God is Our Armor

“Finally, my brethren, 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. 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.”

     Ephesians 6:10-17 (NKJV)

 I’ve heard a number of sermons on the armor of God over the years, so when our pastor announced this passage as his sermon text this past Sunday, I assumed it would be like the others.  That is, explaining the armor pieces in NT terms such that a Roman soldier would use, which is a fine application. But I was pleasantly surprised to have a new take on it (at least new to me), when the sermon instead was based on OT references.  It sure blessed me so I thought I’d share the high points with you.

Girding the waist:  Isaiah speaks of the Rod that shall come from the stem of Jesse and that “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” (Isaiah 11:5, NKJV)

Breastplate of righteousness:  Isaiah again tells of the Redeemer of Zion and says “He puts on righteousness as a breastplate.”  (Isaiah 59:17, NKJV)

Feet of the gospel of peace:  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7, NKJV) 

Shield of faith: There are many references in the Old Testament that proclaim God is our shield (e.g., Gen. 15:1, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 91:4) and faith is a gift from God (e.g., Eph. 2:8).

Helmet of salvation:  Isaiah declares that the coming Messiah will have “a helmet of salvation on His head.” (Isaiah 59:17, NKJV)

Word of God:  In addition, Isaiah speaks of the holiness of God and the power of His word:  “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4, NKJV)

Stand firmly upon God:  One of the most striking examples of this is in the account of the Red Sea crossing by the children of Israel: “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13)

This brief study reinforces that it is God who is our armor and every piece of it.  God is our strength and everything we need. He is our righteousness and our peace; He is our shield and our salvation; He has given us faith; His word is powerful and unchanging.  Therefore, we can be strong in the Lord and stand firmly upon Him and Him alone.

Thursday Devotional - Contentment in Confinement?

I never dreamed we would still be living under “stay home, stay safe” orders. It’s been 2 ½ months! The first few weeks were especially difficult. I remember reading Acts 24 about two weeks into our confinement and took great encouragement from it! We weren’t in jail for over 2 years in Caesarea like Paul. Two years is a whole lot worse than 2 weeks or 2 months. Plus, I’ve been able to get outside almost every single day for a jog, walk or bike ride.

Not only was Paul in prison for two years, but the Jews were still plotting his death!

Acts 24:27-25:3                ²⁷ When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, ² where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. ³ They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

I don’t know why the Jews were still so angry and plotting Paul’s death two years later. I would think they would have forgotten about him or at least moved on knowing he was in prison.

Anyway, it’s never recorded that Paul complained about his situation or wondered when it would end. In fact, in Philippians 4:11b-12 Paul says: …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Paul wrote Philippians while he was confined in Rome under house arrest, after his 2 years in prison in Caesarea. So, he was definitely speaking from plenty of experience with trouble, including confinement!

Would others around us say we are content in any circumstance? Or, has our confinement brought out greater frustration and impatience?

Lord, help us develop greater contentment by relying on and trusting you through this time of confinement.  

Alice

A Worthwhile Journey

The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses.  Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.  Exodus 39:42-43 

(This is my last devotion focused on the study of Exodus) 

I remember the last project that a team of us had completed for work.  It took months of work and follow up, and there were times I did not know where we were.  But somehow, I knew we would figure out a way to get it done.  We were frustrated with each other occasionally, and we wondered if each of us had a full commitment to the project.  But we hung in there together, and before we knew it, we were there near the finish line.  We had not forgotten the struggles, and lessons from our hardship taught us not to let our foot off the pedal being so close to the end.  But it was clear we could start to reflect and marvel at the work we had done, and it felt good that those who placed us in charge of the process were pleased with our work.  The journey was all worthwhile. 

We should always remember that our walk of faith is a journey whose success is determined by how greater our faith in God has grown.  As I look to this excerpt from the Book of Exodus, we are looking at the finished product of the Tabernacle the people of Israel had built.  It said, “So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:32) Everything from the gold lampstand, bronze grating, anointing oil, and woven garments were completed to Moses’s liking.  But it really wasn’t to Moses at all.  It was to God’s instruction.  However, note that it was not God who blessed the Israelites.  It was Moses. 

This journey of Moses was fascinating.  When it started, he was born to a slave and swept into Egyptian royalty.  He was later stripped of everything and banished into the desert.  Then of course, the moment that changed everything was when Moses met God and asked a question that drives me closer to God each and every day; who am I? (see Exodus 3:11)  And God answered, “I am who I am.” (see Exodus 3:14).  Moses became the unquestioned leader of Israel not because he had this great gift of leadership.  Instead, he simply followed God’s instruction to the letter, and as a result, became God’s faithful servant whom He had complete trust in.  In his servitude, he led Israel out of the hands of Egypt and into the new covenant with God.  It is only fitting that he be allowed to bless Israel for again he had followed God’s instruction to the letter.  Keep in mind this was not when they had reached the Promised Land, but you could sense they knew with a high degree of certainty they would get there.  Furthermore after all they had been through together, they no longer questioned Moses.  He was ‘the man.’  We may often challenge what God is asking of us.  But if we are willing to listen as Moses did and follow His instruction, we will have a closer bond to God than we could ever imagine.  What’s more is that it will continually get closer with each day.  This is what God wants from each of us; a closer walk with Him. 

God is with us no matter how much we may stumble.  Moses’s utter confidence in God earned him such favor that God entrusted him to punish as well as bless the Israelites.  Quite a feat for someone who once questioned who he himself was.  We too should embrace those qualities of Moses.  We may not see ourselves as the conquering hero, but our role is never to decide what role we are cast.  It is to do God’s will, and He will handle the rest.  Martin Luther King, Jr., like Moses, never made it to the Promised Land, but once the journey started, there was no question where it would end.  Note what his want was: 

Well, I don't know what will happen now; we've got some difficult days ahead.  But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.  And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will.  And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. (I've Been to the Mountaintop, April 3, 1968) 

What do you see at the mountaintop?  How can you trust God’s instruction?  My prayer is that we submit to God’s will knowing that the journey is worthwhile.  Amen, and thank you for taking this journey through Exodus with me.