the Rev. Henry Huenemann
Put on the whole armour of God, (Ephesians 6:11a).
Bible Reading
Ephesians 6:10-24: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.
Scripture in Devotional: 2 Tim. 2:3; Eph. 6:12, 13-17; 2 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 12:11.
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