. 

I like to think of "praying without ceasing" as a gift from God. I seek Him first, diligently and with a pure heart, and then he infiltrates my heart and mind. 

He chased my heart down and saved my soul. Now, I need to chase him down. Daily. To defeat Satan, live the abundant life, and bring Him glory.

Dear Lord, thank you. You have given me everything, through your Son. Help me to chase you down. To give up my time, and my will, so that yours reigns supreme in my life. Help me to take your power, by reading my Bible, and your strength, by having a pray life. Help me to bring you glory with my heart, my mind, and my actions. 

In Your Son's name I pray,

Amen