Happy Friday! It’s June 10, 2022. I sure love New Hope. Some of the best people in the world are there. Today we will learn about being vigilant without being afraid, watchful but not suspicious, and faith-filled without getting religiously superstitious. It includes these and more as we learn to put on the whole armor of God. Try it. It fits perfectly. That’s how God intended for it to be. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Song 1,2,3,4; Ephesians 6
Scripture
“Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11)
Observation
The devil is a strategist. He will never cease his advances. Satan’s schemes are crafty. He will not always attack head-on. Instead, he will use side doors, loved ones, a church elder, and even our friends … wherever or whenever our defenses are down. He is waiting patiently for “opportune moments.”
He will often use our tendencies and inclinations as his primary weapons. Unfortunately, unguarded strengths can become our greatest weakness. For example, if my tendency is toward mercy and helping others, I will get so entrenched in other people’s battles that I become fatigued and depleted. That is the moment the enemy waits for… when we are weary, and our defenses are at their lowest.
When Jesus thwarted the enemy’s three temptations in Matthew 4, it tells us that the devil left for a more opportune time. At those moments, his temptations are offered, and his evil whispers begin. His schemes are at their highest when my vigilance is at its lowest!
Application
I must constantly be aware of the spiritual battles waging around me. Unfortunately, how they are waged can be silent, subtle, and not always head-on. They will often come when I least expect it.
But here’s a silver lining … As much as I hate seasons of struggle, I must admit that it was in those times when my awareness was honed and my vigilance refined. When I have “put on the whole armor of God,” mistakes I would have made were prevented, and brash words I could have said were averted. Where my faith failed in the past, today, failure is avoided as I step beyond what could have caused me to falter.
And to unashamedly use the name of a line of sportswear … I must learn to make the armor of God my “Under Armour.” It must become my every-day-wear rather than something I put on just for special occasions … because when the enemy strikes, there are no forewarnings.
Prayer
Thank you for teaching me about being constantly vigilant and not being a Christian dozer …. someone whose faith is in snooze mode. Help me NOT to be ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11) lest Satan take advantage. Remind me again and again to … “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” -1 Peter 5:8
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