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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 Lord’s people.

 

The new believers in Jesus had many difficulties to overcome. They were often persecuted for their beliefs. They were sometimes led by false leaders who did not follow the ways Jesus taught. They were not always sure about the ways they were to live their lives to honor Jesus. Paul wrote this letter to give them direction and encouragement. This scripture is so powerful because it inspires the people of the Way to be strong and use everything they know and everything they will learn to fight off the evils of this world and the “dark world” of the spiritual realm.

Today, we need this armor. We are bombarded daily with the evil we see happening in the world. I know that I often say, “How can people do these things?” I believe these evils come from the evil one in the spiritual realm, and we need to constantly battle him. It is so comforting to me that God provides us with the armor of truth, righteousness, readiness, salvation and faith. With these gifts, who can conquer us? At the end of this reading, Paul encourages the new Christians to pray constantly and with all kinds of requests. This is what gives us the armor we need to fight for right in this broken world. When we become discouraged with what we see happening in this world, let us remember that God has given us what we need to confront and overcome evil.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us your belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness. feet fitted with readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Let us not be afraid to battle the evil we see, both in our world and the spiritual world. In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Karla Gerke

Kgerke56@gmail.com

 

Prayer Concern – Let us pray for those suffering injustice.