“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11
Perhaps you, like me, have struggled with thoughts or actions that are contrary to the walk of a Christian and you are feeling guilty. Do any of these ring a bell?
“If God knew what I did last night, He would never let me into heaven.”
“I accept that Christ died for me, but I can’t stop thinking about . . . . “
“It’s just one drink, I’ve been sober for almost a year, I should celebrate.”
“Nobody will know if only do it this one time, what could it hurt.”
“They need to suffer, look what they did to me 10 years ago.”
We are weak. Let’s face it, our minds and heart are vulnerable to the sensuous pleasures of this life. Be it money, fame, sex, drugs, alcohol, power and authority or food we are all in the same state and must decide how to handle it when it happens. It’s so easy to live for today and forego dealing with the potential long term implications of the decisions we make in life. Based on our naturally sinful heart and mind we have a propensity to act upon our thoughts and desires without fully comprehending how it might hurt others or who might be affected. Let me ask you, if your decision made the headlines of your local news or the Wall Street Journal would it impact others opinion of you as a follower of Jesus Christ? Every decision you make is known to someone else, based on the actions you take after making that decision. If that person or those individuals look at your decision and action, and then make an assessment of Jesus Christ based on their perception; you have to ask yourself if you have glorified God or created separation from God.
In Ephesians 6 Paul writes about putting on the armor of God, figuratively speaking that is (v. 14 – 17).
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- Ready your feet with the Gospel of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
The battle of the mind and the heart is a daily battle, regardless of your age or maturity in Christ. Satan is not going to walk away and throw up his hands in defeat. His intent is to manipulate your mind into thinking that you do not need God, and he uses the world’s view as his weapons. This battle between God and Satan is very real and the final outcome has been recorded in the book of Revelation. You can’t read and believe the Bible and then throw out the book of Revelation as fantasy. If you believe that God created the world, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, David was a shepherd boy and became King, Daniel survived the lion’s den, Noah built an ark, God flooded the earth, John baptized in the river Jordan and Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived, died and rose again; then you can’t say that the book of Revelation is not going to come to fruition. There will be a judgment day and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, just as is recorded in the Good Book.
When the enemy attacks each day, you need to stand firm in the foundation of God’s love, His grace and His promise of eternity. You will fail, we all do; but in that failing you must realize that God’s grace is unchanging and His redemption remains true despite our shortcomings. Take your weakness to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help when you are weak. He is your Lord and His word is your weapon. Only you can decide on how you want to use it – either as a prop sitting on your bookshelf or night stand, or as a tool to take on the daily challenges you will face. As for me, I choose the latter. This doesn’t make me perfect or better, it just makes me prepared.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
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Well written! We especially liked the “if it were published” question. I’m certain that convicts all people, Christian or not.
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