Prepare for Battle! Day 10 ~ Ready for Battle
Weekly Manna for Memory
Ephesians 6:10-13
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Additional verses if you’d like a memorization challenge 🙂 …
Ephesians 6:14-18
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Manna Snack
Our battle is not against flesh and blood, ladies!
Our battle is not against flesh and blood…
- When we are at our wits end with our toddler…
- When our spouse can’t understand why we need mommy time…
- When we struggle with our husband regarding finances, sex or parenting…
- When we can’t bring ourselves to get off FB and pay our attention to our little ones (or big ones) or our home…
- When we see what other moms are doing and feel jealous or resentful…
- When we look at other moms and judge…
- When our teens are disrespectful at every turn…
- When our tweens are being harassed at school…
- When our school division is making decisions that aren’t biblical…
- When our government lacks sound judgement…
- When we consistently get to bed too late without good reason and can’t function properly the next day…
It’s all part of the battle!
So be mindful of the Armor of God in each situation.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
The FULL armor…
…the Belt of Truth – is our life based on thoughts, feelings, actions, words that are actually a reflection of God’s truth as written in the Scriptures or are we falling for Satan’s schemes?
…the Breastplate of Righteousness – are we even striving to live uprightly in our relationships with others so that we can glorify God?
…your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace – are we ready to share the good news or do we shy away from sharing about the good news of Christ?
…the Shield of Faith – are we building our faith in God’s character by getting to know Him more?
…the Helmet of Salvation – this is essential to any successful battle.
…the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – our most important weapon to wage war against the evil one and the basis of every other piece of armor.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions.
These are the tools we need to face our daily battles, to gain back ground that the enemy has taken. Let’s get to work and build on this foundation!
Mommas, we have a very important role to play in this battle for ourselves and for our families! Don’t take it lightly!
Dear Jesus, You alone know how best to combat the evil one. I trust that You have not given us this armor lightly but that each piece is essential to the daily battles I face. Lord, help me to seek Your truth in facing every difficulty. Your truth can be convicting, but it can also be encouraging and uplifting in trying times. Show me how I can live uprightly and thereby receive the blessing of living according to Your word. Jesus, You promise that Your Spirit will give me the right words to say when I need them, so ready my feet with Your gospel of peace so that I won’t be fearful. Thank You for Your word that tells me about You and Your character and Your salvation on which I build my faith. And thank You so much for giving us the Scriptures so that we are not blindly flailing in this battle, but that we can have the means of combating Satan when he messes with us and our families. Lord, I pray that You would remind me each day to put on this armor so that I can stand firm. Amen.
Meal of Manna
Grab your journal and look back over the past two weeks of studying the Armor of God. Highlight or underline action steps that stand out to you and things God is calling you to change or take care of or cover in prayer at this point in your life.
Spend some time determining how you will do that and then do it for today.
Take-Away for Today
As it comes to mind today, praise God for His wisdom in equipping us for battling the evil one. Some days can feel so frustrating or defeating. Take comfort in the fact that God knows exactly the struggles that you and your family, personally, are facing and has provided ways to overcome.
Although this passage in Ephesians can be serious and convicting, God is also a God of compassion and grace and we can trust that His instructions are for our good. Take time to rest in His arms today—and every day—before stepping onto the battle field 🙂 .
