Therefore, put on
every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time
of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on
the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the
peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of
these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your
helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians
6:13-17
I have so many people in my life where I have deep and close
connections with. No matter when I see
or speak to them, it is as if we have never lost a beat even if we haven’t
connected in months. There is higher
love I have for them that is a bond that never leaves. That being said, they are not God. It is that which I find myself
challenged. Sometimes, I do what I want
to appease them and not what God wants.
It is indeed something I have prayed about often. One should not have to choose between them
and God. To a degree, if they are as
good a friend as I claim them to be they would never put me between them and
God in the first place. But what if it
happens? It’s far easier with someone
you do not know, but when I know them and my heart strings are tugging, will I remain
faithful? Will I make the right choice?
Building ourselves up in Christ requires that we focus on
each aspect of our faith to ensure we are prepared to choose God above all
else. When I was young, I was once told,
“Practice makes perfect.” This was the
analogy of doing something continuously making you really good at it. As I got older, I found a different version
of it that said, “Practice makes permanence.”
This implied that you need to be careful because if you are practicing
bad habits, you don’t want that to become permanent. This brings me to today’s verses. Paul was talking about spiritual warfare and
preparing for battle. This of course is
a mental battle, and the things he asked the Ephesians to do was focus on those
things that are good for them.
Focusing on truth, God’s righteousness, knowledge of being
saved by Christ, and faith to walk on water serves us well in the battle. These are things we should wake up and use
every day. Some days will seem like they
are not used at all, but if we are focused on these things daily giving glory
to God for them, we will be ready at the time those skills are most
needed. They will make the choice
easier. To be clear, it is not to say at
times it will be an easy choice because as my wife was telling me earlier last
night, the heart wants what the heart wants.
This is where God’s word is essential in our preparedness. God tells us to “Guard your heart above all
else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23) If we instill it with God inspired things, it
will drive us in the right direction. If
we fill it with our own wants, we may struggle in the end.
Following Christ while rewarding is not easy. There is a reason Jesus said, “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is
difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:14) We must focus on preparedness even when not
being tested. Every moment is an
opportunity to choose what God wants. Sometimes
it will align with our wants, but each time it does not, it is a moment to gain
clarity and vision for what God truly wants for your life. Let us willingly challenge ourselves to
continually grow in the light of Jesus Christ.
What lessons can you learn from past choices where your and God’s wants conflicted? How can you have intent daily to make
decisions for God? My prayer is we focus
on filling our hearts with Christ, so we can make the right choice. Amen.