Ready For Battle?
Ephesians 4:26, 4:29-32, 5:18-21, 6:10- 18"
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Thought for the Day
Whew, did you get all that? I thought that it would be nice for those of you that do not have access to a Bible to read a little scripture.
From the start of Chapter 4, it is really an evolution of principles that lead to holy living in Christ. The first verse really does not start this evolution, but I believe it is a wonderful verse that we should all practice. Never go to bed if you are angry or upset with another brother or sister.
Second is to love one another, and forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. If we as God's Children were to genuinely practice this, what a wonderful example to non-believers we would be. We are also told to "Be filled with the Spirit", "Always give thanks", and "Submit to one another."
Then Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord. Once we do well and dying to our worldly desires, and love each other, our battle lies with satan and the forces that we can't see. Paul tells us to suit up with God's armour. I hope that you are able to spend some time with Christ each morning, if you do I would encourage you to "Pray" on God's armour each morning. It is amazing what a difference it will make in your day. Everyday can be a battle with satan, would you go into battle without any protection? I would hope not, that is why you need to put on your armour before you walk out the door and face the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment