Good Morning!
Ephesians 6:11; “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand against the schemes of the
devil”.
Do you
remember this one?
Oh, I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery,
I may never fly o’er the enemy.
But I’m in the Lord’s army!
We used to sing that at
Sunday School and loved it. It had the mandatory actions that you performed for
each section. We sang it fairly well; we knew the words and, like most kids, we
liked the actions. I don’t know if we listened to the words that closely or not,
but we sang them.
The words are very true; we
are in the Lord’s army. Maybe not so much because of the actions we take but
more because of the actions the devil takes. Often times, people like to think
that by being a Christian we are immune to the devil’s assaults. Some like to
believe that nothing bad will happen in our lives because we are Christians. Sometimes,
when a person begins to come to worship and to faith, they stop soon afterwards
because life didn’t get any easier.
The real truth is that your
life may actually get harder. The attacks by the devil will actually increase. At
first, you may question this but realize that the saints who are heaven are
safe. The devil can never touch them there. Those in the world who are lost or
are unbelievers, the devil already has; he doesn’t need to engage them. That
leaves the true believer, you and me, as the place where the battle rages; we
are the front-line battlefield where the shelling (or scheming) is fierce.
This is why Paul tells us to
put on the whole armor of God. You are in the battle zone; you are the target. The
devil will taunt you and attempt to beguile you with his lies. So, we must be
ready to go into battle each day. This is where our daily repentance as we
remember the blessings of our Baptism fit in. This is where our daily
devotional and prayer life comes in. This is putting on the armor in order to
do battle with the devil.
Without God’s armor, we are
helpless. Without God’s protection, we will fall early and easily. Yet God has
promised to guard and protect us. God has promised to give us the tools and the
strength to withstand the devil’s onslaught. We only need to trust in God’s
Word and hold fast to his promise. Through this, we will ultimately be
victorious. It is by God’s grace and his benevolence that we will always come
out the victor.
Gracious Father, we stand up
to the devil because of your mercy and grace. Guard us with your holy hand and
strengthen us as the devil attacks. Be with those who are especially vulnerable
and in tremendous need of your protection. Hide them in the shadow of your
wings. In Jesus’ precious name we pray amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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