Words of Encouragement
Ephesians 6:10-18:
The Armor of God
"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 them, 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."
This past Sunday, my pastor was focusing on the part of this passage that talks about the shield of faith. The following are a few things that you can remember about yourself when these arrows from the evil one are threatening to penetrate your shield (corresponding Bible verses hopefully coming soon):
- I am a child of God
- I am Christ’s friend
- I am a son/daughter of light and not of darkness
- I have been made clean and right before God
- I have been chosen by God
- I am holy and dearly loved
- I am God’s workmanship
- I am born in Christ
- I am an alien and a stranger to this world I temporarily live in
- I am an enemy of the devil
- I am born of God and not of the evil one
- I have been completely forgiven and made righteous before Christ
- I have died to the power of sin’s rule over my life
- I am free forever from condemnation
- I have been given the mind of Christ
- I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing
- I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit
- I can approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence
- I have been delivered from the domain of Satan’s rule and I’ve been moved into the kingdom of Christ
- I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins
- I have been made complete in Christ
- I have been given a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline because I am clean and one with Christ
- I have a right to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace in my time of need
- I am not the great I AM, but by His grace I am what I am through Jesus Christ
(from the service on the evening of April 14th, 2002, presented by Pastor Brent Cantelon)
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