Free to Be Weak, Day 4
Read: Ephesians 6: 10-18
Remember: "When you resist the Enemy, he turns and runs. Sometimes we need to be reminded on the front lines, in our weakness, Jesus is our greatest strength."
Reflect: I know I certainly need to be reminded DAILY of Jesus, my greatest strength. I've read through Ephesians 6 so many times. Something jumped out at me this time that is different than the rest. The pieces of armor are written in general terms, because they are available to everyone. However, each one of us will need to be very specific if we are going to arm ourselves for our own, personal battles.
Do you remember reading about David fighting Goliath in the Old Testament? Picture it in your earliest Sunday school class. Every Sunday school teacher you've ever had probably described the moment King Saul handed over his fighting armor to David. The young shepherd boy tried it on, but it was much to large. He was weighted down by the armor and weapons. So, he stepped out of that covering and fought Goliath under the protection of the Lord. Oh, he was still covered. But, his armor was invisible, and it was tailor-made for him.
That's the armor that we have, ladies. But, we have to suit up. We MUST seek the Lord daily to find the Truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit He's designed for us for that day. It's personal! You and I don't have to put on someone else's armor. It wouldn't work for us anyway. No! Our loving Father will equip us personally each and every day to resist the Evil One and to stand in His strength... even at our weakest moments.
Rest: How can you arm yourself specifically with one piece of the armor described today? As you sit contemplating your weakness, apply God's armor over it directly and specifically.
Here is my very personal example for you... This freedom journey has uncovered that the events of the past 6 years have affected my well-being in traumatic ways. Not all of the events have been bad. But, they've all created the need for constant change. My body hasn't dealt with it well at all times. The result has been anxiety. I've never dealt much with fear and anxiety, so I haven't created any positive patterns for managing it appropriately. Today, in an effort to "stand firm with the sandals of the gospel of peace," I'm writing out every major change of the last 6 years (positive and negative) like steps in my timeline. Over each one, I'm writing God's truth for that anxiety (Philippians 4: 6-7, Matthew 11: 28-30, and Proverbs 16:9 are a few). That's the piece of armor I'm going to focus on being fitted perfectly for me, and I hope you'll focus on a piece for yourself today.
Heavenly Father, sometimes we get so focused on taking Your Gospel to the world that we forget it applies to us (personally) as well. In my own heart and life, I've allowed myself to become almost ineffective in the lives you've entrusted to me, because I've failed to sit with You, soak in Your Word, and apply it fully to me BEFORE trying to take it to those around me. I believe with all of my heart that You'd lead us to see our weaknesses this week only to uncover the fullness of Your strength. So, today, give us the ability to practically apply that strength to our individual lives. The greatness of Your Gospel is that it applies to every single life and every single story. So, I pray today we wouldn't stop until we've discovered the exact message you have for each of us. Thank you for Your love and provision. Amen.
