Photo by Eradio Valverde
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.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. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.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, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Good day dear Friend! I pray this finds you strong! God wants you and me to be strong and has provided the best materials for us to use to be and stay strong! Praying that today's devotional bless your life with what you need.
The photo is from my home office. Thank goodness you can't see my desk. Come to think of it, I can't see my desk! Now you know. The photo shows the armor of God statue that I bought about two years ago at Mo Ranch during a cabinet retreat. It continues to speak to my heart. And of course, I am always reminded of my first encounter with another Roman solider, a wooden one made by Mr. Solomon Marroquin of Mission, Texas. He had made a wooden soldier about 4 feet talk with helmet, shield, sword, all the works. He called him, Román, a great name, and yes there are some guys named Román. One summer as I was the guest preacher at our conference's youth assembly, I had to take Román with me as I was preaching on this passage. We rigged a way to include him in our van and all the luggage and passengers that were making the trek from Mission, TX, to Sacramento, NM. Román was a hit. I don't know about me, but he helped tell the story about being strong in the Lord.
Paul wrote this passage from prison. He was under the watchful eye of a gentleman dressed much like the statue you see him. Not only being the best protection available at the time, it was very much the symbol of Roman power throughout the known world. Pax Romana was kept because of many soliders dressed like Román. And as Paul prays and writes, he eyes the soldier and it occurs to him that here was an important message to share with believers. The Christian life is a constant battle against evil, and for that reason begins by saying we must be strong in the "strength of His power." And the best way is to dress like the Roman solider keeping watch over him. This armor is the best protection against the attacks of the devil and all the realms of spiritual darkness. Paul begins by saying we need truth to protect our most vulnerable areas. The original KJV says to "gird our loins." later translated to "waist," but we're still in the general area. We must know the truth about what God desires for us versus what the flesh may desire; God's truth is eternal and best; the rest deceives and destroys if we are not careful. To guard our heart and lungs, we need to seek righteousness. Seek to have a pure heart, a loving heart, a heart centered on God and others, and God will add to our lives the blessings we need. For our feet, we need shoes that will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Interesting, that this man of war, reminded Paul of the precious gospel that seeks to bring peace to the world. Our shoes only go where we take them, but the need to be ready and willing goes with the indwelling Spirit in us; respond to situations and needs with the good news from God.
The shield was a marvelous invention. With it, soldiers could take blows from the enemy's sword and if alerted, could deflect incoming arrows or darts, especially the ones lit with fire. Imagine if you could see with your physical eyes that which Satan throws our way; I think we would all ask for two shields, please! Faith, strong faith, resists that which comes at us. And to protect our mind and the thoughts that the mind produces we must cover ourselves with the reality and truth of our salvation. We are in a right relationship with God if we have given ourselves to God. And that thought is the basis of that powerful old hymn, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!" Think on that throughout the day and you'll see a different attitude towards many things, especially the evil ones that may seek to creep in. And the sword, the offensive part of this uniform, is the word of God. With it we can do battle against evil by proclaiming that which God has shared with us; it provides love to those who hate; hope to the hopeless; light to those in darkness; calm to those in a world of turmoil, and peace to those who seek it. The word of God can be a sword only if we open it and read it! So many 3rd graders throughout the country during these weeks, like those in our church, received a Bible from their church. We told our kids that it was the key to God's presence in our lives and we must open it to unlock many things. There is power in an unlocked and well-used Bible.
Finally, use prayer. It's as vital as breathing. Stay connected with God and as we praise Him we pray to Him asking for that which will make us faithful and fruitful. We, like Paul, should pray that God would use use "to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel," for we are ambassadors, like Paul.
PRAYER: Loving God, speak to our hearts again and again. Clothe and over us with this armor and let us use it for Your good and our protection. Indeed, anoint us with the strength of Your Spirit to be true ambassadors of Christ; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Don't leave home today without your armor!
Eradio Valverde
