Eph 6:12-18 "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.
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. 1And 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." NIV
As I walked along Ponte Verde beach recently had a bizarre desire to tramp
directly upon the shells and pulverize them. Some would crushed and turned to
powder under my feet, but some of them survived the onslaught. The tough ones
pushed down into the sand as I applied force to them and others just seemed to
withstand the pressure, not cracking or crumbling. The actual size of the shell
didn't seem to make much difference - it was the thickness that determined its
“crush ability” .The shells which remained intact reminded me of the Christian,
clothed in the armor of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:13-17 that God has
given the Christian an armor to don. This armor gives us extra protection and
makes us “less easy to crush”, just like those dense shells.
For years I have tried to memorize this passage of scripture from Ephesians, as
I wanted to clothe myself in Gods armor each day. I was unable to do so until
recently when my friend, Donna, told me her method. Now I have it down pat, and
put the armor of God on each morning before I even get out of bed. I not only
dress myself in it, but my husband, daughters, son in laws and grandchildren! I
place the helmet of salvation on our heads- it protects my mind and all my
thoughts. It allows us to rest in the reality of who we am in Christ. Next is
our breastplate of righteousness (protecting our hearts), belt of truth, shoes
of peace (so we may spread the true peace, which is available in God). I pick up
our shields of faith to protect us from Satan’s attacks and the sword of the
spirit (God’s Word.) Now we are ready to face the day- dressed in the armor of
God. Satan will not crack our faith or crush our spirit with insults,
temptations, or setbacks, for we are dressed- head to foot: plus some extras- to
face him head on! For He that lives within us is grater than he who is in the
world. I hope you will consider dressing yourself and perhaps your loved ones
each morning, also! It’s a GOOD thing to do!
Thank you, Lord, for your Word and also for a special friend who taught me how
to memorize it.
Marion Smith, noles65@aol.com
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