"ARMOR ALL"

 

Today I want to share my version of putting on my spiritual armor.  Most Christians are familiar with Apostle Paul's words of encouragement to daily dress for spiritual warfare.  Ephesians 6:11 - 17.  I am trying to get back in a habit of doing this daily.

 

My personal warfare starts before I ever get out of bed!  Sometimes I'd say it in my mind, as a prayer to God, dressing in the different pieces of armor.  Other times I'd say it out loud to Him as I dress for war.  Sometimes I'd sigh deeply and roll over, covering myself with my blanket and moan and plead it out, painfully putting on each piece.

 

Thankfully, I've learned that with practice, arming yourself gets faster.  It sometimes depends on what is going on in your life and how you are or are not improving in that particular area.  It kinda helps you keep up with yourself and keep up with Jesus at the same time!

 

GEARING UP

 

I start with my Helmet of Salvation.

 

I pray for protection from evil thoughts.  I ask for a clear and Godly focus, because I tend to scatter my thoughts everywhere, unless I mindfully stay on Him.  I ask for an alertness and sensitivity to God's Spirit.

 

Then I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness.

 

Well I have no righteousness, but I have Jesus.  So I ask Him to protect my heart and it's intents.  I ask Him to clean out all the dark corners and make my heart His Throne.  As this world gets dark, I ask that He keeps my heart pliable for His use.

 

Next I pray for the belt of Truth.

 

So many times I had caught myself deceiving me.  So I pray my eyes and ears are opened wide.  We cannot see others clearly till we can face and see our own selves. We cannot give what we don't have. I want transparency.

 

Now I put the gospel of peace on my feet.

 

I pray for the courage to share my beliefs and experiences with Jesus, to inspire and enlighten others in need of hope and salvation.

 

Then I'm ready to pick up my Sheild of Faith.

 

It protects me from the devil's vicious deceit and plots to harm me and mine.  I ask to grow in my use of this Sheild by learning to trust God.  Can I trust Him when I'm tired, or sick or just knowing I don't deserve His protection?

 

And last but never least is the Sword of the Spirit, God's Word.

 

If I never learn another thing, I must learn this.  This is how Jesus fought and this is how I want to fight.  Ephesians 6:12 - 13, Look it up!

 

Unbelievably, dressing in your armor takes half a minute.  Once you're gone through it a few times, you fly through it on autopilot.  Practicing arming yourself gets faster, but it's good to be constantly aware  of it. This keeps you sharp and instant, in season and out of season. (11 Timothy 4:2) Let's be READY!

 

I bought my son, Jon, some ARMOR All for his car.  It's supposed to be really good stuff to keep your car in tip-top shape.  That's when I thought of the pun.  If Christ is our Savior, we are His vehicles, to help gather and pick up His Church, making ready for His return.  We can't be running out of gas or having our engines low on oil.  We must be well-maintained to fight the good fight and finish this race. (11 Timothy 4:7)

Armor all, Amen.

 

Charlotte Ann