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10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench 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 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20 NRSV)
Great moments in oversized suits and undersized warriors: You will remember the shepherd king, David, as a boy offered to go up against Goliath, and the incumbent king, Saul, insisted the boy wear proper armor. David thanks God there were no phones equipped with cameras back then! Imagine the call the boy made to his best friend, "Dude! King Saul is bonkers; made me wear his body armor! No, not Under Armor, this was the real thing, the kind you see in museums now bro! Totally zero!" (Okay, totally 20th century jargon, but I'm trying!). The photo of the future king in the current king's armor would have made the front page of the Jerusalem Times! Flash foward to late sixties AD and Madison high school in Houston. A chubby five foot eight, lineman wearing the Columbia blue and white suit of the Marlins. Okay, that's enough of that!
I'll let Paul tell the story. Paul knows God is super, amazingly strong; and that well, we're not. Some of us think we are but we're really not; Paul says that it's a better idea to let God make us strong. And speaking of that, Paul, in admiring or resenting, the Roman guard in his cell, says, dress like this monster: He's equpped by Nike Rome, and we got God armor, which is far better! Just like this behemoth goes up against the enemies of Rome and lives to tell the tale, so can we go up against old what's-his-name from down under; you know way, way, down, down, under. Hot as Texas all the time! Remember, he says, we're not going up against people like us, we're up against the A-team of Hades, and we're talking the head honchos, the powers that be, in other words, pro-level challenges - not for the faint-hearted! Or as Kevin said, "Don't get scared now!" Paul knew that the best defense was to be ready, and he pretty much covers it from head to toe!
Here's the vital areas where we need to be strong! The belt of truth. Yes, the belt holds up the trousers, but the belt of truth holds up our integrity and character. We become, as Jesus stressed, men and women of our word, letting our yes be yes, and our no, no. In all areas of our lives we should use the truth; knowing that sometimes truth hurts. And to protect our hearts, live right! Righteousness as a word sometimes clouds the Christian's understanding of what that really means. If you live right, your heart will be protected and blessed. Do no harm. Shun evil. Embrace love. Then Paul talks about our footwear; we should wear the shoes of the gospel of peace. Let God guide you to wear you can share peace, love, and understanding; most areas around where you are right now need it badly! And further protect yourself from the flaming arrows from the enemy with a strong faith that will shield you from all harm. Doubt can come near, but cannot overtake you! All challenges are met with the strength of the Lord and they are quickly defeated.
And cover your cabeza with the helmet of faith. Do not doubt your salvation for a minute! Christ died for you and if you have proclaimed Him as your Savior, you're in (saved!). The devil loves to whisper sweet nothings, meaning he says to you and me, "You're nothing!" We know otherwise! We know better! We are God's children, loved by God, saved by Jesus, and guided by the Holy Spirit!
Lastly, the weapon for our offense is the sword of the Spirit, namely the Bible, as Paul calls it. If you're not reading your Bible on a daily basis, you're not living! Receive the breath of God as found in that sacred book! Read up on those from other faiths who come across a Bible and have their lives transformed because they had never picked up a book that could talk, or read them. And of course, the faithful disciple says, "Pray in the Spirit at all times." Re-read that. At all times. Pray and ask. Pray and attack evil with your prayers. Pray for the holy and unholy people you know. Pray harder for them! And as Paul says, I say, too, "Pray also for me, so that when I speak, or write, or recrod, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the good news of Jesus Christ!"
PRAYER: Grateful are our hearts, O God for Your strength and power present in us and around us. Use us, keep us busy in fighting evil and in sharing love. Help us to be vigilant and equipped with the whole armor of God as we face the challenges of life. May Your truth be the foundation upon which we stand, and may Your righteousness guard our hearts. Equip us with faith to defend against doubt and the salvation that brings us hope. Guide our steps with the readiness to proclaim Your gospel of peace, and sharpen our minds with the Word of God. Lord, we lift up all believers in prayer, asking for Your strength and perseverance in their lives. Help us to remain steadfast in prayer, boldly declaring the mystery of the gospel in every opportunity. We ask for Your guidance and courage to live out our faith with unwavering conviction. This we all pray in Christ Jesus' strong and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Take a moment to assess how well you are equipped with each piece of the armor of God. Are there areas where you need to strengthen your faith or embrace God’s truth more fully?
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
