Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against
the schemes of the devil.
When I read Paul’s words to the church in
Ephesus, I imagine him writing them with emphasis and conviction. Be
strong in the Lord! Be strong in His mighty power! I wonder if that’s
the way the Ephesians read it.
Or how we read it.
As I think of the weight behind these
words, I keep thinking about David as he prepared to fight against Goliath.
And David said, “The Lord who delivered me
from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the
hand of this Philistine.”
There is not an exclamation point at the
end of David’s sentence, but can you hear the passion in his words? He was
absolutely certain the Lord would deliver him, and from that assuredness,
David’s strength came from the Lord…not from himself.
What if we were that confident in our daily
battles?
Read Paul’s words again. Be
strong in the Lord! Be strong in His mighty power!
Friends, we can be that confident! We have
the same Source of strength David drew from—our Lord God.
We may not be facing a nine-foot Philistine
dressed in bronze, but don’t some days feel like we are?
For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places.
David knew what he was up against. So do
we. Satan isn’t as blatant as Goliath, but he’s more forceful…and he’s sneaky.
Fighting this battle will take God’s
strength. God’s power. And God’s armor.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of
truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your
feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In
all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
God gives us armor to defend ourselves with and the Word of
God to fight with…and like David, God’s strength to rely on.
Lord God, thank you
for equipping us with the armor we need to fight against the enemy. Please
strengthen us like you did David and guide us through our everyday battles. May
we confidently rely on You and give You the glory in everything. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
In Christ,
Laura
[Photo credit: FreeImages.com]
Linking up with: #RaRaLinkup, #LifeGivingLinkup, Moments of Hope, Coffee for Your Heart, Thought Provoking Thursday, #FreshMarketFriday
I so desire to be as David and be absolutely SURE that God is with me at every step. I know He is, yet I doubt. I understand the Truth in the Word, yet I think, "...but not me this time." All of that stuff. I praise Him for His faithfulness and lovingkindness as we meet our Goliaths.
ReplyDeleteThis was very encouraging, thank you! I'm glad that you were my neighbor at Holly's Coffee for your heart. Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Laura! Thanks for this word and encouragement... and the always needed reminder that God has already equipped us!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your words of insight and encouragement. Blessings to you! #RaRalinkup
ReplyDeleteDavid's courage blows me away—but we have that very same strength to draw from—WOW! Thanks for the reminder that we need to put on the full armour daily... Stopping by from #CoffeeForYourHeart :)
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI am always so encouraged and inspired when I stop by here. Always!!! Thank you so much for sharing this hope with us at #MomentsofHope! You are a blessing!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori