Armor of God
There are times in our lives when people have hurt us in some way that sometime leave us stunned or confused, especially if that person was someone you considered a mentor or a friend or a family member. I was thinking about that this weekend. And while doing my devotions today I gave it some more thought and I can hear very subtly from the Holy Spirit. It was about the Armor of God. God has given us an armor to wear and this is an armor of not only protection but for identification. Protection from the forces of evil which are constantly around us and identification as soldiers in the army of God. Paul, God's apostle says this to us in Ephesians chapter 6:11-13,(11) "Put on God’s complete set of armor[j] provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser![k] (12) Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms.[l] For they are a powerful class of demon-gods[m] and evil spirits that hold[n] this dark world in bondage.(13) Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer,[o] for you are destined for all things[p] and will rise victorious. (The Passion Translation (TPT)
The Accuser or The Enemy always uses people to entrap us and make us doubt ourselves, and ultimately steal the Word from our hearts. I have been hurt many, many times and I know most of us have been also. What the Spirit of God was leading me to, was the Armor of God. When we are filled with the Word of God and our hearts are sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit of God and we wear our armor we know the enemy can't touch us unless we give him permission. The arrows of hurts, pain, disappointments, mental or emotional sufferings and discomfort can be deflected with the shield of faith. If we wear our armor consistently and daily and be vigilant and be aware of the enemy's devices we can be assured that none of his darts will be able to penetrate our full armor. Besides that, we have our Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ watching over us at all times.
This is our armor that God has provided for all His children: Ephesians 6: "So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. (15) On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. (16) And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. (17) Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18) Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people." (New Century Version NCV) Now, this is a formidable armor that is impenetrable and impressive. Remember, we are not fighting people but this is a spiritual warfare between God's people and Satan and his demonic forces.
The Joy of The Lord
I learned over the weekend that when someone hurt us and we already have on our full armor the darts thrown at us will not penetrate our armor. What may cause the armor to lose its protective covering or effectiveness or cause it to be damaged in some way will be the condition of our hearts. Strife will cause a chink in our armor and the enemy will find that vulnerability and cause us to fall. Love on the other hand will make us stronger and formidable and have the enemy running with his tail between his legs. Laughter in the Spirit of God will help us to conquer whatever perceived hurts we may be carrying around. When we laugh in faith joy rises in our hearts. "The joy of the Lord is our strength" according to Nehemiah. Psalm 126 says, laughter in the Spirit open us up for blessings and victory over every obstacle and hindrances in our lives. "Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the [b]nations, "The Lord has done great things for them. "The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad." New King James Version (NKJV) "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4 King James Version (KJV)
Laughter is the best medicine for when we are under attack by the Enemy. Proverbs 17:22, says, " a merry heart does good like medicine," and conversely, "a broken spirit dries the bones." (NKJV). We are to guard our minds at all times because we know that is where the Accuser does his finest work. Our minds are like playgrounds for him and his demonic bunch. When we are being buffeted ("maltreated"- Strong Concordance) by the Enemy the best defense is joy and laughter. When we do so it destabilizes the Enemy and his bunch. Then they realize we are not affected by their shenanigans. Even though, we do not feel like laughing, fake it until the Spirit of God join in with us and then the real stuff comes up from the inside of us. Why? Because we need to be reminded we are already conquerors in Christ Jesus. We are already victorious in Him. Jesus has overcome the world for us and we are now like Him in spirit as new creatures. We too are overcomers. Now that is something to jump up, shout and celebrate and do our happy dance. That will definitely send the Enemy flying. God is a good, good Father and He loves His children with a deep and abiding love. All is well with our souls.
shalom
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