Keep Your Armor On~God Can Handle This

Ephesians 6:13(MSG)
Be prepared.  You're up against far more than you can handle on your own.  Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.

Last night's prayer service at our church was beautiful.  There is certainly something to be said about the children of God gathering together in one accord.  Making the conscious decision to brave the cold weather and worship the King of Kings must earn a person some sort of extra jewel in their crown...right?  Not really...I'm just joshing you :).  

Keep Your Armor On~God Can Handle This

But seriously, it is such a privilege to be able to come before the Lord without fear and in the spiritual freedom of worship.  Our pastor, David Lindell reminded us of that. I'm never sorry that I've gone to the House of God. Generally, when I leave, I'm walking away with a stronger resolve to fight the good fight;  a deeper commitment to put Christ and the cross before me and the world behind me....no turning back. (Okay...those aren't my words...that's from a song we sang during worship...but it's so true!  If you want to hear the whole song entitled: Christ Is Enough-Hillsong click here.)  

Before the concentrated prayer time last evening, we studied Ephesians 6:10-13.  These verses are a strong reminder that as we take up our shield and put on our armor to fight the enemy, we should leave it on. There isn't a time when we take it off and then put it back on.  It needs to be on all the time, because we never know when the darts of Satan might be trying to strike us.  What a great picture of the need to stay in His Word and live out the acknowledgement that He is ever near to us!  He is our rock....our fortress....our shelter.  I've already prayed for you as you're reading this....that God will make Himself undeniably real to you today! 

Almighty Father,
You are so good to have provided us with protection from Satan and his demonic parade. Help me to leave the armor in place, so that I am safeguarded and shielded from the fiery darts that are flung my way.  Thank you for supplying Your strength and covering for the battles we each face on a daily basis. 
In Christ's name,
Amen

There's No Time To Lose

Proverbs 6:4(MSG)
Don't procrastinate-- there's no time to lose.

Oh boy....that's in the Bible!!?  Wow....there's no way of getting around it then...I better get moving. 

In this particular verse, the writer is telling us if we've made a deal with a neighbor or a friend and it's gone bad, we need to get out of the mess we're in .......NOW!  Don't wait another day to make it right....go and clean it up; untangle yourself from the web you got caught in and run to fix it!!  That's such tangible advice.  How clear is that?  Phew!  Pretty impressive straightforward stuff. 

Now, I want to look at the second part of that verse, cuz it's always on my mind, hence the name of my blog: "Only~A~Little~While.  The part in the verse about not having any time to lose!  We reeeeeally don't have any time to mess around here.  The tragic events going on everyday all around us is proof of the urgency for action that is palpable in these words.  Think about it for a minute.  We are seeing tornadoes dropping out of the sky and tearing a path of destruction for miles around.  There have been tsunamis barreling across the ocean and crashing into land snatching up whatever is in their path and tossing it back into the sea.  Earthquakes opening up huge crevasses of earth and swallowing up entire villages.  Fires burning out of control, devouring anything or anyone who is in their wake.  Flood waters creeping toward and through entire towns sweeping property and life away.   Evil twisted minds exerting their angry violent plots onto an unsuspecting people both locally and abroad.  I am sure the list goes on and on.....unfortunately.

A call to action....but what action?  Run away?  Nope...not hardly.  Once again, the answer is in the Word of God and it's just as clear as it's ever been!  I just keep forgetting...I guess that's why He wrote it down....so I could keep reading it over and over and over again.  I close with His Words...they are powerful and true~and I'm clinging to 'em!

 Ephesians 6:10-18  
^10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
 ^13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.  (Italics/bold mine.)