Putting on the Armor of God
September 18, 2009
Dear Prayer Warrior,
I wanted to express my gratitude to all of you faithful prayer warriors who stood in the gap in prayer and sent words of encouragement to me as I have walked through a deep valley these past couple of weeks. The outpouring of love my family and I have received is an awesome reminder of the importance of being there when others are suffering and struggling, and, also, alllowing ourselves to be ministered to by those whom God has placed in our path. The expression of love and support spoke volumes when mere words were difficult to find. Thank you!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God."
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Your prayers laid the foundation for an amazing, God-honoring memorial service last Wednesday. The church pews were packed, and the walls were lined with uniformed firefighters, paramedics, and police officers. This day was not a mere accident that fell from the watchful eye of our Soveriegn God. No! This day was a divine appointment scheduled on the kingdom calendar. My brother lived his life to save the lifes of literally hundreds of people, but it was through his death that the Lord allowed him to be used as a drink offering, poured out upon the hundreds in attendance to quench their dry, thirsty souls (reference 2 Timothy 4:6). As a result of your prayers, the Lord gave me the courage to share the gospel message with boldness and without fear, reminding me of my life verse, as I walked forward to speak: "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20-21).
The testimonies, given after the service, wonderfully affirmed what we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have been commissioned to do: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). We have been saved by grace, purposed to proclaim the glorious message of salvation to a world lost in sin and darkness. The Scriptures tell us that we are to "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5b); when trials and tragedies come our way we can give up and suffer defeat, or we can stand up and claim this as a divine opportunity to be used by God to speak of His wonders and salvation and experience victory for the Kingdom of God.
No stranger to trials and suffering, Paul, the apostle, revealed the necessity and importance of relying on the prayers of his fellow laborers in Christ: "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should" (Ephesians 6:16). How critical it is that we make prayer a priority and lift each other up before the throne of God. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should" (Colossians 4:2-4). Whether or not we are gifted evangelists or teachers we have all been tasked with the mission of being God's witnesses to the world. As such, it cannot be overstated how vital it is that we pray for one another to be stand firm, to be bold, and to make the most of every divine opportunity the Lord places in our path so that His Word may continually go forth and His message of salvation is not delayed in reaching the lost! "Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you" (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything to stand."
(Ephesians 6:13)
As we come to the end of our time of prayer and meditation on the Full Armor of God, may we be all-the-more diligent as we dress ourselves in our spiritual armor each day, and ever-vigilant as we step out on mission for the Lord. Everyday the ground around us shifts and shakes as the enemy attempts to thwart the plans of God by trying to trip up His faithful soldiers. May we, therefore, faithfully commit to praying for one another, encouraging one another, and building one another up (reference 1 Thessalonians 5:11), as you all have been doing, so we all can become strong pillars of light and Truth, standing firm, and boldly, and fearlessly, proclaiming the glorious message of the gospel of grace until all men experience the victory found only in Jesus Christ!
"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God!
He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(1 Corinthians 15:54b-57)
Heavenly Father, we praise you for the strength that only you can give us. Remind us each day to put on the full armor of God so that we can take a stand agains the devil's schemes. Help us to daily remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Help us to pick our battles and to not fall into the enemy's trap when he tempts us to get angry with the people around us. Help us not to be distracted by flesh and blood battles, but to be focused on your greater kingdom work. The time is growing short and you will be returning soon, help us to not waste time, but to remain diligent to the task you have called us to. May we be ever-mindful that the battle is yours, and not ours. It is a battle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms that have set themselves up in opposition to the kingdom of God. May we realize that we can only do battle clothed in your strength and armed with your word and soaked in prayer - this is the only way we will be assured victory. May your word be daily written upon our hearts and continually upon our lips so that we will always be prepared to speak your Truth and to radiate your light into this dark and fallen world. Lord, surround us with your truth, protect our hearts, prepare our feet, captivate our minds, shield us with your strength, guide us with your word, fill us with your Spirit, and teach us to always pray. May you find pleasure in us, your pilgrims, as we remain diligent about our Father's work and await His glorious return and rejoice with all the saints that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever!" In Jesus Name, Amen.
[Scripture references: 2 Chronicles 20:15b; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 6:10-20; Revelaiton 11:15b]
