Dressing in the Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord… 11Put on the full armor of God… so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground… 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 …take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…

Recently, two of our granddaughters dressed up for Crazy Days at school. They wore colorful mismatched clothes and fun and unique hair styles. (Of course they looked adorable.) As a child I enjoyed dressing up and pretending to be a cowgirl. My mom has pictures to prove it. As much as I liked putting on dress-up cloths for pretend, I have an overwhelming desire to put on the armor of Christ.

Living for Christ often draws unwanted temptations, ridicule, and despair. With his shield I deflect the temptations, with his belt of truth I stand firm in his word, and with the helmet of salvation I know I am protected by God. With the Holy Spirit as my guide through prayer, I live each day as a child of God knowing that he gives me the endurance and hope that I need.