Standing Strong in the Armor of God

Standing strong...this phrase reminds me of little David. He was the youngest of the family and a mere shepherd. He was even too small to wear the King's armor for protection. The giants laughed, the army shook their heads in disapproval. What was a kid doing on the battle field? This was a man's place, not a little shepherds. David, dispite everything, killed Goliath, with a single stone. David had to stand strong, a tremble in his hand could have resulted in the stone flying horribly off target. He kept his eyes on the goal, pulled back the slingshot, and a few seconds later the giant lay dead while Israel celebrated.

Was David scared? Probably. But what did he have that the giant didn't? David had God by his side. He stood strong and Israel won a victory because of it. We are fighting a similar battle against giants 10x bigger then we are. We are fighting loss, envy, disapointment, anger, and many other giants that seem too big for us. Even with God by our side how are we supposed to fight such big giants?

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10

Armor of God? If you look at Ephesians 6:14-17. Fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on the shoes of readiness to spread the gospel of peace, arm yourself with the shield of faith, place the helmet of salvation, and wield the sword of the spirit. Once you're ready to arm yourself you can "...extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one..." (vs. 16)

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:13

Stand strong, suit up, prepare to meet your adversaries on the battlefield, and trust Him always to stand by your side.

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Cor. 16:13

Pressing on to the Goal

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Phil. 3:14

Have you ever had a goal? Something you wanted and worked hard to get? Maybe you're like me and organize your life into To-Do lists with lots of daily goals. At one time or another we've all had something we wanted so badly that we would do everything in our power to get it. Maybe a vacation? Car? College? Computer? Lose 10 pounds?

While having earthly goals is a great way to stay on track (it's actually recommended!), do we have goals to get us to heaven? Little (maybe big!) things or changes we can do in our daily life to help us, and those we love, get to heaven? For some it might be easy, for others it could be hard. We all have our own problems to overcome. And we will stray from the path, more times then not we will stray many times.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:6

"For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Pet. 2:25

Anyone can stray, but not all people turn back to Christ. Anyone can endure hard times, but the people who learn something and walk away a better person are the people who we need to be like. We need to seek God in our hard times, we're all going to have them, so why not prepare? Seek him, get back on the straight and narrow, stick to your goals, press on.

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." -Deut. 4:29

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Cor. 4:8-9

If you keep your eyes on the goal, you will not stray from it. If you keep your eyes on Christ, you may stumble, but you will never fall. Don't get discouraged at a bump in the road, focus on the road winding ahead and where it leads. With Christ by your side, you can do anything.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Phil. 4:13

Today write out your goals, stick them on a mirror or in your bible. Seeing your goal and what you want to accomplish will help you stay on track. Remember, I can do all things through Christ and keep your eyes on the goal.

How to Study the Bible

Study the Bible? Sounds hard. And it is. Like anything in life you have to work hard for it. In a sermon I heard on the coast once the preacher said, "Of course the Bible is hard to study! Studying is hard!" We do it in school and college and think we're done with the reading and note taking. But we're never done. Shouldn't we study God's word as diligently as we would as if for a upcoming test? Ezra did.

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and at teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." -Ezra 7:10

"I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens." -Ecc. 1:13

The great men of old knew how important it is to study the word of God. We need to read our B.I.B.L.E. (basic instructions before leaving earth). How can we know God's plan or his rules for our life? Can you teach a chemistry class without ever picking up the textbook?

"The greater one's faith the more diligent will be his search for understanding of the divine message." -Jimmy Thomas

"The works of the Lord are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered" -Psalms 111:2-4

David praises the words of the Lord here, shouldn't we feel the same? Sometimes it is hard to know what to do or where to read. For me, as long as I have a highlighter, I'm good to go. But here's a couple tips from a Truth Tract by Jimmy Thomas with lots of good points and tips. It definitely helped me!

1. Accept the Bible as the Word of God.

2. Expect to understand the Bible. It's not a hard, complicated book. It was written by fishermen for the comman person so that all would understand!

3. Love the truth. " That which one loves, he seeks and, if he can obtains. If he hungers and thirsts after righteousness he shall be filled." -Matt. 5:6

4. Desire to do God's will.

5. Have an open mind.

6. Study for the right reasons.

7. Study diligently. "This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but thou shalt meditate there on day and night, that thou mayest observe to di according to all that is written." Josh. 1:8. "Oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day." Psalms 119:97

8. Study methodically. Have a study plan and stick to it. You can find them online and sometimes in the back of your bible.

9. Regard the divisions of the Bible. New and Old, book by book, chapter by chapter.

10. Consider the context. Who is speaking? Who is being adressed? Whats being discussed?

11. Accept all that is given on each subject. Form an opinion on not once verse, but all on the subject.

12. Take the Bible for what it says.

You will reap from the benefits of bible study. You will grow in knowledge, wisdom, and your relationship with Christ.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." -2 Cor. 4:16

Try it out, start a bible plan. Once you dive in it's not as hard as it seems. You will reap the benefits for the rest of your life.