Tuesday, August
1, 2017
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be
able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be
standing firm. Stand your ground,
putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from
the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the
shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers
for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians
6:13-18(NLT)
After
showing us the armor and weapons of the Christian, Paul lays-out how to stand our ground for Christ –
praying in the spirit, always, and
for all believers…everywhere.
That is
a tall order!
It may not
be a tall order for you; I’ve found Christianity is not a one-size-fits-all coat. Christianity is most certainly a come-all-to Christ blanket,
but some things, like the kind of prayer-life Paul described are tougher for
some people than others. It’s not that
prayer itself is that complicated; it is a conversation with God, who loves and
saves you. But, for me, just remembering all the people to
pray for, and what their needs are, and who’s going in for surgery when, and
the names of their families, and what hospital, and, and, and…. Well, it can be a bit overwhelming.
And then I
remember…covering all the bases, doing everything, getting it all done…is not
my circus. Putting on the armor, praying
in the Spirit (of Christ…that is with humility towards God), and staying alert
and persistent in prayer…that
is my job!
If seeing
to the needs of every believer, naming them all, their needs, their relatives
and cousins by the dozens – even just
the ones I know – well, if it’s up to me to be responsible for all that, I’d
fail so miserably even my grandmother would fire me!
And Jesus,
Himself would rebuke me for trying to be everything to everybody, and failing
to trust in Him. He never planned it
that way; He planned for us to trust each other and be ready to serve each
other with the strength God gives each day.
He doesn’t expect us to do what we can’t. That is what He will do; it’s called walking
by faith.
Praying always is a neat way of saying walk
by faith; it has to do with living in awareness of your dependency
on Christ for everything, and being sensitive to the needs of others with whom
you come in contact every day, so that, as Christ gives you the strength and
prompts you in your spirit, you will respond to Jesus by reaching out to those
around you.
For You Today
A
thought that is good to keep on the front burner:
God’s
army is to be fully prepared for the battle. A soldier who is fully-clad in the armor,
weapon in one hand, battle plan in the other hand, and never joins the fight is
someone who is all dressed up and has nowhere to go.
NOTES
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