Do you ever have days when you feel like you are swinging back and forth between the truth that you know is real and the lies that seem real? The lies come from all directions: from inside our minds, from the people around us, from the media…a constant barrage of nonsense that Satan twists and manipulates to assault us at our core.
The closer I get to The World Race, the more this warfare intensifies. Putting on the full armor of God has rarely seemed so imperative to my journey as it does right now.
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…
When I feel insecure about myself, I will choose to believe the truth that I am loved and valuable.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
When I feel alone in my struggle and my journey, I will remember that Jesus really is always there and He wants to spend time with me.
With the breastplate of righteousness in place…
When I feel bound by sin and the flaws of my flesh, I will claim my freedom in Christ.
And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…
When I feel weak in mind, body, and spirit, I will tap into the strength that can only come from the Lord.
Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one…
When I doubt my place in this world and the mission I have been called to do, I will declare my faith in the sovereign God whose knowledge surpasses my understanding.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God…
When fear threatens to close in, I will choose to trust that Jesus can teach me to trust Him completely.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Ephesians 6:11-18
None of this is easy, but all of it is true. With each choice I make to claim my identity in Christ it becomes easier to press into Him and claim victory over Satan. I refuse to allow the enemy to trample me, and if that means I have to swing back and forth between recognizing the lies and renouncing them with truth 100 times a day, then 100 times a day it is. It is exhausting, but not as exhausting as living in lies that Satan uses to bind and destroy us.
I am thankful for this practice using the valuable weapons Jesus provides me, because I know it is just a taste of the battle raging around the world that He is preparing me to fight in.
