Ephesians 6:10-20
“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 with 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 saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
My team reads this passage each morning before we go out into the field. I’ve read it many times before coming on this trip, but I never thought much about it until now. Praying that God would clothe us with His armor each morning seems so much more real here in Africa.
God gave me the amazing privilege of going around the world this year to share His love with His children. I have the chance to share life with everyone that I meet. Eternal life, which is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. God has been teaching me more and more that even something as simple as a smile to a beggar on the street can show His love. It’s not my job make sure that everyone I come in contact with comes to know Jesus Christ, but it is my job to show love.
In just the few days that we’ve been doing ministry in Uganda my team has realized that this is going to be a challenging month, and that we can’t do it on our own, we need God’s supernatural strength. Alcoholism, broken families, and witchcraft are all a big part of this community. There’s a heaviness we can feel in the community here because as it says in Ephesians 6 “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.”
The full armor of God
Without God’s supernatural strength we would never be able to stand our ground. He is the one that gives us power to make it through each day. He showers us with His joy, peace and love so that we can share it with the people we meet each day.
The same power that raised Christ from the dead is in me
I pray that God would continue to give us the right words to say to the people we meet, I pray He continues to give us strength each day, I pray that He gives us the rest we need each night, and I pray He continues to teach us how to love His children more and more each day.
