Devotionals for the Heart: Prepare for Battle by Wearing the Armor of God

The Full Armor of God
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“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 (NIV)

Growing up on military bases I often encountered Marines performing their morning physical training. Sometimes at the end of a session there were trainees who looked defeated. As an adult, I realized they had to train so hard to be fit for battle, on any terrain and on any given day. As members in the army of God, we are given tools and armor to train for the day when evil comes. We are assured that day will come, and the Word commands us to put on the full armor of God to order to stand.

Why must we put on the Helmet of Salvation?

The mind is the enemy's number one battleground. If he can shut us down mentally everything else usually follows suit. Yet, the Lord’s salvation promises us victory over sin and the grave. Let us not forget the awesome covering of His salvation! First from our head, then down to...

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate wraps around the body to guard the heart, but there are areas where it can come lose, exposing our hearts. We must careful to check our breastplate by His righteousness, to ensure we are not open to an attack that can pierce the heart. Our breastplate must be check daily that it is in the right position for our protection.

We must gird ourselves in the Belt of Truth.

A belt holds things up and keeps things together. It is also adjustable, which means we can adjust it in the midst of battle. If it is too loose it may slip and fall, or become a distraction, which is not the intention of truth. It must be pulled tight so that it functions properly. Sometimes, when we hold the truth too tight, we must expand it to include more truth to move more freely. Thus, truth stays secure around us to hold us up and help us fight effectively.

Next, we lift up the Shield of Faith.

Our shield extinguishes the enemy’s flaming arrows. Holding it up requires us to move when God tells us to move it. The essence of faith is things we cannot see, and also in what direction they are coming. Our shield is meant to protect us, but we must rely on God’s leading to remain protected. He sees what we cannot see, and we must have faith enough to trust His voice to defend us in darkness, confusion, and the overwhelming moments of the battle.

In our right hand is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word.

This massive sword has the ability to defeat the enemy with one blow. A small, light sword will wound, but it is not effective in one swing. Many complain about the weight of their sword because they are weak in the Word and do not practice carrying it, which renders the only weapon they need ineffective. Practicing with our sword enables us to pierce the darkness and cut down any foe.

To stay grounded in battle, we must stand in the Readiness of Peace.
A warrior standing in peace is not quick to run into battle. Each step is strategic because it is leading to one goal – the establishment of God’s kingdom. Being ready for peace also means laying down the burden of battle when the time is right. In seeking His peace, we find rest so that we will be able to fight again tomorrow.

Lastly, God calls us to Pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests.

This means allowing His spirit to control what we say and praying according to God’s Word. The enemy flees from God’s warriors because of the power of the Holy Spirit within us. By praying for and claiming the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we proclaim to the enemy that we are mighty warriors of God, and this reminds him that he has already been defeated by our Savior and faithful defender! The Prince of Peace. Our Blessed Redeemer. The Lord God Almighty. The one by whom we stand.

God wants us to be ready for battle. The good news is He’s already won the victory! 

Hallelujah!

~*~ 

Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia. She teaches television production at C.D. Hylton Senior High School.

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is a member of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), ACFW Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

Mirachelle is passionate about awakening creativity and the gifts of God in everyone. She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII, inspired by her time studying theatre education in London, England.

In her spare time, she also writes and directs Christmas and Easter passion plays at Christ Chapel Assembly of God in Woodbridge, VA.

~*~
Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mirachelle77/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

Devotionals for the Heart: A harvest

Harvest of Righteousness
A devotional by Tammy Karasek

When I hear the word harvest, I immediately think of gathering something. Most assuredly, I see the farmers gathering up the fruits of their labor that are now ripe. Right now, near where I used to live in Ohio, farmers have been gathering their grain to store up for the winter to come.

When I read the following scripture, I had to stop and re-read it. It wasn’t saying what my normal thought of what a harvest would be. 

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” 

~James 3:18 (ESV)

A harvest of righteousness. This expression made me pause, wanting to understand it more clearly. I dug further, looking up the various definitions of both harvest and righteous and found this:

Harvest – to gain, win, acquire, or use; the result of an act.

Righteous – acting in an upright, moral way, virtuous.

Now as I read the Scripture (James 3:18), it meant something different. If I changed the wording a little (not changing the meaning), it taught me that we have a responsibility of harvesting righteousness. 

Hear me out … A harvest (or gain, acquiring) of righteousness (by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way) is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

This got me thinking about how we treat others. Do we act righteously? Do we try to make peace? Or are we quick to critique others, or even attack them for their differences? As we head into this holiday season, the hustle and bustle of this time of year can sometimes raise our stress levels. We can become impatient, critical or snarky . . . anyone relate?

If we want others to treat us well, we need to do the same. When we do our best to make peace, I believe more peace will be seen in our surroundings. In other words, if you want more peace, you can gather or harvest it by sowing peace to those you have an opportunity to be with.

Might I suggest that as we head into this wonderful time of the year, we all strive to be harvesters of righteousness? That we make (and keep) peace with those we encounter by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way each day. And yes, even with that cranky aunt you might get stuck sitting by at the Thanksgiving table this year!

Will you set out to be a harvester of righteousness with me?

~*~
Author Bio:

You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and give them The Reason to smile.

She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 37 years, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little dog named Hattie. Born and raised in Ohio, her family now resides in South Carolina.

She is the President of Word Weavers Upstate SC, member of ACFW and member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy.

She’s the Blog Coordinator/Editor for Florida Christian Writers Conference, a contributor in the 2018 Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments, a monthly contributor for HeartWingsblog.com and God is Love (capturingtheidea.blogspot.com).

~*~
Connect with Tammy:
Blog: http://www.tammykarasek.com
Email: tickledpinktammy@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: On Anger and Righteousness

Is Your Anger Useful?
A devotional by Ginger Solomon

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." 

~James 1:19-20 (ESV) 

I’m a verse-mapper. I love words and finding out their original meanings. When I did these verses, I found some things that I want to share with you. I know these are familiar verses. If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you’ve probably heard them. Bear with me for a moment.

Quick - in the Greek language, it means to do something without a time lapse.
Hear - listen; to pay attention to what is being said.

When my children were little, I used to tell them that obedience meant they needed to do what I said right away. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Here, we see that God is instructing us to be “quick to hear.” But what does that mean?

I think it means we must put away our thoughts, our responses, our phones, and LISTEN to what the person is saying, not only with their words but their tone and body language.

Imagine for a moment…

A little girl says, “I don’t want to go.”

It’s a simple statement. It could be taken many different ways. Without context, it is impossible to know WHY the child doesn’t want to go.

If then she stomps her foot and crosses her arms, then we know she’s angry.

If her lip trembles and tears appear, she could be sad.

If she withdraws within herself and barely whispers the words, she might be scared.

Without paying attention, without LISTENING, the hearer would miss important clues. Sometimes it matters why she doesn’t want to go. A LOT.

Let’s move on… I think I’ve made my point.

Slow - deliberate, unhurried — moving forward after considering the facts
Anger - comes from a position of being steadfastly opposed to someone; not a sudden outburst.

“Slow to speak” is self-explanatory. We need to consider what has been said, what has happened BEFORE we open our mouths to spout our opinions. We have to engage our brains in the process.

“Slow to anger” — this one caught me a little off guard. I’ve always considered anger to be something that spouts forth quickly like a geyser. But this word doesn’t mean that. It’s like the trickle of water that wears away the rocks and dirt to become a raging river. It grows over time. Not in hours or days, but in weeks, months, or years.

Produce - work, accomplish a trade/job; acquire by trade
Righteousness - justice; approved of God; what is deemed right by the Lord

“The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (vs. 20, ESV) Ouch!

God doesn’t need our anger, righteous or otherwise.

This anger is the same word as above. It’s not explosive. It’s built up. Even justified.

I’ve been there. I’ve been angry enough to know that if the person on the other end of my wrath had been in the room, or even within driving distance, I might have taken matters into my own hands. I would have done harm to the person. And yet, Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (ESV)

God doesn’t want or need our anger. It doesn’t produce the results He’s aiming for. Not in us, and not in the other person’s life. As hard as it is, God wants us to forgive and let Him deal with it. In one day. Before the sun goes down. But maybe you’re like me and it requires doing it over and over again, day after day, until one day it happens. I’ve forgiven the person, and the anger is gone.

Until we let God take care of it, nothing positive will happen, not underneath the surface, anyway. Not in the heart. And God is ALWAYS more concerned with a person’s heart than He is with their outward actions.

I pray your heart and actions align with the will of God today and every day. May you see everyone through His eyes of love.

Blessings,

Ginger

~*~

Author bio: 

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). 

She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind. 

She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.