Journal Entry ~ 03/01/18

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, - Ephesians 6:13-14

Take up the whole armor of God reminds us that we are to using everything God makes available to us in our battle with the enemy. Salvation alone does not protect us from the enemy, nor does prayer by itself, or going to just church, but all of it put together is what guards us from the attack.  We need to do all that He guides us to do in Scripture in order to have the full armor of protection - read His Word, store it in our hearts, gather with fellow believers, serve, and pray fervently. We don’t get to pick and choose from those things like they’re some sort of a la cart menu. If we want protection from the enemy’s attacks, we need to actively engage in all of those spiritual disciplines. Otherwise, we’ve got holes in our armor, and we’re vulnerable to the attacks. 

Those who put on the full armor of God are promised certain benefits. When the “evil day” comes, He will be there to protect us. The evil day refers to any time we are being attacked - it isn’t referring to one specific day or the last days, the evil day can be when we get that dreaded phone call, when the unimaginable happens, or it can be when we’ve had a long day and we’re exhausted, or when we have conflict in a relationship. As believers, we are to live our lives constantly on guard against the enemy’s attacks. Since we never know when the attacks are going to come, we must be wearing our armor at all times. We can’t put the protection on after the battle has begun. 

In order to stand firm in the battles, we need to be practicing those spiritual disciplines every single day - get into the Word, pray, meet with other believers, and serve. This is the way our armor stays strong so when the attacks come, we are ready for them. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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