Ephesians 6:10-13,  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but again the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm.

All my life I have heard, “don’t look for a demon under every rock”, well they may have had that backward.  I don’t think we should leave any “rock” unturned!  I think it is high time we take spiritual warfare seriously and recognize the fact that the enemy is waging war!  He is waging war against you, your family, your finances, your friends, your job…… you name it, he is active, trying to hold you back from all that God has in store for you.  There is a reason that we have chapter 6 of Ephesians laying it all out for us!  It’s there to show us that we can be filled with hope and there are help and victory available.

The most incredible truth is the fact that we have hope, in fact we have more than just hope, we have His promise in Ephesians 1:18-20, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,”  The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you!  Arm yourself with God’s word and stand firm on His promises and trust Him!  Life is hard!  We live in a sinful, imperfect world and the war is raging, but He has equipped you!  You are His Princess Warrior and He loves you!  He is on your side!  He’s got your back, no matter what your circumstances are screaming at you, know the He is by your side and He will fight with you and for you, but you must choose to walk with Him!

Now, this is not a time to get paranoid or to give satan credit for things we have brought into our own lives.  Choose wisely what you watch on tv, what books you read or allow your children to read.  If what you are watching or reading isn’t edifying then why do you want it in your life?  I know that Hollywood can be very sneaky with how they program because Bill and I have had to stop watching a series many times because as soon as we would seemingly get locked in and feel “attached” to a show they would throw in some crazy propaganda in that goes against what is moral and right.  It’s not easy to drop a tv show because we all get attached to the characters and storyline, but remember; that is exactly what it is, just a story and it really doesn’t matter how it ends if the process is meant to make you drop your standards even just a little.  Like it says in Ephesians 6:13, “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 firm.”  The whole armor!  Not just a piece here and there that seem to fit into what you are looking for!  Don’t give the enemy any ground!  Here’s your list, have your grabbed them all or are you missing some:

1)    Belt of Truth

2)   Breastplate of Righteousness

3)   The Gospel of Peace

4)   Your Shield of Faith

5)   Your Helmet of Salvation

6)   Sword of the Spirit which is The Word of God

Get excited!  James 4:8 promises us, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!”  The battle is yours for the taking and if you are just too weary to fight or stand any more then hand it over to Him, He’s been waiting for you to ask for Him to fight for you!  God loves you and He loves the people you love and He wants to see you victorious!  You are not in this alone!  Your answers may not show up overnight, believe me, I know, but that doesn’t mean that The Lord isn’t working!  So often it is when things seem the worst that your answer is just around the bend so hold on!

If you are not in the heat of the battle right now and you are experiencing that “mountaintop” blessing then it’s time to take up that sword and shield of yours and fight for those you know are!  It’s time to pray and intercede for the people who are struggling.  It’s time to pray for your pastor and His family and the government leaders around the world and of course pray for your family as well, that they will stand strong even in the good times!  It’s time for all of us to take the power of prayer more seriously!  There’s great power in prayer, let’s not miss out!  

Every day remind yourself that God is for you and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!  He has already won the war!  Trust Him and His plan knowing that His best is yet to come!

Quote:  “Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow’.”  ~ Mac Anderson

Please take a moment and share your prayer requests and pray for others as well:  CLICK HERE

Coming Friday, June 7th:  “Faith, Hope, and Love” a 90 day Devotional to grow your Faith, Hope, and Love!  You can order it on Amazon on the 7th!