The Full Armor of God: a devotion by Ann Broughton

“Put on the full armor in the Lord so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11 NIV).

Are you prepared for the temptations of life? It is so important to put on the full armor of God. I love this reference to what the Roman soldiers wore during this time frame. It gave the Ephesians a visual on what they should do to be prepared to face the devil’s schemes. The most important thing to remember is that you just can’t have one of these, but you need all of them. Let’s see what a Christian should wear as armor.

First, Paul states that we should have the belt of truth buckled around our waist and a breastplate of righteousness in place. The belt of truth is centered around our belief that God is truth and never lies. (Isaiah 45:19) The breastplate protected the soldier’s heart, just as living in righteousness will help us to have faith during times of trials. When your heart is broken, God will heal it and give you strength to carry on without losing hope. Your feet need to be “fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15 NIV). We should be ready to bear up to trials and temptations with peace, knowing that God is with us and will fill us with His peace when we need it. “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16 NIV). It is so important to have faith that God will be there to protect you and give you courage to withstand the temptations that befall you. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 NIV). Read the Bible to help you live the Christian life.

It is important to remember that you have to have on this full armor if you are to stand your ground against the evil one. You just can’t have one, because then you are vulnerable in the other areas. The devil knows your weakness and will hit you with a flaming arrow right at that weakness.  Let’s review what you need. You must have truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and knowledge of the Word of God. If you have all of these in place you will be successful in quenching those flaming arrows from the evil one. Take on this full armor and know that God is there to help you fight your battles in this life. Trust Him.

Dear Lord,

Help us to put on the full armor of a Christian each day, knowing that you will always be there for us when we are faithful. Help us to remember that you always need to be first in our lives.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

The Word of God: by Ann Broughton

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

How much time do you spend reading the Bible (word of God) every week? It is so easy to get busy and put the Bible on the shelf, never looking at it until you go to church on Sunday. The Bible gives you instruction on how to live a Godly life. It is so important that you study it every day.

Sunday we had a Gideon speaker come to our church. I have such respect for those who are Gideons. They take the word of God to people who would not have any other way to get one. He told a story of a father who berated his daughter for reading the Gideon Bible that was given to her and told her it was full of lies and fantasies. He took it from her and headed to his mining job. Later that day the mine collapsed and he and 30 other men were trapped. Many days later they finally managed to dig to rescue them only to find out they had all died. They found the father with a Bible in his hand. In the back he had written that it held truth and he wrote how he had accepted Christ as his Savior. Under his name were the names of all the other men who had accepted Christ as their Savior too. The word of God is powerful and can change lives. It gave these men hope and eternal life.

You know if you try to get a job, you have to have to be taught how to do it. Some of us have spent money and a many years to get a degree for our jobs. Anyone who has any kind of job has to be taught. But more important than all of these hours spent in learning for your job is learning what you need to do to live a Christian life. The world will pull you to sin and you will end up following ways that are not Godly. Reading the Bible every day, especially the New Testament will help you to remember how you are to behave as a Christian. After all, according to the above verse “it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”.  It can also inspire you to do more for others, serve others, and have a joyful spirit in times of stress. There are so many times in life when I have been in stress and a Bible verse would come to my mind that would fill me with peace. I urge you this week to pick up your Bible every day and read it and pray. God will help you to understand what you are to do to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

Dear Lord,

Sometimes it is so easy to forget to read the Bible every day. Help me to be committed to doing this so that I will not stray from your truths to follow worldly pleasures. Help me to remember that: “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness..” (2 Tim 4:16 NIV).

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Have Hope: a devotion by Ann Broughton

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11 NIV).

Are you in need of hope? When I was a little girl I use to watch Captain Kangaroo in the mornings before school. One time there was a puppet show and it went along with the song “High Hopes”. I can still see that rubber tree plant going down when the ant pushed it. The whole song was about if you have high hopes you can conquer any problems. It left an impression on me. Then I gave my life to Jesus and realized that there is another hope that is always there for Christians.

Sometimes life can weigh us down with sickness, debts, pain, or betrayal, to name a few, and it is easy to forget that our hope is in the Lord who can fill us with peace and joy even in the toughest moments. This verse should encourage you: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).  What wonderful words!!! It is difficult to believe this if you are in the throes of an emotional storm. But trust me, because I have been there before, if you call on His name and pray, He will fill you with His peace and joy. It is such a wonderful feeling. The Holy Spirit is inside of you if you are a Christian and is able to do powerful things if you let it. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). You have power inside of you that will help you through any trouble that you can encounter. Trust God and believe that He will help you. After all, we have an even greater hope to come: eternal life. There is nothing that can take that away from you. No matter what, keep believing and your head held high. Your hope is in the Lord who will never fail you and in the end will lead you to his heavenly kingdom. Have hope and believe. Your destiny is glorious.

Dear Lord,

Sometimes in life, things happen that can really weigh us down with despair. Help us always to remember that our hope is in you and that you alone can give us the joy and peace we require in our times of need.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen