Life
in this sin-cursed world does all in its power to knock us down, to pull our
legs out from under us, to discourage us and to take away our hope. God's Word
gives us a solution to this problem when we read Paul's truth of consistently
wearing the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
He
mentions several protective devices to guard us from the devil's constant
attacks on us. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteous living, feet
firmly standing our ground, the helmet of salvation, and the shield of faith.
Then
He gives us the ultimate weapon to face any type of adversity: The sword of
God's Holy Spirit, which is the Word of God. When trials oppress us from every
direction, we will not be crushed as we feast on, as well as retain, the Word
of God (2 Corinthians 4:8).
Tribulation
has no power over us once we repent of our sins in salvation, protect our
innermost being with the belt of truth, guard our heart with the breastplate of
holiness, and ward off spiritual warfare with the shield of faith. We walk out
our own salvation without haughtiness or self-reliance, as we trust in the Lord
to give us the desire and the power to do so (Philippians 2:12-13).
Even
if we have no food to eat, no provision laid up, no prospects for our future;
yet, we can still rejoice in the Lord, the God of our salvation. He alone is
our strength, our provision, our protection and our sustainer (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
We completely trust in God and maintain our faith in His faithfulness.
Strife,
stress, sickness, situational ethics, natural disasters, troubled
relationships, financial insecurity, etc. cannot remove the peace and joy,
which we have through our intimate relationship and union with Jesus Christ our
Lord.
The
presence of the Trinity of God abides within us, and strengthens us with His
power, wisdom, and righteousness to accomplish everything that He calls us to
do. He provides us with all that we need to perform the ministries, which He
prepared for us before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer:
Father
God, at times we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. We can barely
put one foot in front of the other due to discouragement and weariness. Remind
us to take Your yoke, rather than to carry one of our own making, because You
pulling the load of life with us makes the burden easy and light (Matthew 11:30).
Your
support enables us to stand our ground in the face of any adversity. As we
maintain our relationship with You through prayer, our dependence on the Truth
of Your Word, and the comfort of Your presence within us, we can weather any
storm, face any adversity, and live victoriously - even when life often scares
us.
Thought
for the Day:
When
we are hidden with Christ in God, His Holy Spirit replaces our human weaknesses
with the strength, character and divine nature of Christ who abides within us;
He is the bread of life, and He gives us His living water of life, so we will
never thirst again.
-
Colossians 3:3-4; John 4:14
