Have you ever made plans but because you didn’t understand the conditions you were up against, you did not plan right? Our family experienced this last year when we planned a hike.
This year we have had way more snow than last year. I believe it was in April and it was still cold. We decided to take a hike that was 6 miles into a glacier mountain lake. It was a beautiful day but we felt sure we would run into snow. We dressed really warm because it was so cold and we knew we were going up in the mountains. What we did not bank on was how hot the sun would really be.
We did run into some snow as we neared the lake but most of our journey up the mountain was in the beating hot sun. We did not have to worry one bit about staying warm. But what we did get is sunburnt. We were not as prepared as we should have been.
As Christians we are on a “hike” to heaven. We think we know what the “climate” will be like. But do we really know? How do we need to prepare? Some of us may think we know how to prepare and still others may be in a quandary.
How can we know that we are covering the entire basis? Or are we not be prepared for what is a head and get “burned?” We are up against a lot more than we realize at times. There is a real battle going on for our lives. We need to put on the armor of God.
Here is some tips for preparing for Ephesians 6:14-18.
- We need to be “girt about with truth.” We need to surround ourselves with truth. We can be so bombarded with ungodly things. We need to be diligent in what we allow to surround us.
- We need to have on “the breast plate of righteousness.” We need to protect our heart with right doing. Our hearts are tender and we need to protect them so that they do not become hardened toward God. Every time we stray away from right doing our hearts become hardened. That is why it is so important to be careful what we take in.
- Cover your feet “with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” We need to be living the gospel. It is not what we say that matters the most it is how we live, how we walk. The best witness we can be is how we live. When others see our joy, peace, and love they will want to know how we can have peace in the midst of such turmoil in this world. Then we will have the answers for them. They will believe us because of what they have witnessed in our lives.
- “Taking the shield of faith.” We need to have full faith and trust in God’s Word to us. If we are not grounded in Christ we will not be able to stand the fiery trials, ridicule, or what ever may come our way.
- “Take the helmet of Salvation.” We need to protect our minds. We need to be meditating on God’s Word day and night. We need to keep the garbage of this world out of our minds. We need to be giving a thoughtful hour each day to what Christ has done for us, focusing mostly on the last scenes before His death. He did all of this for us.
- Take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This is where memorizing Scripture is so important. The only way we can combat the devil and all the evil that may come our way is through, “It is written.” We have to have our sword ready.
- “Praying always.” We have to be much in prayer in order to stand. We need to be in the habit to praying, so in any given situation we automatically turn to prayer just as the flower turns to the sun.
Dear Father,
Thank You for Your plan of protection. We may not be always equipped as we should but You have given us all we need. Help us to go forward with Your plan so that we don’t have to suffer from “burns”. Thank You for Your patience and love.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
God has given us all we need to be protected. Let’s go forward and us it.
Love you all!
Do you have an experience that you could share about how God’s way of protection has worked for you? I would love to hear your story.