Armor Up! Part II

For these verses I am using the American Standard Version translation.

I don’t know if you ever have had the experience of writing when you knew it was not your words that you are writing but that you were just the facilitator or processor of the words entering into your mind. Your mind and heart acting as conduits and your nerves and fingers are emissaries quickly translating the thoughts into typed words that you and others can read. This is what Vida4U is for me. It’s a half  hour ( my lunch time) that work gets set aside to quiet my mind to hear the Lord. My prayer is the same, “let my thoughts Lord be your thoughts and give me wisdom as I read, thank you.” These are purposeful words that remind me of our dependency upon the Lord to understand spiritual truth and they focus me back to the great privilege and need we have to have The Lord over us. The same thing happens when I am landscaping( I’ve shared this before). I ask Him to landscape through me, as if He was doing the work. And just as quickly, and plant by plant I see where each one is to go. It is wonderful, both in my profession and with Vida to have this experience with the Lord. The intimacy that occurs between us is irreplaceable. And what is super cool is this is not unique to me, but to and for anyone who “clears a table” for the Lord to sit at.

I received a very encouraging comment from a reader in Texas that has been reading Vida for several years and has always wanted to write me but was hesitate to do so. Finally she did and I am very glad she did. Whatever benefit, or joy, or strenght one receives from reading Vida the credit goes to the Lord. I walk the same dirty road that we all walk, yet through it God has taught me how to stay clean and to be able to share that truth with others. What I have received from the Lord is what I share (hopefully) and that should be true of all of us. Healthy fruit trees produce good fruit and there is nothing more healthier for the human soul than to spend time with the Lord. This is our calling, He saved us so that we could know Him. It’s like being plugged into a constant source of life. We do not generate life, we consume it just like our food. Our soul needs love, encouragement, peace, like our bodies need protein, carbs, water etc. Without a steady supply of either we hunger and as I mentioned in last month’s Vida we can easily become lured into taking or doing things that might short term satisfy our hunger, but long term will hurt us. Like eating a half a dozen donuts, they might taste good initially but definitely not a good decision.

Next thought, some of us get all busy with doing good. It’s as if we need to prove to the Lord or to ourselves that we are worthy of being saved, why? Its an excerise in futility. He already proved our worth by the Cross, His life for our’s, what more proof could we possibly need or what act of sacrifice could we possibly do to outdo what has already been done? We just need to accept what He has done and stop trying to prove to Him or ourselves that we have our own merits. We may have gifts and talents that advance us here but they mean nothing when it comes to spiritual values. Holiness is the standard and it is a standard we cannot meet regardless of how hard we try. Therefore to be grateful and receive with thanksgiving  the path that has already been made is the right decision. Otherwise we will continue to stumble over ourselves, like putting rocks in our pathway when Truth forms a solid path to walk on. And one does not stumble when walking in Truth.

There  is a very truthful cliche that says,” there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us less.” It’s all on Him, it’s nothing of ourselves. The offering  of forgiveness and salvation is His work, we just need to accept it  and welcome His love into our lives. In so doing the reality of His presence will make any other per suit seem meaningless.

Understanding this is foundational to the Christian walk. All other learning is built on this one foundation or said differently, all other knowledge is anchored or held together by this one paramount truth, we are loved because HE CHOSE to love us, no other reason. As the belt of the soldier held all the other weapons in place”, affording him protection, safety and the ability to be agile and fight, so then this truth becomes our belt rightly holding all the other graces we will receive. As such, granting us a solid base as well as securely advancing us forward in our Christian faith.

I have met believers that can dispute any argument out there, but they themselves have not matured in this truth. Their arguments, though sound, sound more like a student repeating a text book than a Christian who knows his/or her Lord, don’t do that. I believe we do more harm than good, for just by head knowledge the heart will not repent. Truth to be effective has to be lived out, it has to have “flesh and bones.” Also to change a heart requires the conviction of the Holy Spirit, mere words cannot do it.

Here’s a story to illustrate the importance of this truth. I was about 14 yrs. of age when I was walking the high school campus that my father worked at. He was one of the administrators. In walking around I saw some boys up on the roofs of the classroom and I knew they weren’t suppose to be there so I found the janitor and he promptly got them down. Later that morning I saw the same boys hurried to hide behind the next building that I would be walking to. I knew they were up to no good, so I had my brother stay in ear shot of my dad as I proceeded to pretend that I hadn’t seen them.

 As soon as I past the building, they jumped me, one held my arms behind my back while the other was getting ready to punch me. Right at that moment I shouted at Rick to call dad. I said it so boldly and with such confidence that the boys stopped and asked me who my dad was. I proudly told them that my dad was one of the administrators and they would be in big trouble if they laid a hand on me. They quickly released me and left the campus so taken back by my boldness; and I, well I continued to patrol “my dad’s” school. Where did this boldness come from? These boys were much older than I, however my confidence was much greater than the personal threat they posed. For the truth that kept me was I knew who I was, I was my dad’s son. The Belt of Truth secures us in that knowledge. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Imagine a police officer going to a potential crime scene without his bullet proof vest on or his gun. What chances does he have of capturing the criminal, let alone of staying alive? So many of us go into each day unprepared for the day ahead. It is as if we are wearing “spiritual blinders” as opposed to our armor. We do not see or foresee or consider potential conflicts that are always deeper than what they appear on the surface; or do we give thought to the opportunities we might have to share the gospel. In either case we are unprepared to turn a situation into a spiritual victory where Christ is honored.

 A typical scenario for us.  We get up, get ready for our day and maybe read a five minute devotional with our coffee. That’s nice, but that’s like eating a bagel for breakfast and expecting it to carry us through the whole day. We need more “spiritual nutrition” than what a five minute read can give us. We need to set time aside just for the Lord, time that includes a study and prayer. Often what happens is we get distracted and the study we had planned for never happens.  We check our emails or texts or do a chore around the house first and once we put other concerns before our time with the Lord, it’s usually downhill from there.

For emails, texts and chores always take longer than anticipated and the study never happens. And since by in large we are creatures of habit, we do the same thing each day and before long we wonder why God feels so distant. As the saying goes, “guess who moved?” It was not The Lord. In church we pray the same prayer “God forgive me for not seeking you, help me to do better.” It’s a good prayer but without changing our attitude and habits, nothing will change. Sadly this can go on for years, living defeated lives when we have every opportunity to live lives filled with joy and victory – that which His presence brings. Why not live the lives God intended for us? It’s a costly price He paid to free us from the dictatorship and lies of the flesh.

If we ask why do Christians struggle in their walk of faith, what  would you say? And it’s not one answer fits all, it’s much more complicated than that. There could be numerous reasons. We really don’t value or understand our faith. It could be more of a fad thing, my friends accepted Christ so I did it, a common answer for young people, or as mentioned, it’s hard to believe God truly loves us. Love was not really given while growing up so it’s hard to believe that I’m loved. We develop an inner voice that says we were not loved because we must not have been worth loving. This voice is very deep inside of us and is the basis  for our insecurity. Therefore believing God loves us and receiving His love is really tough. This alone is a handicap for many Christians. Other reasons for why we struggle is true repentance did not occur. That was me. Initially when I came to Christ I felt the change, I was fourteen. However  it did not take long for me to fit into the Christian circle of doing things for God and learning all the right answers.

Soon I knew all the arguments against Christianity and read the Bible religiously to keep my edge. However my approach was more like the approach I take at the gym. It’s all about me lifting those weights and the more often I come the more I can lift. I maintained this attitude for several years into my marriage till only a skeleton of a marriage remained. After counseling I finally understood that I had been trying to earn God’s approval by walking a “straight line” or better said by being legalistic which is a camouflage for pride. Imagine hermanas ( sisters) how difficult it would be to be married to someone like that. In light of this truth the weight of my sin crushed me, but from brokenness a heart felt request came for forgiveness and true to God’s nature and His Word, forgiveness was given and He exchanged my legalism for His Grace. I gave Him my ashes, the sum total of my good works, and in exchange He has been teaching me the beauty of Grace. A great deal – at least for me, and a journey of a lifetime.  I have met many believers that are like I was, so I trust by sharing my story freedom can be gained. Until that happens the security that the “belt of truth” brings us will not be experienced.

Therefore given our verse, how will we ever “put on the full armor of God” without there being a fundamental change in us? And how will we ever be “able to stand against the wiles of the devil”?  We won’t, we will continue to live defeated lives, lives filled with anxiety, worry, fear, insecurity, lust etc., never experiencing how God’s presence and love reduces and or eliminates these negative emotions. We need to change, the price of our freedom was way too costly. Imagine your grandfather working very hard his whole life and going without just to save enough money to provide for you a college education, something he never had. However you took that money and instead of paying for your tuition you spent it on travel and party. That would be such a crime against your grandfather, a terrible disregard for all the years he sacrificed. We do that to The Lord when we fret and put worldly care before Him, living life on our terms and not seeking Him.