February 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Ephesians 6:10-24:

¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
¹⁹And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
²¹But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
²²Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
²³Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
²⁴Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Devotional

The Christian life means warfare. Every believer must be ready to suffer hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Our enemies are many and strong. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Against such enemies no human strength is sufficient. In ourselves we are so weak, that we cannot stand for a moment.

We have need of the whole armor of God — the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, having our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. We do not have to forge these weapons ourselves. Christ has forged them for us. We must take them up. They are for our protection. These weapons are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. No enemy can harm us when clad in this armor.

The danger is that we trust in our own strength, like Peter did when he thought he was able to die with Christ. "Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing."

We must be strong in the Lord. It is a fight of faith, faith in Christ's atoning blood. "They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

Prayer

Help us, O God, to fight the fight of faith; to endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Help us to put on the whole armor of God, and thus may we be enabled to conquer all of our enemies. O God, forbid that we should trust in our own strength. May we be strong in the Lord, remembering that Satan can only be overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by Thy word of truth. Grant that we may be more than conquerors through him that loved us. In his name we pray. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 2 Tim. 2:3; Eph. 6:12, 13-17; 2 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 12:11.

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