December 1st

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. Ephesian 6:10-11

We live in a society that exalts strength and power. Our history is laced with conflict and confrontation. We love to solve problems using our own talents and abilities and we become frustrated when we cannot resolve things by ourselves. This may work for visible enemies, but it does not work so well for enemies that are not discernible to our senses.

Scripture tells us to be strong in the Lord and not rely on our own strength and power. God gives us a set of full armor so that we can do battle against the devil’s schemes. Paul describes the defensive armor as the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth and feet shod with the gospel of peace. Our only offensive weapon is the Word of God as our sword, using the shield of faith in conjunction to resist the attacks of the enemy. We have been given this armor to deny and defeat our despicable foe.