HACKED BY NESAS_0DAY

Tag: Spiritual warfare

  • The weakest saint upon his knees

    The weakest saint upon his knees

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    Series: P.P.E for the Christian life, By Rosie Moore

    Through prayer, even the weakest Christian gains renewed energy and strength for the battle.

    “…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak (Eph 6:18-20).

    Knowing our enemy and putting on Christ’s armour are not enough. The Christian soldier is also an ambassador of the Lord Jesus, and we need to declare his gospel boldly and fearlessly. Paul was doing it from prison even as he wrote this letter to the Ephesians. We need the energy to face the Enemy and use the equipment we’ve been given. Prayer is the power behind all the Christian’s armour. When we neglect to pray, or when our prayers are sporadic, meaningless or self-obsessed, we will never have victory in our battle with Satan. That’s why, straight after Paul’s list of the spiritual armour in Ephesians 6, he appeals to Christians to pray, including to pray for himself and other saints. He set us a wonderful example of how to do this, even in chains, in a cold prison cell (Eph 3:14-19). Today let’s look the vital energy behind the armour as we wrap up our series on spiritual warfare.

    Satan trembles when we pray

    William Cowper, who lived in the 1700’s, is remembered today for his theologically-rich hymns and poetry, which have blessed countless Christians with hope and comfort. Ironically, Cowper himself struggled with mental illness and severe depression for most of his life. With the help of his faithful friend John Newton, Cowper was engaged in a fierce spiritual battle over despondency for most of his life. This is what he wrote about the power of prayer for the Christian soldier:

    Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;

    Prayer keeps the Christian’s armour bright;

    And Satan trembles when he sees

    The weakest saint upon his knees.

    The weakest saint upon his knees

    The way that Paul writes Ephesians 6:18-20 in the Greek, tells us that prayer is the mechanism by which we put on all the armour of Christ. In other words, in order to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, gospel shoes, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, we must pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is how we get dressed for battle!

    There is nothing inherently strong about a soldier of Christ. To the contrary, each and every Jesus follower is weak and vulnerable, while the devil is a devouring lion (1 Peter 5:8). But Paul reminds us that when properly equipped, we can “be strong in the Lord and His mighty power” (Eph 6:10). Through prayer, even the weakest Christian gains renewed energy and strength for the battle. And the most potent prayer is the kind that perseveres, like a nagging child that won’t relent. It is the kind of prayer that “keeps on praying, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”, even when answers seem delayed or impossible (Eph 6:18).

    We dare not venture out even a single day without prayer, thinking to ourselves:

    “I don’t have time to pray. I’ll just let go and let God today. I’m sure He’s got this covered.” Or, “I’ve had victory over this battle once before. Surely I’m strong and experienced enough to do it again?”

    No, we are never strong or wise enough to have victory over Satan’s schemes without prayer. We will never do God’s work without prayer. Nor can we ever sit back and expect God to work out his purposes and show us His will, without prayer. Paul is emphatic that we are personally responsible to pray:

    “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil 2:12-13).

    The habit of prayer

    Prayer is vital to working out our salvation each day, over a lifetime. Prayer is how we respond to what the Holy Spirit has taught us in the Bible. Prayer is daily surrender to Christ as Lord, where we offer Him every nook and cranny of our lives to be re-calibrated. When we pray, we invite the Holy Spirit to convict and shape us into godly people. That is how we ‘pray in the Spirit’.

    As a child growing up, the most vivid picture I have of my parents, is them kneeling together and praying at their bedside, each and every morning. I knew that they were praying for me and my siblings and for all the concerns of the day. Before breakfast and all their important duties, I knew that my mum and dad had met with the Lord. I knew that they were on the same page in their marriage and that God was the centre pivot of their lives and the life of our family. Seeing this daily habit of prayer gave me great security and showed me how to dress in Christ’s armour in the real, everyday struggle of life.

    When we pray as a daily habit, we don’t just babble a bunch of recited words, or ask God to bless us or others in some vague way. We say something, not nothing! We speak directly to our heavenly Father, about real and specific details.

    The posture of prayer

    We don’t have to kneel when we pray, but kneeling is a posture of reverance and awe. Kneeling says that we understand the greatness of the Holy, wonderful God we are addressing and our own sinful, frail humanity. Using heartfelt but ordinary words, we remember who God is, and then place our little story within the big story of His kingdom and reign. When we pray, we forget about worshipping ourselves and nursing our grievances. Instead, we direct our praise and thanks to the caring Creator who made us and gave his life for us. And as we show Him gratitude, our vision of the world becomes clearer. We begin to see ourselves and our neighbour through a different lens. Through prayer, creatures learn the posture of humble surrender in a world that we cannot control. We learn to say to God, “Thy will be done, not mine.”

    Thankful prayers produce perspective and peace in us (Phil 4:6-7).

    When we pray, we offer the Lord our opportunities, gifts, struggles and responsibilities, to be used for His glory. We lay down our loved ones, our sins, questions, doubts, temptations and worries, which weigh heavily on us. We entrust to God the groaning world in which we live. We ask the Lord to re-align our emotions and ambitions, to make them more accurate and less selfish.

    An Ambassador in chains

    When we pray, we remember that we are not masters of our fate after all, but rather, as Paul puts it, ‘an ambassador in chains’. Paul was literally stripped of all his rights, freedoms and personal ambitions in a prison cell as he wrote this. But if even Paul knew his dependency on prayer, how can we possibly rely on our own experience, eloquence and training to “fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:19-20)? You and I are never strong or wise enough to be Christ’s faithful ambassadors, but even the weakest saint upon his knees can make Satan tremble.

    It was what Daniel did, as an old man in Babylon, when “he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel had built a habit of prayer over a lifetime. He had a relationship with Yahweh. That’s why, when his great test came, he could defy the King’s edict by continuing to pray, as he’d always done.

    Through the practice of prayer, God equips and prepares us for battle one day at a time, over a lifetime.

    All kinds of prayers and requests

    In the NIV, Paul says to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph 6:18 NIV).

    Apart from habitual prayer, we must also ‘pray continually’ (1 Thess 5:17). That means anywhere and everywhere, because our prayers are urgent and necessary. It means we make quick, brief prayers our automatic response to every situation throughout the day. We silently pray before we read the Bible or talk to someone about Jesus. We spontaneously pray for wisdom when we face a hard choice (James 1:5), or when we need to demolish an idea that sets itself up against Christ (2 Cor 10:5). We are alert and prepared to pray whenever a friend calls for help. When we can’t sleep at night, we get up and pray like David prayed throughout the watches of the night (Ps 63:6). When I was at boarding school, I learnt to pray in toilet cubicles because there was no other place to be alone! Prayer is just speaking to God silently wherever we find ourselves, even on a busy taxi, along a noisy street, or in prison as in Paul’s case.

    We should also pray “for all of the saints” (Eph 6:18), because all God’s people around the world are fighting the same battle we are. If they fail to resist Satan and his evil forces, it affects us all. Denominations don’t matter to the Lord, as the invisible Church of Christ transcends nations, time and space. So, if a fellow soldier falls, the devil gains one more foothold. But if a fellow soldier stands strong and declares the gospel fearlessly in spite of opposition, it advances the kingdom of God.

    Potent prayer

    Don’t doubt for a moment that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective (James 5:16). Prayer is a fearsome weapon against the fury of Satan who “has gone to make war on those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 12:12; 17). Our prayers are like incense that rises before God, with powerful reverberations on earth. The symbolic language of Revelation is stunning: “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Rev 8:4-5).

    Flashes of lightning and earthquakes! That’s how God regards our prayers and that’s what the prayers of the weakest saint can produce! Let’s stay alert and keep on praying, for “Behold, I am coming soon!” (Rev 22:12)

    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Sword of the Spirit

    Sword of the Spirit

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Series: PPE for the Christian life, by Rosie Moore

    “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17-18).

    When I was a child, my dad read C.S Lewis’s Narnia series to me several times over. I never forget what Aslan told Jill Pole in her quest to find a lost prince in The Silver Chair:

    “Stand still. In a moment I will blow. But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart, and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.” (Aslan, The Silver Chair).

    “Pay no attention to appearances”

    Jill Pole and her group started well on their quest to find a lost prince, but on the journey many dangers befell them. They veered off the route; narrowly escaped being eaten by giants; and then failed to recognize the prince even when they came face to face with him. Strangely, although Jill learned Aslan’s signs, she couldn’t remember them when the world around her became threatening and confusing. When the Narnian air became thick and everything was hazy, Jill began to doubt what Aslan had clearly revealed to her to ensure that she would safely reach her destination. That’s precisely when she had to pay no attention to appearances and just remember what Aslan had told her.

    I can relate to Jill. Sometimes, clever arguments and personal fears have caused me to forget even the clearest and simplest of God’s commands, like “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Or to doubt the very first truth that I ever memorized as a pre-schooler, “We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Or to believe the crystal clear, simple truth, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

    That’s why, in Deuteronomy, God gives a command which echoes Aslan’s, directed to parents as they raise their children:

    “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.   Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deut 6:4-9).

    This command was given to parents so that their children might also remember the Lord and follow his way. It’s based on the assumption that parents know and love the commands of God. Remember, when Moses spoke this final sermon, the people didn’t have Bibles in their pews and were not reading along from a text. They had to bury the word of the Lord deep in their hearts and, in Aslan’s words, “Remember, remember, remember.”

    “Remember, remember, remember”

    I wonder why Aslan and Moses made such a big deal of remembering? I think perhaps because we are prone to forget what God has said in the Bible. And when we forget, we get confused and lost in this world of suffering and hardship. We begin to believe that there are shortcuts to the life we want and we lose our compass for how we should live for Christ day-by-day. Over time, an unused sword becomes a blunt and useless stick of metal. Without the sword of the Holy Spirit, we will believe Satan’s lies the moment we face doubt, discouragement and danger in our lives. It is when the air is thick around us that we need to remember most.

    Satan will offer us a crown without a cross. He will tempt us to believe that we can experience joy without also repenting of our sin, denying ourselves and suffering for his name. He will offer us earthly redemption instead of Christ’s redemption. He will offer freedom apart from God’s commands. He will make us believe that we can worship God without serving him too (Matt 6:19-21); that we can blame others instead of taking responsibility for our own rebellion (Gen 3:12-13).

    But in Satan’s many assaults against a Christian, the devil will employ a predictable tactic. He will manipulate God’s Word to confuse and deceive us, because he is the master of illusion. He also fears the power of the sword that Christ places in the hands of every believer, young and old. This weapon is the Bible.

    Twisted Scripture

    Last week we saw that Satan is a liar and a vicious destroyer, disguised as an angel of light. But he is also a sleight-of- hand magician who knows how to twist Scripture. His servants will flip and manipulate the clear Word of God to make it say what it was never intended to say (Acts 20:28-30). Do you remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness? His quotation of Psalm 91 was not incorrect, but his application and meaning were utterly contorted (Luke 4:9-12). Satan knows the Bible, but Christ’s responses are a perfect demonstration of how to use the sword of the Spirit against the enemy (Luke 4:12). It is only when we correctly handle the Bible that we will resist his fake teachings.

    Fierce wolves

    Luke shows us Satan’s tactics in Acts 20, where Paul is warning the elders of the Ephesian church about fierce wolves that would come in among them, not sparing the flock. Paul continues to remind today’s church that “from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-31). In contrast, Paul never shrunk back from declaring to them “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27-28), because this is how a true shepherd must take care of the church of Christ. It is only the ‘whole counsel of God’ that will protect the church against false teachers who manipulate the Bible to suit themselves.

    The whole counsel of God

    In fact, the New Testament is peppered with warnings about imposters and false prophets who, motivated by greed, will secretly bring in strange heresies, exploiting believers with false words (2 Tim 3:13; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter:1-3). Their purpose is not to nourish the church and build mature believers, but rather to create rifts between people and obstacles to oppose the doctrine of Christ (Rom 16:17). Let’s not veer off course by listening to these people.

    Beware of Bible apps and teachers who separate single verses and stories from the rest of Scripture. Beware of preachers who extract texts that suit them and ignore what doesn’t suit them, creating arguments that sound plausible, but are actually delusions (Col 2:4). Beware of those who love to read their own beliefs and assumptions into Scripture, instead of the other way round. Beware of “diverse and strange teachings” (Heb 13:9), which are man-centred, crowd-pleasing, ear-tickling and self-affirming (2 Tim 4:3).

    Every one of us can follow three basic rules of interpretation to help us discern the true from the fake: 1) Understand the context of a passage. 2) Read each text against the rest of Scripture. 3) Allow clear passages to interpret more ambiguous ones. A Study Bible is a great tool to help you to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). Let’s all be like the Berean Christians, who examined the Scriptures daily to check for themselves if what the apostles were saying was true (Acts 17:11).

    Tool of the trade

    The Holy Spirit has given us the Bible as the tool of our trade and our sword for the fight. If received with a soft heart, we are assured that Scripture will thoroughly equip us for every good work that the Lord has planned for us (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Bible will also guard us against deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim 3:13). I’m no theologian and have never studied at seminary, but I delight in the fact that the disciples were unschooled, ordinary men who had spent time with Jesus (Acts 4:13). That is why I write The God Walk week after week. This simple discipline of reading, understanding and obeying the Bible will enable each of us to “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of…to know the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:14). That is the way we sharpen our sword against the father of lies and learn how to live a godly life in Christ Jesus.
    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Take up the Shield of Faith

    Take up the Shield of Faith

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    Series: PPE for the Christian life, by Rosie Moore.

    “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Eph 6:16).

    In the last few weeks, the Apostle Paul has been waking us up to the true war we are waging against Satan and his evil forces in this dark world. This spiritual war is no joke and there is evidence of it all around us. Satan’s forces are not mere fantasies, but very real armies, whose goal is to divide and defeat Christ’s Church. Knowing he can’t destroy the Church (Matt 16:18), Satan’s next best option is to be a sniper.

    He will fire problems at us, like financial stress, sickness, broken relationships and emotional struggles. Then he will fire darts of anger, fear, sadness, suspicion, doubt and self-pity. He will do anything to turn us away from Christ and back to sin; away from each other and back to being hostile and isolated. Unless we take up the shield of faith and lock shields together, the sniper’s darts will find their mark. They will cause a raging fire that destroys everything in its path. Without the shield of faith, Satan will disable, demoralize and scatter Christ’s troops.

    But, let’s never forget that each Christian recruit has been issued supernatural weapons with “divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4). Paul deliberately repeats the word ‘all’ for emphasis. All the flaming darts of Satan can be repelled with the shield of faith, which we must hold up in all circumstances. God will give us the victory if we use the weapon of faith He has freely given us in His Son. Today let’s look at this shield that Christ provides for his soldiers.

    Locking shields together

    When we believe in Jesus, Christ’s enemies become our enemies too. That’s why we can be sure that Satan will hurl his darts in our direction. The “day of evil” will inevitably come (Eph 6:13). It’s not a matter of if, but when. What’s more, the family of believers throughout the world is facing the same enemy—the “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8-9). We are living in a world at war. And we are a brotherhood and a sisterhood with our fellow believers.

    The shield that Paul had in mind wasn’t a tiny little one, like the flimsy plastic shield my son used to attach to his lego characters. It was a shield that was almost the size of a door, big enough for burly Roman soldiers to crouch and hide behind. What’s more, the shield also united the soldiers to each other, because its edges were bevelled in such a way that they could be locked together to form a solid wall. Arrows couldn’t penetrate that united wall as the soldiers marched forward, held together by the shield’s common bond. The shield was a powerful defensive and offensive weapon. In addition, the Roman soldiers would dip their shields in water, so that the enemy’s fiery arrows would be extinguished the moment they hit the shield, rendering them powerless to penetrate.

    This shield is the visual image Paul uses to describe a believer’s supernatural weapon of faith in the Lord Jesus. It enables Christians of every tongue, every nation, every gender, and every race to stand together and work as one; to lock shields together; to trust God and pray together; to bind ourselves together by our common faith against our common enemy. But what ‘faith’ is he talking about? In a world which has its own definitions of ‘faith’, this is a vital question to ask.

    Three ingredients of Christian faith

    There are three vital components to every Christian’s faith:

    Firstly, there is historical faith, which believes the real Jesus of the Bible. It is a faith that knows that Jesus is God, that he lived, and died, and rose again as a real man, and that he will return to restore all things to how they should be. It is not faith in faith, or faith in a figment of our imagination, but faith in Jesus, who was seen and heard and touched by many people in the first century (John 20:31).

    Secondly, there is saving faith, which is personal trust in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. There is no saving faith unless we believe that, left to ourselves, we are eternally lost and separated from God. But Jesus died in our place to atone for our sins (1 Peter 3:18; 1 Tim 2:5). Saving faith is trusting in what Christ has already done for us on the cross: securing our forgiveness, our new family and our eternal home. Faith is the “assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen” (Heb 11:1).

    Thirdly, and this is where I will focus today, there is the practical everyday faith of a believer, flowing from our historical and saving faith. It is the faith that says,

    “Today I am not going to depend on myself, or my strength, or my knowledge, or my ability. Today I am going to trust Jesus to give me victory over whatever darts are fired at me. Today I am going to believe that Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God, interceding for me and all his people. Today I’ll live confidently and serve wholeheartedly, knowing that no false charge can stand against me. No trouble or hardship, or persecution or famine, or nakedness or danger, or even death, can separate us from the love of Christ…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom 8:34-39). Everyday faith is aligning our lives with the victory that Christ has already won for his people on the cross.

    Surefire darts

    If Romans 8:34-39 is to be believed, then we can be sure that many fiery darts will come our way, especially if we are standing for Christ. They will be directed at us personally, as well as at the body of Christ and our smaller fellowships. We can surely read Covid-19 into Paul’s long list of fiery darts. If those darts catch fire, they can do serious damage, not just to ourselves, but also to those around us. Let’s look at some of these fiery darts, and how faith is a powerful shield to deflect them from penetrating our souls:

    The fiery dart of Fear

    Fear and anxiety are the enemy’s lethal missiles, particularly as the ripple effects of Covid play out in our country. Just a fortnight ago, I read that over 3 million people have already lost their jobs as a result of the lockdown in South Africa. As I write, many people I know personally, across the spectrum, are gripped with fear, anxiety, depression and debilitating mental illness.

    Christians are not immune from fear.

    But, if allowed to penetrate our souls, fear and anxiety can destroy our relationships and our faith in the Lord’s ability to help us through every adversity. Like Christ’s terrified disciples in the storm on Lake Galilee, we may also be praying, “Lord don’t you care that we are perishing?” To take up our shield of faith, we must pray these fears to the Lord. We must take our eyes off the crashing waters of our circumstances, and look instead to Christ, the Lord of the universe. Let’s remember our Lord’s response to the terrified disciples after he calmed the storm, “Why are so afraid? Where is your faith?” Christ is saying to us too, “Don’t you trust me to take care of you?”

    When your heart is being set alight by the darts of anxiety and fear, the only PPE to hide behind is the enormous shield of God’s sovereign grace. It is to trust that God is holy, righteous and just. And amazingly, He cares for you and for me. We take shelter behind this shield by exercising our faith every day. Find a regular spot to read the Bible and pray to your Father. His Word will remind you of who He is and why He is worthy of your trust. Don’t stop attending your Zoom Bible study with fellow believers who love the Lord, and love you too. Together, you will lock shields with other soldiers in Christ’s army. If you’re not locking shields in a group like this, find one near you on this link.

    God has placed his people together to re-order our minds with the truth and to bear each other’s burdens, even as we each carry the load Christ has allocated to us (Gal 6:2, 5). Don’t let these simple habits of grace slip from your life. They are the God-ordained means for us to deflect the darts of the enemy in all circumstances. They are literally life-saving!

    Read Psalm 55 and cast your cares on the Lord, as if you were throwing a fishing net into the sea. “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall” (Ps 55:22).

    The fiery dart of Doubt

    In addition to fears, we may also be hit with the fiery darts of doubt.

    We may be having doubts about God. “Do you really know what you’re doing, Lord? Do you really understand what I need? Is your Son really enough? Am I banking my whole life on pie-in-the-sky?” Satan loves to plant doubts in our stressed minds, making us doubt everything we have believed about God.

    We may be having doubts about other Christians too, especially as we haven’t met flesh-on-flesh with people for so long. Satan loves suspicions to build in us, to make us wonder whether fellow believers actually love and care for us. “What did she really mean by that statement? Did he look at me funny on Zoom? Why has she not called me to ask how I’m doing? I knew all along he hated me!” Because our personal perceptions are incomplete and often inaccurate, how desperately we need to entrust our doubts to the Lord Jesus, who alone knows the motives of the heart (Jer 17:9; 1 Cor 4:4-5; 1 Sam 16:7).

    We may also be having doubts about ourselves, whether we’re capable of supporting or leading our family; whether we actually have eternal life; whether we’ve only half understood the gospel. Of course, we should always be asking God to search our hearts and show us our sin and blind spots (Ps 139:23-24), but false soul- searching is straight from the devil when it leads us to drop our shield of faith.

    Without firm faith in Christ, those arrows of doubt will internally combust, causing us to doubt God, to doubt ourselves and to doubt others. Instead, we must never stop trusting that God is for us and not against us; that He will help us, and His love will never leave us.

    The fiery dart of Words

    Words can be fired like fiery darts that deeply wound us when they invade our minds and emotions. Words are never just sticks and stones, yet insults are hurled carelessly and self-righteously in our culture. Words of criticism and accusation can cause us to feel shamed, unworthy and unloved, especially when they are aimed at the conscience and character of a person. Satan loves to destroy relationships through words. If we are not locking shields together, the darts will find their mark.

    The fiery dart of Confusion

    If your emotions or thinking is confused, be sure that Satan is firing his darts at you! God is not the author of confusion, Satan is (1 Cor 14:33). He loves to scatter our thoughts and stop us from relying on the truth of the Gospel. Our Lord is a God of order, peace and beauty, not confusion.

    Our shield and very great reward

    But in the face of these fiery darts, God has given us a supernatural weapon to repel them all and extinguish their fire before it spreads. He has given us each other, to lock shields and stand together as a mighty wall against Satan’s attacks. Only faith in Jesus, God’s own Son, can protect us. The Lord of Abraham said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Gen 15:1). The God of Abraham provided Christ to be our shield in life and death. He is all we need. Let’s pray to Him and trust Him at all times (Ps 3:1-4).

    My three favourite resources for building faith:

    1. Fighter verses app- Memorize the Bible, fight the fight of faith.
    2. Truth for life app—15 minute daily messages by Alistair Begg.
    3. Music! Below are Pete’s two favourite songs that play on repeat in our home! May they encourage you also to keep fighting the good fight of faith. li>

    Good reading:

    Warren Wiesbe, Stand: Putting on the full armour of God.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • How to wear the breastplate of righteousness

    How to wear the breastplate of righteousness

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    Series: PPE for the Christian life, by Rosie Moore.

    Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (Eph 6:14).

    God’s breastplate of righteousness is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that cannot be simulated or manufactured. It cannot be claimed through being a ‘good’ person, showing Christian graces, or doing virtuous deeds. In the old-fashioned words of William Goudge, we must “learn what is true Righteousness, that we trust not to a counterfeit breastplate, and be pierced through, while we think ourselves safe.”

    A counterfeit breastplate

    Satan has always peddled counterfeit breastplates. He loves to divert sinful people from Jesus, who is our only hope of right standing before God. Instead of the real deal, Satan offers us counterfeit righteousness, like approval, victimhood, status or pleasure. He goes to great lengths to make us seem righteous in our own eyes, because then we’ll never come to our true Saviour, nor see any need to repent. We’ll be too distracted to see who God is and to realise how far we fall short of his glory.

    A neglected breastplate

    Then again, for those who have put their faith in Christ, Satan remains a roaring lion, ready to devour unarmed prey (1 Peter 5:8). He relishes the moment when we leave our breastplate of righteousness lying dormant in the cupboard, instead of actively wearing it by faith.

    It’s like the time in mid-July, when, as a dizzy sixteen-year old, I caught an overnight bus from Pietermaritzburg to Grahamstown… dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and slops! Believing my destination was somewhere near Durban, I left my warm coat in my suitcase, packed at the bottom of the luggage hold! (In my defence, I was a boarder and it was pre-Google days). Needless to say, I spent the whole night rolling myself into a little ball, wondering if I would die of frostbite or hyperthermia! Zipped up in my suitcase, the coat offered no protection against the ravages of that frozen bus. Likewise, in the Christian life, it’s not enough just to know about Christ’s righteousness or even to own it. We need to be intentional about applying his righteousness in our daily lives, or we will be vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

    A lethal weapon

    One of Satan’s most lethal weapons is accusation (Rev 12:10). Without Christ’s breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts, Satan will denounce and accuse God’s people, making us believe that our past mistakes and sins make us unworthy to serve the Lord. Without Christ’s breastplate to protect us, we will be tormented by our own memories and anxious thoughts. We may be falsely accused by our difficult circumstances, thinking that perhaps God doesn’t care for us, or that we’ve done something to displease him. And we may be falsely accused by other people too, just as Job, David, Paul, and countless other believers have been. Without Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, these accusations are sure to lead us away from God and down a dangerous path of discouragement and defeat.

    So, if this metaphorical breastplate is so vital, it begs two questions:

    1. What exactly does Paul mean by ‘righteousness’?
    2. What must I do to put the breastplate on, and keep it on?

    The Puritans coined two words, which I found helpful in thinking this through for myself: imputed and imparted righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness merges the two, as one cannot exist without the other.

    Imputed righteousness

    In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul explains what Christ’s imputed righteousness means:

    “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:21-24).

    You’ll remember that the Lord Jesus said that he came to earth, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32; Mark 2:17; Matt 9:13). And so, when we stop trusting in ourselves, and instead start trusting in the righteousness and death of the only perfect man that ever lived, God puts all our sin on Jesus and he transfers Christ’s righteousness to our account.

    The amazing Old Testament picture behind the breastplate of righteousness is the warrior-Judge of Isaiah 59, who puts on “righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head.” Unbelievably, in this stunning prophecy, it is God himself who intercedes for sinners. He stretches out his hand to save us, by giving us his own righteousness. To those who repent of their sins, God gives the breastplate of righteousness, even though “our offenses are many in (his) sight and our sins testify against us”. He gives us his breastplate to wear, even though we have turned our backs on God and our sins have separated us from him. Even though we justly deserve his judgement, which will come on the world “like a pent-up flood.”

    Warren Wiersbe explains the stunning everyday implications of that imputed righteousness:

    “He (God) not only goes to the record book and erases your old record completely, but he also makes sure that nothing else is written on that page by filling it with His righteousness. Once the entry has been made, the matter is settled once and for all. Thus, when you turn to your page in the book and find your name written there, you will also find underneath it the words, ‘Righteous in Jesus Christ.’’”

    What a wonderful relief to be able to rest in Christ’s imputed righteousness! No matter how we feel, no matter what true or false accusations are brought against us, no matter our circumstances, we are declared righteous. Imputed righteousness is an undeserved, objective reality that cannot be lost or changed.

    Imparted righteousness

    On the other side of the coin is imparted righteousness, which is how the Holy Spirit changes our natural desires to make us “imitators of God” (Eph 5:1-2). It is practical, everyday godliness in our words, our walk, our motives, and in all that we do, in response to what Christ has done for us. It is impossible to have imputed righteousness without imparted righteousness, because the Holy Spirit imparts in every believer a new nature that gradually produces the fruits of righteousness.

    Imparted righteousness is like the warmth that naturally emanates from a fire.

    That’s why Paul urges us to put off our “old self, which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds…to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24). One cannot receive Christ’s righteousness without it showing itself in growing holiness in the way we live—“for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true” (Eph 5:9).

    Together, both imputed and imparted righteousness make up the ‘breastplate of righteousness’ that Paul refers to in Ephesians 6. We daren’t leave home without putting it on!

    In closing, here are 3 practical tips for dressing for battle:

    1. Know the difference between accusation and conviction.
    2. Pursue the good life.
    3. Call righteousness to mind.

    1. Know the difference between accusation and conviction

    The Holy Spirit mercifully convicts us of the truth of who God is and who we are. Godly conviction leads us to turn to Jesus and to change. It was the Spirit’s conviction that cut Peter’s hearers to the heart in Acts 2:36-38, and the same conviction that led David to repent when Nathan the prophet confronted him in 2 Samuel 12. David rightly responded to this conviction, “Have mercy on me, O God…Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51). This is godly conviction for real sin that has not been dealt with.

    But Satan apes the Holy Spirit’s conviction. He accuses Christians “day and night before our God,” even when we’ve repented of our sins (Rev 12:10). And unlike conviction, accusation leads to a false sense of condemnation. Satan reminds us of our many past sins, making us forget that we have already been forgiven. He uses other people to bring false charges and lies against us. And if you’re prone to perpetual introspection, as I am, the devil will use false guilt to condemn you, even for sins that you haven’t committed in thought, word or deed.

    A few years ago, a good friend was so relentlessly tormented over a past sin (for which she had already been forgiven), that she eventually took her own life. I’ve seen firsthand how subtle and dangerous it is to entertain Satan’s accusations.

    Today’s society encourages people to think of themselves as God, able to know another’s motives and thoughts. Consequently, the world of 2020 is like a giant nursery school, with many overgrown toddlers tale-telling, name-calling, blaming and accusing other people of gross sin, while blissfully ignorant of their own. A Christian needs to discern between godly conviction and Satanically-inspired accusation. The former, we must welcome and meet with genuine repentance. But the latter, we must firmly resist by wearing the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, not giving an inch to the vicious liar, murderer and accuser of our souls.* (see Christian’s meeting with Apollyon below).

    2. Pursue the good life

    Meditate on the ‘good life’ David describes in Psalm 34. Ask yourself what it looks like to “love life and see many good days”; to “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies”; to “turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it” (Ps 34:13-14). Be assured that personal godliness, not good fortune or privilege, epitomizes the good life, because we have been hardwired to imitate God’s holy character. Living a life of ease and indulgence are not the good life. But a life lived in faithfulness to God is the good life, no matter how difficult our circumstances of life may be.

    3. Call righteousness to mind.

    Every day, we need to reaffirm our position in Christ Jesus. That is how we ‘put on’ the breastplate of righteousness. Just as Jeremiah said,

    “Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

    Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
    They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:21-23).

    Every day, we must remind ourselves that only His righteousness makes us accepted in the One God loves (Eph 1:6). Every day, we must trust that all God’s promises to the righteous are ours in Christ.

    Christ’s breastplate is of no use lying in the suitcase of our intellects, unless it’s worn on the battlefield of daily life. And this same breastplate is the only authentic PPE on the day of God’s judgement, when Jesus will welcome repentant sinners to his heavenly home. A home “in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

    Let’s pray: (based on Psalm 34)

    Father, thank you for saving me from your own righteous anger against sin. Thank you that I am righteous through faith in your Son. I will boast only in what you have done! When I seek you, you always answer me, and deliver me from all my fears. Your eyes are always on the righteous and you are attentive to our cries. Although the righteous may have many troubles, you deliver us from them all. You are close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. Help me to believe that those who fear you lack no good thing. Help me to live the good life, in Jesus’ name, and for his sake. Amen.

    Further reading:

    • Stand, by Warren Wiersbe.
    • The whole armour of God: or A Christian’s spiritual furniture, to keep him safe from all the assaults of Satan, William Goudge (1578-1653).
    • Isaiah 59.
    • Rediscovering Holiness: Know the fullness of life with God, J.I Packer.
    • *The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan: chapter on Christian’s meeting with Apollyon, excerpt below:

    APOLLYON: “You have already been unfaithful in your service to Him—so why do you think that you will receive His wages?”

    CHRISTIAN: “In what, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?”

    APOLLYON: “You were discouraged at first setting out, when you were almost choked in the Swamp of Despond! You attempted wrong ways to be rid of your burden—whereas you should have waited until your King had taken it off! You sinfully slept and lost your scroll! At the sight of the lions, you were almost persuaded to go back! And when you talked of your journey, and of what you have heard and seen, you were secretly proud of all that you said and did!”

    CHRISTIAN: “All this is true, and much more which you have left out! But the King whom I serve and honor, is merciful, and ready to forgive. Besides, I acquired these infirmities in your country—and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon from my King.”

    Then Apollyon broke out into a furious rage, saying, “I am an enemy to this King! I hate His person, His laws, and His people! I have come out on purpose to destroy you!”

    CHRISTIAN: “Apollyon, beware what you do! I am on the King’s highway, the way of holiness—therefore take heed!”

    Then Apollyon straddled over the whole road, and said, “I am not afraid. Prepare yourself to die! I swear by my infernal den, that you shall go no further. Here I will spill your blood!”[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • The belt of truth

    The belt of truth

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    Series: PPE for Spiritual Warfare, by Rosie Moore

    Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Eph 6:14a)

    If you were a healthcare worker today, would you dare to step into the war zone of a COVID-19 hospital ward without wearing “Personal Protective Equipment” (PPE)? That’s because we know the mortal dangers of the enemy virus, and so we take every measure not to expose ourselves to its attack. But somehow, as a Christian soldier engaged in a fierce spiritual war we cannot see, we are sometimes so casual.

    How often do we step into our day unprepared and unprotected, without the personal protective equipment that Christ himself has provided through his death and resurrection? Paul lists the PPE in his letter to the Ephesian Christians: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation; the sword of the Spirit, and a posture of alert, continuous prayer (Eph 6:13-18).

    Unlike PPE for medics, this spiritual equipment is not in short supply and is potent enough to demolish the enemy’s strongholds (2 Cor 10:4-5). It is ample and sufficient armoury, freely available to every Christian who is connected and abiding in Christ himself. Today we will look at how to buckle the belt of truth securely around our waists. But first, let’s remind ourselves of who our enemy is, in order to understand why this belt of truth matters so much.

    Know your enemy!

    As Christians, it’s easy to brush off Satan and hell, choosing instead to give all our attention to struggles that we can see. But God’s Word is no conspiracy theory, and Paul is clear that the real war is “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). If we ignore or minimise demonic forces standing behind flesh-and-blood people, conflicts and ideas, we will be easily diverted and ill-equipped for the real battle. But when we understand Satan’s character in the Bible, we can spot his attempts to rule in world affairs; in relationships; in churches and our personal lives:

    Let’s remember that our enemy was unsatisfied serving God, so he rebelled and tried to take over and rule God’s creation for himself. He is always the accuser of Christ’s people, a liar and the father of lies. The effects of his work directly oppose Christ’s: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). So, when Satan tempted Jesus, he offered to give Christ everything in this world, to divert him from the real battlefield of the cross.

    And let’s not forget that our enemy is crafty, the master of deception and delusion, ever since he first twisted God’s Word in the Garden:

    Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden? You will not surely die! For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (John 8:44; Gen 3:1-2; 4).

    Satan’s ploy is always to make humans think that we can define good and evil for ourselves– that we can be like God. He loves to make us believe that God is withholding something lovely from us and can’t be trusted to know what’s good for us. And Satan is masterful at replacing God’s truth with a beautifully-wrapped lie. As C.S Lewis puts it, our enemy is the ‘ape of God.’ Like a slight of hand, it’s not always easy to see the truth behind the illusion.

    Satan knows where he’s going and he wants to take as many people with him, or in the case of Christians, to cripple us for life. He focuses on this world and leads people to worship themselves. Satan always offers shiny, attractive ‘gifts’ which look pleasing to the senses, but he never reveals the death and destruction inside the package. As Ed Welch puts it, he invites us to a “banquet in the grave.” This is the modus operandi of the enemy who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).

    Like a mob boss, Satan often uses people to get the job done; he infiltrates the unsuspecting church and his lies hold sway in much of culture today.

    So, as we seek to wear the armour Christ has given us, we need to know that we face a powerful demonic army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church and turn Christians away from the Jesus of history. He will use whatever means to divert us from the real Jesus of the Bible, who holds out the only hope to dying, enslaved, blind and deceived people. That’s why the belt of truth matters so much.

    The truth that matters

    And that’s why the father of lies hates to see Christians with the belt of truth firmly buckled around our waists. He fears the kind of ministry Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 4:1-7, where we proclaim, not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. The enemy would prefer Christians to be tripping over ourselves; living double lives; speaking with forked tongues; using underhanded methods; tampering with the Bible, and more eager to make people feel better about themselves than “setting forth the truth plainly” (2 Cor 4:2).

    More than anything else, the devil fears Christians speaking the truth by the power of God’s Spirit. All his delusions are useless the moment a previously blind person is able to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus. It is only the gospel’s light that can evaporate the smokescreen of Satan’s deceptions, leaving the god of this world impotent and defeated (2 Cor 4:4; 6). And it is wonderful to think that ordinary Christians like you and me have been given this precious, unique truth to wear around our waist every day! What an extraordinary privilege to be a steward of this life-giving truth!

    The truth that holds it all together

    But the belt of truth also gives our lives integrity. The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy. Listen to what Os Guiness says:

    “Hypocrisy is a lie in deeds rather than in words. And evil always uses lies to cover its oppressions. Only with truth can we stand up to deception and manipulation”.

    The belt that Paul had in mind was worn by a Roman soldier, like a leather apron that protected the whole lower part of his body. It was also used as a sheath for the soldier’s sword. When people wanted to move quickly, they would gather up their robes and tuck the ends into their belts, so that their legs could run unhindered. It’s the idea Peter had in mind when he wrote,

    “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

    The Roman belt held everything together. It is the picture of a Christian, whose life and words and methods are tied together by truth, as revealed in God’s Word. Of course, no Christian can do this perfectly all the time, but this integrity should mark our lives. It is the picture of a Christian who doesn’t care for optics, but stands firmly on the side of God’s truth, even when no one is looking. She lives to please only one Master, rather than dividing her loyalties (Matt 6:24; Matt 6:22-23).

    In Paul’s words, a Christian who wears the belt of truth has “renounced disgraceful underhanded ways, refuses to practice cunning, or to tamper with God’s word” (2 Cor 4:2). We do not use the tactics of Satan, like shame, ridicule or manipulation, as the ends never justify the means. Instead, we seek to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).

    God’s truth is the only antidote to what James describes as a divided and unstable mind (James 1:8). Truth keeps us from being “tossed about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:14-15; 21). And that’s precisely why Satan hates us to wear the belt of truth. He loathes integrity.

    Instead, our enemy loves to divide, deceive and pull our lives apart, just as he did with Lot. Unlike his uncle Abraham, Lot had his eyes on the well-watered plains of the Jordan, instead of on the Lord. And so, without a belt of truth, Lot and his family drifted off into wicked Sodom. Lot’s problem was a divided heart. For, as Jesus warns us, “a household divided against itself will not stand” (Matt 12:25).

    The war on truth

    In my lifetime, I’ve never seen such a ferocious culture war as I see today in society. War has been declared on God’s order in almost every sphere and relationship. I see many people drowning in a sea of confusion, absurdity and despair because of false beliefs. Ten years ago, in speaking on why truth matters, Os Guinness said:

    “Christians have the grounds as well as the duty to confront false ideas with the assurance that they are neither true in the end nor are they in the best interests of those who believe them. And we must never forget today that our stand for truth must start in the church itself. We must resist the powerful seductions of those who downplay truth for methodology, or truth in the name of activism, or truth for entertainment, or truth for seeker sensitivity, and above all those who put modern and revisionist views of truth in the place of the biblical view. Whatever the motive of these people, all such seductions lead to a weak and compromised faith and they end in sorrow and a betrayal of our Lord…If our faith is not true, it would be false even if the whole world believed it. If our faith is true, it would be true even if the whole world were against it. We worship and serve the God of truth and humbly and resolutely, we seek to live as people of truth. Here we still stand, so help us God. As evangelicals we are people of the good news, but may we also always be people of truth, worthy of the God of truth. God is true. God can be trusted in all situations. Have faith in God. Have no fear. Hold fast to truth. And may God be with us all.”

    For myself, I’m grateful that an older Christian woman took time to disciple me when I was a young woman in my early 20’s, successfully brainwashed by feminism and clueless about God’s beautiful design for motherhood and marriage. It took her patient efforts to bring the truth, as set out in God’s Word, to bear on the twisted ideas I’d believed for years. Let’s offer to do the same for a younger person, so that everyone in the household of God is dressed and prepared for battle, standing firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waists.

    Useful resources:

    Pete and I have found the resources below useful in helping our family apply Biblical truth to many cultural issues:

    1. Series, The War on Truth, by The Fuel Project #7 The Left Pit; #8 The Right Pit; #13 The Truth about Feminism; #10 The Postmodern Era.
    2. Os Guiness, Why Truth Matters (RZIM).
    3. Voddie Baucham—Racial Reconciliation; Cultural Marxism. 
    4.  Centre for Biblical unity, Monique Duson.
    5. Neil Shenvi Apologetics
    6. Christ Church Midrand sermon series: Controversial issues
    7. Greg Morse, The Globdrop Letters: A senior demon (Wormwood) corresponds with a junior demon to advise him in the evil art of subtle deception. The series of articles follows in the large footsteps of C.S. Lewis in his classic work, The Screwtape Letters. They’re brilliantly written.
    8. The Alisa Childers Podcast: What is Progressive Christianity? 
    9. Julius Twongyeirwe, Are we forsaking truth? Africa the Gospel Coalition.

    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Going to war!

    Going to war!

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    Series: Spirit-filled, by Rosie Moore

    Like it or not, spiritual warfare is the daily reality of every Christian. You and I are called to be soldiers, prepared to fight the good fight of the Lord Jesus who has enlisted us to serve in his army (1 Tim 6:12). Paul told Timothy to face suffering “as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Jesus also used wartime imagery to describe the onward march of the Church, promising that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). It is not just imagery, but reality.

    In his book titled Stand: Putting on the full armour of God, Warren Wiersbe writes: “Some people reject the military side of the Christian life. I appreciate those who want to see peace on earth; however, as long as sin exists in this world, the battle between Satan’s forces and God’s people will rage on. Anyone who chooses to be on the side of the Lord Jesus Christ will face severe opposition from Satan and his followers. And those who refuse to fight will fall in the heat of the battle.”

    Ephesians 6 takes us into the war room to show us who our real enemies are, as well as our God-given equipment and energy to fight successfully. Paul urges us to be prepared for spiritual warfare and not to be complacent. In the next few weeks, we will be getting to know our Enemy’s strategies and unpacking the Spirit’s armoury:

    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm (Eph 6:10-13).

    The posture of warfare

    My dad often told me about his oldest memory as a 3-year old. It was at the beginning of the Second World War, on the day his father left their hometown of Benoni to fight in North Africa. As the soldiers marched off, my dad followed them, armed with a stick over his shoulder instead of a rifle, dressed in his own home-made military uniform. He followed the soldiers for so long that eventually my gran lost sight of her little boy, who ended up being taken to the Benoni police station for safekeeping! At 3, my dad was naïve and clueless about the terrible realities of war. He had no idea who the enemy was, nor that 11 023 South Africans would be killed in action. He just enjoyed the marching, the band and the men in uniform.

    What strikes me about our Ephesians text is how many words Paul uses to describe the active, watchful, prepared posture of a Spirit-filled Christian. Unlike my 3-year old dad, there is nothing wide-eyed or docile about a Christian who is serious about his faith and lives how Paul instructs us to live in chapters 4-6. Without a doubt, if we are walking as a faithful Christian at home, at school, at work and in our churches, we will be attacked by the enemy of our soul, who is also the enemy of God’s people. Since the day that Jesus first became our Saviour and Commander-in-chief, we have been enlisted in active service.

    Enlisted for active service

    Firstly, it is impossible for a Spirit-filled Christian to be a spectator, to come along for the ride, or just join the celebrations at the end of the war. If you speak up for Christ in your context, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll get Satan’s attention. It’s impossible to keep your head down in the trenches forever.

    Just think for a moment of our own context outside of church: If you stand by God’s truth in an unregenerate culture “full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless”(Rom 1:29-32), surely you will stand out and attract Satan’s anger? If left to ourselves, we too would hate God’s order and his laws. So, it follows that the battle lines are drawn the moment the Holy Spirit starts to make us “imitators of God” (Eph 5:1).

    To put this differently, we cannot expect to sit with Jesus in heaven (Eph 2:6), and walk with him in our daily lives (Eph 5:15), unless we also stand for him in the war. While the fate of the universe is not our responsibility, it is our responsibility to depend on Christ and hold onto the victory he has already won for us through his death and resurrection (Eph 4:7). We do not fight for victory, but from a position of victory. That’s our motivation to “stand firm in the evil day” (Eph 6:13).

    Taking a stand

    Secondly, Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might:

    Stand is the operative word. We are to “stand firm” (Eph 6:14); to be fully clothed in God’s armour so that we can “take a stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph 6:11), so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Having done all this, to stand (Eph 6:13). The word ‘stand’ means to be resolute, determined, uncompromising and steadfast. But Paul is equally emphatic that we can’t stand in our own strength, only in the mighty power of Jesus who lives in us by his Spirit (Eph 6:10). Elsewhere, Paul prays for the Ephesian believers to be “strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph 3:14-16). So, the Holy Spirit is our energy source, and there’s no other way to be spiritually strong.

    But what exactly does it look like to stand strong as a soldier of Christ? These days it’s easier to talk about love than about spiritual backbone.

    Spiritual strength for believers is essentially an attitude of courage to trust what you know to be the truth, to boldly live it out and to share your faith in the world. The Old Testament fleshes out what this looks like in many wonderful stories, which I love reading over and over again (1 Kings 2:2-3; Deut 31:23; 2 Sam 10:9-13; Ps 27:14). But I think it’s best captured in God’s command to Joshua just before he conquered the Promised Land:

    “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:5-9).

    A believer who stands doesn’t seek out the easiest path or the safe places, but chooses instead to live out her convictions, found in God’s revealed Word. A man who stands does not live by whim or opinion but by fierce resolve, like William Shofield in the recent film, 1917. But, taking a stand is never an excuse for just being quarrelsome or contentious.

    In taking a stand for the gospel, I have not yet experienced real persecution, but I’ve often known the sneering rejection of unbelievers and the pressure to conform. Right now, this pressure is building and it’s becoming increasingly dangerous to hold a Biblical worldview. But many times, even as a young girl, I knew the precise moment when a line had been drawn in the sand, and come what may, I could no longer be silent and keep my head down. I don’t believe we should ever quench those convictions. It is helpful to know that ultimately our battle is not with people who oppose us, but with unseen spiritual forces that oppose God and everything he stands for. I can only encourage you to stand firm in the strength of his might on whatever battlefield you find yourself.

    The danger of complacency

    Finally, even when our lives seem peaceful and free of conflict, we dare not be lulled into a false sense of security in the Christian life.

    I can’t help thinking of the new generation of Israelites born in Canaan, after Joshua conquered the land. Perhaps the parents failed to teach their children about the Lord, his laws and what he had done for his people. Perhaps the kids just didn’t want to hear stories about the old days (Judges 2:10). But, for whatever reason, this new generation believed that they were safe in the land and no longer needed God. Instead, they bowed down and served the idols of the cultures around them (Judges 2:17). They blended and intermarried with those who didn’t know or love Yahweh. And it wasn’t long before they were defeated by their enemies and in great distress (Judges 2:14-15; Judges 3,4,6). As Wiersbe warns, “those who refuse to fight will fall in the heat of the battle” anyway.

    Like the Ephesians, we too have a rich inheritance in Christ, but we have three dangerous spiritual enemies – the world, the flesh and Satan. Before we can take a stand, we need to first worship and trust the Lord, putting on the whole armour he has given us. Complacency is the most subtle and deadly of Satan’s schemes: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). In what aspects of your life are you standing firm on the frontline?

     [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]Q2xpY2sgZWRpdCBidXR0b24gdG8gY2hhbmdlIHRoaXMgY29kZS4=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]