Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

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Verse of the Day

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Today's Quote

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The following is a brief discussion of each of the pieces of armor that Paul lists in Ephesians 6.

1) "Gird yourself with the belt of truth" - to gird ourselves means to be prepared. Alert. On guard. On guard for what?
Well, for one thing, Jesus' return. For another, the attacks which the enemy will heap on us. And what are Satan's two main means of attacks? Lies and Accusations. By actively seeking out the Truth, studying His Word and attempting to know and live it daily, we have prepared the foundation of our Christian faith. (to the Roman soldier the belt was essential, the breastplate attached to it as did the sheath for the sword. Losing one's belt would drop him from the battlefield as quickly as death would!)

2) "the breastplate of righteousness in place" - the breastplate protected the vital organs of the Roman soldier. How many times have we heard of a highly acclaimed man or woman of God falling victim to some immoral (usually sexual) sin which brings down the entire ministry they had worked for? Satan will attempt to use the sins within our own lives to convince us that we are not worthy to call upon the Lord. He will accuse us and make us want to hide in the bushes like Adam. We must continually remember that we have an Advocate (1 John 2:1) who does not allow us to continue in our old sinful character, but allows us to lean upon Him and use Him for protection from Satan's wicked attacks to our very heart and soul! My own righteousness will never allow me to sit before God's throne, but the righteousness of my Lord, Jesus Christ will.

3) "feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" - ever walk across a gravel road or a yard full of stickers or a driveway out here in Phoenix in the summer without shoes on? Not going very far that way are you? Shoes offer us protection from the elements. They give stability to stand upon uneven ground. Roman soldiers had studs in the bottom (like cleats) for traction. The gospel of peace gives us that kind of protection and stability. It allows us to move forward in our own spiritual growth and to carry the gospel to others, if we are prepared (Peter 3:15). I think we all know that the Christian life is an uphill climb. And we are either climbing or slipping, there's really no standing still for Jesus. (A new bumper sticker I just thought of that I never would want to see: I'M A FENCE-SITTER FOR JESUS!)

These first three pieces were not removed by a soldier even when he was off the battlefield. He had them on at all times and was always ready to move at a moments notice (II Tim 4:2, Exodus 12:11) We need to also remember to use His truth to protect us from the enemy's lies, His righteousness to repel the enemy's accusations and His Word to walk in the peace of God carrying the gospel to the world.

4. "shield of faith" - "Above all," Paul tells us, we will need this item because the battle's going to get a little rough now boys! The Roman's shield was an extremely heavy piece of wood with a protective metal coating to repel the flaming arrows which were a favored tactic of the day (early napalm). Satan will attempt to fire at us as we grow, he will tempt us (even Jesus was tempted by him.)
A. But we can build up our faith by getting into the Word (how many times are we distracted by other things right when we sit down to read the Bible? Why is that? When we watch Home Improvement that doesn't happen!)
B. Attend church regularly for praise and worship and fellowship
C. Pray regularly (and can I say "without ceasing" ?)
If Satan is attacking, then God must be moving within you to displease the serpent! Praise the Lord!
1 Peter 5:8, 1 John 5:4, We must stand upon our faith and not our feelings. Eve depended upon her feelings and fell, we would too. Faith is believing that God not only CAN do it, but that God WILL do it! Remember Joshua, Noah and especially Abraham as men who demonstrated ultimate faith in the LORD.

5. "the helmet of salvation" - once the enemy has fired his fiery arrows, he will close in for hand-to-hand combat (at least that's how they did it in Roman times). The helmet protects the brain, the mind, the thinking and understanding of the Christian. Because that's where Satan wants to get a foothold. Into our thoughts and dreams and desires. Filling our minds with thoughts of lusts and pride and doubts and other sinful actions. Once we think it, he knows that we are one step closer to living it out. (Proverbs 23:7) Sin is more than just action, it begins as thoughts inside us. It's the thoughts and the mind that need to be protected. God wants to change us on the outside and inside. He wants to remove the desire we have for the fleshful things. We cannot stop an impure thought from knocking on our door, but we don't have to invite him in and get him a Coke! What are we filling our eyes and heads with today? What movies and TV shows do we watch? What books and magazines do we buy and read? (SI just released another swimsuit addition. What in the world does that have to do with sports? It's just another way he can get millions of men's hormones and lusts racing! And then what is the next step? Penthouse? The strip club? Prostitutes? I don't know, but I don't subscribe to SI anymore either.) (Phil. 4:8 says it much more eloquently than I ever could!)
The helmet is called "salvation" because my God is saving me on a daily basis.
A. He saved me from sin, my past and myself.
B. He saves me today by protecting and guiding me, one who He cares for so deeply that He is changing to resemble Himself.
C. he will save me in the future from the wrath and damnation that is to come.

These 2 pieces were carried with the soldier, and put on whenever an enemy was near, a battle was anticipated. The last piece is our piece for taking the offensive! After standing firm when attacked, let's get ready to attack back!

6. "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" - without using the sword, the Roman soldier may be able to barely hold his ground or even be pushed backwards, but he would never be able to conquer the enemy or gain any new territory. If the Word is important enough for Satan to know it (even though he may misquote or distort it) then shouldn't we see the value in it? (Isiah 55:11) Remember the parable of the sower in Matthew 13? Jesus was describing us! Those who hear the Word. What type of seed are you? And your household? Where were you thrown? I pray that we are all in fertile ground brothers! God's Word is accurate, it is revealing, it is truthful, it is holy, it is essential, it agrees with the Spirit, it is powerful. How many times did Jesus and the apostles quote OT scriptures? It is essential that we know His Word, find ourselves approved as workmen handling it in truth! Using His Word to help someone in a time of need or to repel Satan and counterattack. When the truth is spoken, Satan cannot speak against it, he must try to go around it continually!

God bless you as you walk in his victorious steps.
Dr. Larry

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scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 4:22 PM