Devotionals for the Heart: How to be battle ready wearing the armor of God

The Armor of God
A devotional by Sara L. Foust

Summer is coming to a close, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. Fall is my favorite time of year! I love the cooler weather, the colors of fall leaves, the sounds of the leaves touching gently to the earth, and, most of all, our family’s outdoor time. We plan camping trips, day trips to Cades Cove, and hikes and picnics as much as we can to soak in the beautiful East Tennessee autumn.

But that’s not the only reason I’m relieved to see summer ending. This summer has not been an easy one here. Where I usually look forward to the school break and sleeping in late, it has been some of the most stressful months I can remember. I think I thought that once I went on the mission trip God called me to in May, the devil would back off and leave us alone for a while. Oh, how wrong I was! He has ramped up his efforts, attacking every aspect of our life. My children’s behavior, my marriage, my time, my rest, my body, my sanity. Everything. I have been in one of the most intense battles of my life for months now. And I am exhausted.

Years ago, a dear friend of mine told me each morning before she gets out of bed she prays to put on the full armor of God. It was such good advice, and I don’t know why it has taken me so long to follow it. I had lots of excuses: I can’t remember the scripture or all the parts of the armor. I keep forgetting to type it up, and where would I put it that my kids wouldn’t tear down? I’m doing okay, I am managing so it’s not a necessity . . . and so on.

A couple of days ago, I finally put aside those excuses and typed out Ephesians 6:10-20 and hung it on my wall. When I wake up in the morning, I read the verses and pray each item of armor onto my spiritual body, especially focusing on the helmet of salvation to keep the enemy out of my mind and from affecting my thoughts (that’s where he gets to me most easily). It is making such a huge difference in my daily walk. Yes, life is still loud and crazy. No, I still can’t say that we have a precise schedule we follow. Yes, I’m still so tired I fall into bed at night and pass out. But I can feel a hedge of protection around my mind and heart and around our home. I’m tired of being on the offense. I’m ready to fight back. And the armor of God, with the Word as my sword, is my weapon.

If you'd like to receive the print-out that I created and talked about in today’s post, contact me and I can send you the direct file by email.

Meanwhile, enjoy reading Ephesians 6:10-20 (KJV) here:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For 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.
Wherefore 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.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

Note from Sara: I encourage you to pray the armor of God onto your spiritual bodies each morning too and watch as God works in your life. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Sara writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled children.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Tennessee Mountain Writers.

Her debut novel Callum's Compass won second place in Deep River Books' 2017 Writer's Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature.

When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.

Words of Faith: Jane's story about preparing for battle

Battle Preparation
A Words of Faith story by Jane Kirkpatrick

Prepare for the battle. At the end of my prayer time in late 1985, I asked as I always did, “Do you have anything to say to me?” Sometime a name came to mind and I’d call or send that person a card. Often a melody or lyric brushed my day. Once, a butterfly landed on my knee as a reminder that God was with me. But Prepare for the battle? I’m pretty suggestible (we writers have active imaginations) so I don’t even read about new diseases for fear I’ll develop the symptoms. I asked my prayer question several times in the weeks ahead and the phrase remained: Prepare for the battle.

My husband and I had just left our jobs (he a builder, me a mental health director) and moved to a remote piece of 160 acres of rattlesnake and rocks in Oregon along a wild and scenic river. We’d stepped out on a cloud of faith, believing we wouldn’t fall through. But it hadn’t been easy homesteading: acquiring electricity, harnessing a spring, building a house, even digging a phone line seven miles, twice because it didn’t work the first time. We lived seven miles from our mailbox and eleven miles from a paved road. I hadn’t seen those challenges as battles.

How does one prepare for a battle of uncertainty? Put on the “full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-20). I reviewed my prayer journal noting all the times I’d been worried or made requests and how God had provided. I spent more time in scripture. Psalms 66:12 says “…you brought us to a place of abundance.” That felt reassuring. I read biographies of people of great faith and spent time in Hebrews 11 with the stories of Noah, Abraham, Sara and beyond. They didn’t all receive the promise in this lifetime the scripture says but God is faithful and they were blessed.

Life went on over the next months. We had a flood that messed up fences we’d just put in. Equipment broke down. A favorite dog died. I commuted to a job that took me away three days a week. Still no battle.

Then on a brisk day in March of 1986 my husband and I flew our small plane with an instructor for required biannual reviews. Our friends who had helped put in the phone line flew with us. Nancy was seven and a half months pregnant. All went well until we began our descent close to home to an uphill airstrip over a cluster of trees and a town. I said to Nancy, “We could lose an engine here and be fine because we’re so close to the end of the runway.” In that instant, the wind sounds changed. We began to float toward fir trees. “Jerry, the trees?” I said. Then I heard the sound of locust branches scraping the bottom of the plane. I still thought we’d make it -- I could hear the engine humming -- when the wing clipped a spruce tree and we pitched forward. We were going down into power lines and houses.

I saw a white light and thought, “So this is how it ends.” I felt calm; worried only over my husband and friends. I didn’t even pray.

We crashed in the street. I felt a thousand beestings all at once over my foot and the shattering of bones in my arm that had plunged into the instrument panel. Nancy’s husband shouted her name. She gagged a response. I looked at the bloody face of my husband and knew this was the battle.

But God had prepared us. We had surgeries, months of recovery with Jerry’s broken ankles, hips, sprained wrists, facial cuts; my shattered foot and arm. But God brought abundance. My parents came to take care of us. Nancy delivered a full term baby girl. Ken wasn’t hurt at all.

I could pray for others during this time, but not for myself. I think I was angry that if God could prepare me for a battle, why didn’t God stop the fight? Then one day I read in 2 Chronicles 20:15: "Do not be afraid or discouraged… For the battle is not yours, but God's." Ah, sweet peace.

When I sometimes begin to feel separated from God, fatigued by life’s battles, worried over what is or what might be, I remember that time. Theologian Paul Tillich reminds us that in life we must come to terms with three things: that we are mortal, that we control nothing, and that life is uncertain. I still ask my question; but I rest knowing that God goes before, during and after the battle and gives me peace.

~*~
Author bio:

Jane Kirkpatrick is the author of 31 books including 26 novels based on the lives of actual pioneer women. This Road We Traveled (Revell, September) received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly, concluding with “This is more than one woman’s story of courage and faith; it is the story of a family that journeys, grows, and heals together. Kirkpatrick’s vivid, rich prose will keep readers in awe and on the edges of their seats.” 

Jane has won the following awards: Carol Award, USA Best Books Award, WILLA Literary Award and the Wrangler Award. She is a two-time finalist for The Christy Awards and the Oregon Book Award for fiction. Portions of this “Prepare for the Battle” story were published in her memoir Homestead (Whitaker). Jane lives with her husband of 40 years and two dogs in Central Oregon. 

~*~

Connect with Jane:
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google+ ~  Pinterest ~ Jane's Blog ~ Jane's Website

SaveSaveSaveSave