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. ~Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)
Notice the Lord doesn’t say if the day of evil comes, it says when the day of evil comes. Have you ever had a bad day? How about an evil day? There’s a difference between a bad day and the day of evil. The day of evil requires spiritual warfare. When everything in you wants to fall down and weep from brokenness, disappointment, fear, and even anger, God says “stand”. Put on the full armor of God and stand. In Ephesians 16:14-17 He tells us “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 of the gospel of peace and 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.” (NIV) Knowing our spiritual armor is imperative to our ability to stand firm.
Jesus’ speaking to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5 said “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn to me and do the works you did at first.” (NLT) Have you fallen? Have you lost your way from your love walk? That is no position for the believer to be in when the day of evil hits and the day of evil is coming. You can’t stand firm in the armor of God and not love the Lord and each other. It’s the top two in most important commandments. God wants us to walk in love with each other so that we can stand. Only then will we be able to take up our faith like a shield and stand firm in His word to us that He will hear us and answer us no matter what we see with our eyes. God says the piece of armor that protects our mind is the helmet of salvation. The salvation that Jesus purchased was not just a ticket to heaven. He teaches us in Romans 5:17 “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (NIV) God doesn't just want us to get by, He wants us to reign. He expects us to reign through the rain! He has given us free access to come to Him with whatever the need. He tells us in Hebrews 4:16 “Come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (NIV) Obedience builds our confidence. When we are not living in the way we know we should, the enemy beats us up on every turn. We have to walk in love continually to have the confidence to boldly go to the throne. God is love personified. Are you? If not, the first thing you need to do is remember the heights from which you have fallen and repent. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off and make up your mind that your thoughts, words, and actions are going to be seasoned with love. Then rest assured you are ready for the day of evil because you have confidence before God. He is your Everlasting Father!
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. ~1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)
How will you demonstrate God’s love today?
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