Ephesians 6:13-18
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
God meets you in your humanness. You stand in defense against people you think have power. They are more vocal and maybe show more confidence. They seem to get things done. They plow through everything and they plow through you. They are guided by self. You may be threatened by these kind of people. You may fear them. But there is nothing to fear. The army that stands behind them is not an army of God. Their determination, their confidence is not built on a firm foundation. They are not someone to be defeated. They are someone to be loved. They are not someone to be feared. They are someone to reach out to. See them for who they are. Step back and see them through the lens of God. See their spiritual being. See their humanness. Recognize the difference.
The enemy may send someone to attack you. He wants to shake things up and make you question yourself. He knows exactly who to send and when to try and pull you away from God. You accept that attack by attacking back. You accept it by seeing that person as something to conquer, to defeat. But you have a choice. You don’t have to accept that attack. You don’t have to go to war. Step out of the path of their destruction by not engaging. That doesn't mean you don't speak your truth. You have a voice. Speak your truth lovingly and move on.
God calls you to bless and love. Block that attack with God’s unfailing love. The enemy thinks that person is your weak point. Have compassion and embrace them. Pivot and grab their hand and show them God’s mercy and love. Show the enemy how wrong he is. He sends that person to destroy you, pull you into darkness and to break you and God surrounds you with an army. See it for what it is, an attack from the enemy and a soul to be saved. Only damaged people accept the enemy’s call to damage others. Only the lost are deaf to God’s whisper to follow Him. Those that come to destroy you have no clue about God’s love. They have no idea the power that stands with you. They don’t know your purpose. They may succeed at taking things from you. But those things are of this world. Everything of this world is God’s. They can’t take what is His. God restores. So, nothing is ever really taken from you.
You can be confronted with difficult situations and difficult people and still find joy in the day. Keep your focus on God. Look up! Shake it off. Why? Because that is how you fight the enemy. You take away his power. You stand strong, proclaim God’s word and you push through. You take a stand. You don’t accept the attack as a sign that something is wrong with you. You see the attack as a sign to take action and arm yourself for a battle. You arm yourself for battle by not taking it personal, listening to God, and not getting involved in the drama. Give it to God. Listen carefully to God. Sometimes He calls you to act and other times He calls you to simply walk away and pray. You are surrounded by God. Turn to Him. Ask Him to protect your peace. You may not be able to change the situation, but you can stop yourself from becoming part of the problem. Ask God to step in and then step out of the way and let Him work. Do not get in the way of Him working in someone's life. Do not rebel against God’s desires, think you know best, and take difficult situations and people into your own hands. The enemy wants you to believe you know best. He wants you to believe you have control over how others should and do react. This just isn’t true. Remember God knows best. Put all, everything you have, in His hands.
Give God your rebel heart. Stop fighting God. When you are in a difficult situation or dealing with a difficult person look up! Armor up! Armor up with truth, faith, and peace. Remember what side you are on, God’s. When you go in God’s direction, when you listen to His will and follow His lead the unexpected happens.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for all the armor you supply me. Thank you for helping me to see the difference between someone’s spiritual being and their humanness. Thank you for protecting my peace. Forgive me for going to battle without you, for taking things in my own hands, and not waiting for your guidance. Forgive me for trying to fix everything that is out of my control. Help me to armor up when a difficult situation or person comes my way. Help me to pivot toward you, make wise decisions and focus on keeping my peace.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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