January 27 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The theme of the month is spiritual war. Jesus won the battle not by might but by obedience. He is the source of salvation for all who obey him. When we have stood the test, we will share Christ's glory.

Bible Reading:

Ephesians 6:10–13

Bible Text:

Put on the full armor of God, so that ... you may be able to stand your ground (Eph. 6:13).

Devotional:

The American Civil War (1861-1865) was extraordinarily bloody because the two armies used modern firing power but had outdated military strategies. Whole battalions marched straight into the enemy's line of fire. They should have had armored personnel carriers.

Similarly, when Nazi Germany entered Poland in 1940, the Polish met the German panzer divisions on horseback.

What holds for our insane physical wars applies even more to spiritual warfare. Our own smartness, common sense, intelligence, and good intentions are no match against the choking powers that surround us today. Unless we put on the whole armor of God, we are fighting a tank with bow and arrow.

"The whole armor of God" is the spiritual equipment provided by God. He knows what we need, and in his grace God gives what no one else can supply.

This whole passage emphasizes that if we are dressed in God's armor, we can "take our stand against the devil's schemes." We will be able to "stand our ground" when under attack.

There's nothing here about our taking the offensive. It's all about taking a stand and having a perfect defense. That's because the battle has already been won by our Lord Jesus. The devil is now spending his last evil power on us. But he won't be able to bowl us over if we are shielded by the armor of God.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.