Tag Archives: christianity

Surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s Influence

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Receiving the Holy Spirit
Paul prays for the Ephesians

In Ephesians 3:17–19, Paul prays that the Ephesians will come to understand and experience God’s love. To truly understand and experience this love, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You also need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s prayer was specifically for the Ephesians. (The Book of Ephesians is one of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Bible is the living Word of God.) Paul was praying that the Ephesians understand and experience God’s love. His prayer extends to all living people today as well. If you are not a believer, are you being called to become a believer today? If you are a believer, are you in a fruitful relationship with the Holy Spirit? Do you think and function as if you are in control or do you submit to His influence?

Think about the nature of your relationship— are you fully invested in it? Are you content with the Holy Spirit simply residing in you, or do you desire something more?

Jesus promised you, and everyone throughout time, an advocate when He ascended to sit at the right hand of God. Luke the author of the Book of Acts teaches that the Holy Spirit is the advocate. He was sent to dwell in you the moment you become a believer. The Holy Spirit wants to influence your life. He desires more of you. Nonetheless, if you only accept Him as a resident, you are limiting His impact on your life.

As a believer, you entered a relationship that is instantaneously rooted and grounded in love. As humans, it is beyond our full understanding. In that moment, you realize you are filled with God’s fullness and that you belong to Him.

God, loves you unconditionally and dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. He desires for you to engage more deeply in your relationship with Him. He is a living partner. He serves as your advocate, guiding you on our journey. He speaks to the Father on your behalf. He redirects you, and He protects you from harm and so much more. In the Book of Acts, Luke encourages you to surrender to His influence.

As your advocate, He communicates with you, but how you respond is your choice. You can decide to listen to His messages or ignore them. When you surrender to His influence, you grant Him the authority to shape your behavior, character, and spiritual growth. When you let Him influence your life, the relationship deepens and grows more intimate spiritually.

Your greatest resource is the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with God is the most important one you will ever have. When you desire His influence, while keeping Him at a distance you have not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. You have not relinquished control over your life.

You are missing out on the fullness of God’s love. According to Charles Stanley, “We are filled with God’s Spirit the moment we accept Christ as our personal Savior. We are not repeatedly refilled, we have all we are going to receive of the Spirit at Salvation. As we grow in our Christian walk, we learn more about God’s ways, character, and presence within us through His Spirit. The more we know, love, and obey, the more we learn how to live a life to the fullest.” (Life Principles Bible, Second Edition. Thomas Nelson, 2011, page 1575)

In closing ask yourself, how can I move beyond selective listening to obeying His commands? What steps are necessary to fully submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I willing to let go of the things that hold me back? Does my behavior prevent me from advancing to the next stage of my spiritual maturity? Is today the day I choose to surrender to the influence of the Holy Spirit?

Note: According to Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Bible, “the phrase ‘filled by the Holy Spirit’ was not used again, except for being mentioned in Ephesians 5:18. In that phrase, Paul talks about surrendering to the influence of the Spirit-not to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, which every believer receives.”

Photo, LAB Photos and AI Pixi; Scripture, bible.com

Remember Your Journey with God: The Importance of Recalling Our Spiritual Walk

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We are called to remember God and His promises to us. ~Lisa Blair

God desires that we recall our spiritual journey with Him. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the Israelites about the importance of acknowledging God’s authority. God wants us to remember our forefathers as well as our own spiritual journey with Him. The Israelites had forgotten God’s role in their lives. Their disobedience, creating idols to worship, and their abandonment of living holy led to an extension of their eleven-day trip. Instead of reaching the Promised Land quickly, they wandered through the desert for forty years. How often do we choose our own path over God’s, only to end up wandering aimlessly in a figurative desert?

God desires that we recollect His promises and our sojourn with Him. This includes the highs and lows. It also encompasses the successes and failures. We should remember the ordinary and extraordinary. He desires us to remember that even in the most challenging times He is here. When we felt forsaken by Him, He was invariably there. He was inspiring us. He was strengthening us. He was challenging our beliefs. He was blessing us along the path. “God wishes us to bear in mind that every advantage we obtain is dependent on remembering not only what He does for us but who He is in our lives. He also desires us to recall His laws and precepts about life on this earth” (NKJV, Stanley, C. The Principles Bible, p. 195).

Throughout our odyssey with God, we do not always comprehend the end goal. We do not always expect the result of the challenges we face. Nevertheless, we must trust that God is continuously here to safeguard, direct, and give in ways we do not grasp. For example, in Daniel’s battle with the lions, God’s care and intervention brought glory to His name. His companion’s ordeal in the fiery furnace created a deeper sense of wonder and trust in His abilities. These experiences imparted a valuable lesson to Daniel. Nothing can sever our connection with God. Even in desperate situations, we can find comfort and strength in Him.

David’s life provides another example of trust in God’s promises and obedience to His commands. David placed his trust in God’s assurances, and he modeled his life according to God’s precepts. He knew that God would always keep His promises, despite the skepticism or adversity that others show. When confronting the daunting Goliath, David’s confidence in God’s assurance of protection empowered him to stand up against a giant. He killed the giant with a single rock. He became King of Israel and was blessed because of his faithfulness.

It is crucial to remember as Christians that God’s promises are not exclusively for David or the Israelites. They are available to us as well. The promise of salvation is open to everyone who professes belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son. Jesus assured us that whoever trusts in Him will inherit eternal life (John 3:16). God’s promises are also obvious in our daily lives. He commits to never abandoning us or leaving us without provisions (Hebrews 13:5). He also commits to fulfilling all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Additionally, He imparts wisdom when we entreat it (James 1:5). Trusting in these assurances empowers us to move ahead with confidence, knowing that God keeps His word always.

During uncertain and tumultuous times, we often question God’s promises much like the Israelites. Still, we must remember that God is steadfast in His word, and we can trust Him completely. As we contemplate God’s promises, let us renew our faith in Him, knowing He will never fail us. As we follow His leadership, He promises to honor our allegiance and obedience. Just like Daniel experienced God’s protection and favor, we too can expect blessings in all areas of our lives. Our decision to continually seek Him is the start of an enriching relationship. This relationship will make everything else pale in comparison.

To walk with God means to relinquish our will to His divine purpose for our lives. This is important even when the path ahead seems uncertain or dubious. We are called to trust in His love and guidance. We are called to obey His commands. We do so knowing that they ultimately converge for our good. As we strive to develop a deeper relationship with God, His favor will guide us. He will lead us to the blessings He has prepared for us. Daniel’s example of steadfast faith reminds us to stay confident, obedient, and surrender to God. Regardless of the challenges we face in life, we can experience God’s goodness and protection. We can do this as we journey with Him. Moses instructed the Israelites to remember what God brought them out of and through. This message is as clear today as then. God wants us to remember. He wants us to not doubt or stray from the path. The Israelites did as they grew impatient about the length of their journey out of the desert. God planned to send them on an eleven-day trip to the Promised Land. In their arrogance, they extended the journey to forty years. They should have remembered how God brought them out of slavery. We should remember how God brought us through our desert experiences.

In conclusion, let us be vigilant about the lessons we can learn from Daniel’s life, faith, and trust in God. Our relationship with God demands trust, obedience, and acceptance that He genuinely desires the best for us. When we surrender our fears, doubts, and ambitions to Him. He ensures that we head in the right direction, labors for our eventual gain, and sculpts us into Christ’s likeness. Our decision to follow God with total faithfulness and obedience guarantees that we are in trustworthy, benevolent hands.

We are called to remember!

Resources: NKJV, Stanley, C. The Principles Bible, p. 195; Generative AI

Scriptures: Bible.com

Photos: Generated with AI

The Dichotomy of Obedience and Rebellion: Insights on Heart Matters

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By Lisa Blair

Heart. My recent post, Obedience vs. Rebellion: Learning from Abraham and Saul – Bible Reflection, examines the difference between obedience and rebellion. Our heart is at the center of this dichotomy.

Our heart determines whether we are going to stand fast and be obedient to the Lord or rebel by being swayed by things that entice our flesh. Both affect our walk and impact God’s design or purpose for our lives. Our spiritual development rests on how we respond to our actions, desires, and behaviors. While obedience and rebellion are at the center of this dichotomy, they are controlled by free will which our Lord instilled in us. Free Will shrouds the heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV, the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

God gifted us with free-will which is the ability to know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong and make choices between the two. Further, He gave us free-will because He seeks our companionship and wants us to voluntarily enter into a relationship with Him. If He designed us to be robots, not humans, He would have had to program our responses which is the antithesis of His intent. A loving relationship is not possible if God had complete control over our lives and demanded that we love Him. God created us and instilled free-will to give us the option and desire to choose Him because we love Him. His greatest desire has always been to have a loving relationship with us. Adam and Eve were created for this purpose. He longs for us to choose Him over our flesh.

In Psalm 51:10-12 (NRSV), Paul wrote about the challenges we confront each moment of our lives – the choice between God or our flesh. This internal thought process begins in our mind, but is directed by our heart.

Psalm 51:10-12 NIV, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

When we give in to our own willful desires over God, we lose our joy, we begin to feel the suffocation that it brings. Our spirit weakens to the demands of self, and we falter. Our spirit is no longer willing to fight the good fight. Our heart begins to hurt. When we fail to stay alert, we do not recognize the numerous (threat alerts) warnings that our flesh is taking over. We begin to vacillate between the loving care of God and our earthly desires of the flesh. The vacillation often begins to outweigh our relationship with God as we justify seeking the desires of our flesh. Another way to look at this is, we live in a world of conflict between good and evil. In Galatians 5 we are told that we should use our freedom to walk in the Spirit and should not gratify the flesh.

Paul spelled out the desires of the flesh and explained they are obvious and yet still inviting. Sexual immortality, impurity, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, anger, blind- ambition, envy, drunkenness, and arrogance are some of the desires.

On the other side of the dichotomy, we find the Fruit of the Spirit, those things of God that reflect the characteristics of Christ. The Fruit of the Spirit are joy, peace, temperance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:25 implores us to live by the Spirit that lives in us and to keep in step with the Spirit. We should not take on conceit, provoke others, envy our neighbors, or gravitate towards any fleshly behavior that separates us from God.

Hebrews 10:22 NIV, Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Our heart is filled with good and evil traits that appear as behaviors. When we live by the Fruit of the Spirit we experience a state of obedience demonstrated through our actions towards others. When we focus on self and personal gain we experience rebellion which separates us from God. We are shackled when we are driven by blind ambition and rebellion. We project God’s love when we are driven by a giving, caring heart.

These things also determine our faith. Abraham lived in a constant state of faith. Whatever God commanded he followed. Saul on the other hand, lived a life of self-indulgence and did not obey God’s commands, choosing instead to comply to a portion of what God asked, never fully complying. Partial obedience is disobedience or rebellion. Most of us are more comfortable when we try to appease God and simultaneously satisfy ourselves. Satan is the author of justification, deceit, disobedience and rebellion.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV implores us to stay alert and Guard (y)our heart above all else, for it determines the course of (y)our life.

Guarding our heart is difficult, it is not pure. Free-will provides the soil to make choices to either serve God or self. Consequently, it is important to focus on our heart. What state is your heart in? When reflecting on your life experiences, do you find that you more heavily weigh in on the spirit side or gravitate towards the flesh? When are you the happiest or experience freedom? When do you experience God’s love? Through self-examination, you can measure the depth of your faith. Do you experience joy and live to serve and support others or do you seek personal gain contrived by Satan?

Our hearts play a key role in who we are. It determines how we will respond to God’s Word. A calm heart gives life to our bodies. As Christians, we should always look through the lens of Christ to refocus our decisions. Do you desire to live as a servant, like Christ, and help others to draw near to Him, or do you prefer to be governed by the flesh and focus more on your advancement regardless of cost? We should not allow our hearts to reside in a state of rebellion, but rather in a state of love and obedience, with love being the more important of the two. If we did not love God we would not desire to please Him through our obedience. If we do not love God we live in a state of chaos, disobedience and rebellion. Our love for God activates our obedience while denying the self destruction of rebellion.

James 4:7-8 NLT, So, humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world (flesh).

Hebrews 10:22 GWT, So let us come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let us keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.

Additional Scriptures that highlight the importance of the heart:

Ezekiel 36:26 NIV, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Heart of flesh is not referencing the evil behaviors identified in Galatians.)

 Psalm 119:11 NIV, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Matthew 5:8 AMP, Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 73:26 NIV, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

John 14:27 NLT, I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV, But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Matthew 22:37 NIV, Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Images: Google free images, LABphotos, Pixabay.com

Scriptures: Bible.com, Biblicia.com, Biblegateway.com, Biblestudytools.com

Obedience vs. Rebellion: Learning from Abraham and Saul – Bible Reflection

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The Bible teaches us that we are to be faithful and obedient. Most of us think we are faithful and obedient because we follow the Word of God in the most general of ways. However, God is not looking for general adherence to the Word. He looks at how we listen and interpret His commands.

When God told Abraham (Genesis 22) to sacrifice his son, Issac, he did not deliberate, he did not weigh the loss of a son, he, in faith, knew God had a reason he wanted him to sacrifice his son Isaac. He believed God’s commands had purpose and the outcome depended upon his response and love for the Lord. In this case, because of his obedience the angel, in verse 12, told him not to lay a hand on the boy.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” ~Genesis 22:12 NIV, Biblegateway.com

Sometimes God tests our faith and sometimes He instructs us in which way to go. The angel of the Lord called out to Abraham a second time to convey God’s declaration to him.

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you… ~Genesis 22:15-16 NIV, BibleGateway.com

All scripture, that means every word in the Bible is God-breathed. He uses the Word to teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness.

 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV, Biblegateway.com

The NLT version says that it teaches us what is true to help us realize what is wrong in our lives. The Word teaches us to do what is right.

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT, Biblegateway.com

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV, openbible.info

Abraham clearly chose to listen and follow God’s command. He was 100% in. He did as instructed. How often do we follow God’s instructions for our lives?

There was a time when God instructed me to stop spending. I thought, I was not overspending and interpreted His message as being more of a request and not a command. God knows the path to our destiny. He is the great architect. I had prayed for Him to reveal the next stage in my life to do His good work. Little did I realize that overspending was a lesson I needed to follow to get to the next stage. I did not follow His command like Abraham. I scaled back, like Saul who interpreted the commandment to meet his own needs.

To borrow a quote from Radical.net, God help us. Help us to give to you in worship what you have asked, the obedience of our hearts. God help us to hear your Word, and to obey your Word; hear your voice, and obey your voice. We pray that you would be glorified in our obeying your voice. ~Obedience of Sacrifice,1 Samuel 15:22 ESV.

God knows us. He created us and He knows how we will respond. The money was not the issue. My heart was the issue. Jesus said to Peter, if you love me obey my commands (John 14:15 KJV, Biblegateway.com), meaning follow my Word. He commands each of us to do the same thing, “obey/follow my commands.”

We pray that you would be glorified in our obeying your voice. God, we pray you would keep all of us, from at any point, getting caught up in practicing religion, and going to church, and taking part in this or that activity, while disobeying you and your word in our lives. ~Obedience of Sacrifice,1 Samuel 15:22 ESV, Radical.net.

In looking back, I now see where I strayed. I did not immediately follow His commands. I did not curtail my spending. I, like Saul, who told Samuel, that he did kill all the Amalekites as commanded, added I brought back Agag their King. I thought I followed God’s command to stop spending, however, like Saul, I left one thing out.  I slowed my spending down. As a sidebar, I felt guilty each time I did, but that did not stop me. How often do we fail to listen to the quiet voice telling us we are in the wrong yet forge ahead anyway? My decision to follow God’s command my way was a form of rebellion.

Samuel told Saul: 3 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night! “What did he tell you?” Saul asked.17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? 20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?

Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols!” ~1 Samuel 15 NIV, Web.mit.edu

Like Saul, I heard what I wanted to hear. I interpreted what I was commanded to do in a way that satisfied me. I did not obey the Lord as Abraham did. As followers of Christ, we must train ourselves to be obedient in all things, not just some things. God listens to our voice and watches our actions that demonstrate either our obedience or our act of rebellion.

We reap the consequences of self-love/rebellion, following our own interpretation of what God commands. In my case, our finances spiraled downward. If I had listened to His command, I would not have been in the position to have to rebuild financial solvency, and Saul would have been the King of Israel.

26But Samuel said to him, “…You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as the king of Israel!” ~1 Samuel 15 NIV, Web.mit.edu

All scripture is God-breathed. The Word is not open to interpretation that satisfies our pride. It requires complete obedience. Obedience is defined as an act or practice of obeying, dutiful or submissive compliance. ~ Online Dictionary.

Our actions are judged through the lens of obedience or rebellion. As Christians, we are being observed by many. Our actions speak louder than words. If we tell others to submit to the Word and be disciplined, we must first practice what we preach. As doers of the Word, we must learn to be obedient. God, through the Holy Spirit, reinforces His Word and His Will for our lives.  We are rebuked as needed, trained, and corrected in righteousness. God continually prunes the dead and withering branches in our lives to strengthen our dedication and submission to Him.

This article is purposeless if we do not examine our motives and submission to the Word of God. Ask yourself:

  • Am I an Abraham or a Saul?
  • What have you learned about yourself from this study?
  • Do you obey God’s commands like Abraham, operating in the spiritual realm being obedient and specifically following God’s commands and instruction for your life?

or

  • Do you operate in the carnal realm of rebellion like Saul?
  • What are your plans to fully submit?

Our life is a journey. We will stray from the straight and narrow path more than once during our lifetime. Our mission is to learn from each mistake, apply it to our lives, submit to God, work to eliminate rebellion and serve our God by sharing the Good News with all within our scope of influence.

We must always work to be faithful and obedient understanding that God’s way is not our way and stop interpreting His Will for us using our finite scope of understanding to forge our own path.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9 NIv, biblegateway.com

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all of your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. ~Proverbs 4:26-27 NIV, biblestudytools.com

Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~Isaiah 30:21NIV, biblehub.com

Photos: Google.com, free images

Ephesians 6, Put On Your Armor

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Let peace be our aim as the wiles of the devil attempts to destroy us. The devil is here to kill, steal, and destroy. We must be prepared for his attacks, especially when we feel vulnerable. Steady yourself each morning by putting on the Armor of God. Pray on your knees speaking the prayer, not in your head. Cover yourself from the attacks of Satan.

I like William Barclay’s explanation of Paul’s command to us. It’s a great visualization and explanation.

——

The Armor of God

6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his strength. Put on the armour of God. so that you may be able to stand against the devices of the devil. It is not with blood and flesh you have to wrestle, but against powers and against authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against malicious spiritual forces in the heavenly places. Because of this you must take the armour of God that you may be able to stand against them in the evil day, and that you may be able to stand fast, after you have done all things which are your duty. Stand with truth as a belt about your waist. Put on righteousness as a breastplate. Have your feet shod with readiness to preach the gospel of peace. In all things take faith as a shield for with it you will be able to quench the flaming darts of the evil one. Put on the helmet of salvation. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Keep praying in the Spirit at every crisis with every kind of prayer and entreaty to God. To that end be sleepless in your persevering prayer for all God’s consecrated people. Pray for me that I may be allowed to speak with open mouth, and boldly to make known the secret of the gospel, for which I am an envoy in a chain. Pray that I may have freedom to declare it, as I ought to speak.

As Paul takes leave of his people he thinks of the greatness of the struggle which lies before them. Undoubtedly life was much more terrifying for the ancient people than it is for us today. They believed implicitly in evil spirits, who filled the air and were determined to work men harm. The words which Paul uses, powers, authorities, world-rulers, are all names for different classes of these evil spirits. To him the whole universe was a battleground. The Christian had not only to contend with the attacks of men; he had to contend with the attacks of spiritual forces which were fighting against God. We may not take Paul’s actual language literally; but our experience will tell us that there is an active power of evil in the world. Robert Louis Stevenson once said: “You know the Caledonian Railway Station in Edinburgh? One cold, east windy morning, I met Satan there.” We do not know what actually befell Stevenson but we recognize the experience; we have all felt the force of that evil influence which seeks to make us sin.

Paul suddenly sees a picture ready-made. All this time he was chained by the wrist to a Roman soldier. Night and day a soldier was there to ensure that he would not escape. Paul was literally an envoy in a chain. Now he was the kind of man who could get alongside anyone; and beyond doubt he had talked often to the soldiers who were compelled to be so near him. As he writes, the soldier’s armour suggests a picture to him. The Christian too has his armour; and part by part Paul takes the armour of the Roman soldier and translates it into Christian terms.

There is the belt of truth. It was the belt which girt in the soldier’s tunic and from which his sword hung and which gave him freedom of movement. Others may guess and grope; the Christian moves freely and quickly because he knows the truth.

There is the breastplate of righteousness. When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impregnable. Words are no defence against accusations but a good life is. Once a man accused Plato of certain crimes. “Well then,” said Plato, “we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.” The only way to meet the accusations against Christianity is to show how good a Christian can be.

There are the sandals. Sandals were the sign of one equipped and ready to move. The sign of the Christian is that he is eager to be on the way to share the gospel with others who have not heard it.

There is the shield. The word Paul uses is not that for the comparatively small round shield; it is that for the great oblong shield which the heavily armed warrior wore. One of the most dangerous weapons in ancient warfare was the fiery dart. It was a dart tipped with tow dipped in pitch. The pitch-soaked tow was set alight and the dart was thrown. The great oblong shield was made of two sections of wood, glued together. When the shield was presented to the dart, the dart sank into the wood and the flame was put out. Faith can deal with the darts of temptation. With Paul, faith is always complete trust in Christ. When we walk close with Christ, we are safe from temptation.

There is salvation for a helmet. Salvation is not something which looks back only. The salvation which is in Christ gives us forgiveness for the sins of the past and strength to conquer sin in the days to come.

There is the sword; and the sword is the word of God. The word of God is at once our weapon of defence against sin and our weapon of attack against the sins of the world. Cromwell’s Ironsides fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other. We can never win God’s battles without God’s book.

Finally, Paul comes to the greatest weapon of all–and that is prayer. We note three things that he says about prayer. (a) It must be constant. Our tendency is so often to pray only in the great crises of life; but it is from daily prayer that the Christian will find daily strength. (b) It must be intense. Limp prayer never got a man anywhere. Prayer demands the concentration of every faculty upon God. (c) It must be unselfish. The Jews had a saying, “Let a man unite himself with the community in his prayers.” I think that often our prayers are too much for ourselves and too little for others. We must learn to pray as much for others and with others as for ourselves.

Finally, Paul asks for the prayers of his friends for himself. And he asks not for comfort or for peace but that he may yet be allowed to proclaim God’s secret, that his love is for all men. We do well to remember that ever Christian leader and every Christian preacher needs his people to uphold his hands in prayer.

William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Ephesians 6, Studylight.org

After reading this. Visualize the picture with you sitting in God’s peace in quiet meditation and let the Holy Spirit speak to you and calm your nerves before you head out for the day.