Ephesians 6:11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
My husband, Danny, and I are not sports enthusiasts by any means. However, we do enjoy an occasional football game when our favorite college teams or hometown pros are playing.
Football is a rough sport requiring athletes to wear protective gear to prevent serious injuries.
Helmets. Face masks. Mouth guards. Gloves. Cleats. Shoulder pads. Thigh pads. Knee pads.
The armor beneath the uniform.
Yet, even with all these precautions, injuries can and do occur. It's always sad to see a tackled player unable to get up on his own.
Time is called. The team doctor and trainers rush onto the field. We hold our breath.
How badly is he hurt? Is it his ankle? His knee? His elbow? His hand? His wrist?
Oh, please, not his head!
Did he just have the wind knocked out of him?
Will he be okay . . .?
He's up! Thank goodness!
Limping. Supported on either side. Heading for the sidelines.
The crowd cheers with relief, applauding the player's performance. Wishing him all the best in recovery.
~
Football may be rough and tough, but so is this game called life. Much more so . . .
Paul's admonition to us to put on the full armor of God each and every day is advice not to be taken lightly.
For, the devil is lurking. Looking for the one chink in our armor he can breach.
To tackle us. Take us down. Injure. Maim. Cripple . . .
Remove us from God's game plan for our lives.
But, like the team physician, there is Jesus. Kneeling at our side. Helping us to our feet. Walking with us to the sidelines where we can rest and renew ourselves in His healing presence.
Safe within the strong armor of His love and His salvation . . .
~
Are you wearing God's armor today?
Will you pray with me?
Let us carefully clothe ourselves, Father, in your armor. Do not let the devil find our weak spots. Keep us from the trial. deliver us from evil. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 24, 29 or 8, 84
Isaiah 42:1-12
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 3:16-21
"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
ReplyDelete"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18
Yes,I have God's armor with me...and now I know that nothing will go wrong with me...my bad times are over,and I know that God is with me.
amen Martha, the full armor, all of it, and putting it on snugly so there aren't any open spots – like Ahab left when he got struck and killed with a stray arrow (kind of just desserts anyway). I need it on now, and I need to use that sword, and hold up that shield. It's a good reminder that if I am Christian, I am not left defenseless, there is a spiritual war, but God us with tools to fight, and defend, and I have to use them more,thank you Martha. And thank you for being there last week – you made a difference. And, I may have told you, but I'm going down from 10 posts a week on the two blogs to eight. I have to make more time to read more blogs that I heart, blogs like yours. God bless you my friend.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome analogy... I've never much related to this verse but you have certainly made it come alive for me. I'll never think of it the same. It is truly necessary to arm ourselves for each day.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Alpana, Craig, and Lynne, for stopping in today and leaving such marvelous comments.
ReplyDelete@Alpana - Thank you for putting the entire scripture reference here - what a treat for my readers! And, so glad you are wearing His armor and trusting in His help!
@Craig - Yes, we must remember that as Christians, we are not defenseless - not in the least! And, I'm glad I could be there for you when those slings and arrows were flying. That's what friends are for . . .
@Lynne - So glad these images made this passage come alive for you. That is my hope when I write these - to make them memorable.
God's blessings to you all!
Hello Martha. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteThe devil knows his time is limited and is doing everything in his power to make those of us who are weak of spirit turn away from God.
As one who knows the truth, I have God's full armor with me.
I love the analogy.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Sometimes I can see him there with his hand out to help me ..other times he is no where to be found..that dry season......I never understood how he can be so close one day and so far away other days......maybe my armor isn't on right... As always...XOXOXOXOXO
ReplyDeleteI love the way your compared God's armor to the game of football with its own guards. Really enjoy reading your posts Martha.
ReplyDeleteHi, Andy, Bonnie, and Rimly! Thanks for stopping in today.
ReplyDelete@Andy - Yes, the devil is hard at work - too hard! But, you are right that his time is limited, not infinite as is God's. So glad you know the truth and liked this analogy today.
@Bonnie - We've all suffered those "dry seasons" as you so aptly put it. They are not happy times, but they are the times when we need to remember that somehow, we're the ones who have turned away and not the other way around. He is with us always!
@Rimly - Thanks for the kind compliment. So glad to know you enjoy reading the posts. I love to see you here!
Blessings to all!
Yes, we all need to get in the zone!
ReplyDeleteThought you'd appreciate this one ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piZq6aX4wDQ&feature=related
Thanks, Debra and Jan, for stopping by!
ReplyDelete@Debra - I checked the link and have posted to my feed. Great!!! :)
@Jan - thank you for your support. As always, it is appreciated.
Blessings to you both!
I always love your analogies. I've learned that Scripture is a great place to go to help me put my armor on...Great post.
ReplyDelete