Week 6 Devotional | Armor

 ARMOR

“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.”

Have you ever tried on everything in your closet looking for the right thing to wear? When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you play good. Some people crawl out of bed ready to play in whatever jersey their coach lays out without worrying about their accessories. Some people stress over what shoes they are going to wear, the color of their socks, whether they are going to wear knee pads today or not, undershirt or no undershirt, and what about a headband? We want to step into the game feeling good, and part of that is putting on clothes and gear that we feel comfortable and confident in.

God provides us with a uniform that can help us fight the devil, depression, anxiety, stress, and all other evil forces that go against the fruits of the Spirit. It is called the armor of God and we have the ability to put it on every day.

"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 from 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 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.”

When you wake up every day and before you put your feet on the ground to get out of the bed, say a quick prayer to God. A couple of things that can be included in your prayer could be receiving a blessing and being a blessing. Pray that you can receive a blessing today. Your prayer could be something as simple as, “God, please help me replace my anxiety and fear with peace, confidence, and joy. And please allow me to be a blessing to those that I am around today.”

Also, put on the armor of God before you walk out of your door.  Put on the belt of truth so that you can have integrity in the big and small things of your life. Put on the breastplate of righteousness so that you can’t be attacked with lies or impurity. Satan wants to get into our hearts and minds, and he is looking for a crack in our armor, so pray that you fill your heart and mind with good things that make you better.. Put on your shoes of peace so that you can approach every situation calmly and with peace and not with anger and defensiveness. Put on your shield of faith so you can fight against any doubts that you might have or any fear that you might face, especially in those big games and big moments. Don’t let any doubt or fear beat you. Put on the helmet of salvation so that you know that no matter what happens in that big game or moment and no matter what happens today or tomorrow, you are saved because Jesus died for us all. Finally put on the sword of the spirit. When we are tempted or struggling, we have the Word of God, the Bible, to lead us and guide us. The sword of the Spirit works. Memorize Scripture and use the Word of God to defeat Satan's lies and attacks.

As you go through this week, remember that you can put on the armor of God. Before you leave the house, make sure that you have put His armor on. Don’t leave without putting on His belt of truth, His breastplate of righteousness, His shield of faith, His helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

This Week

1 - What is one small habit that you can implement and master? It could be touching every line, doing all of your homework, or watching more film each day.

2 - What is one area in which you could use more peace? Is there a teammate that you could build a better relationship with? Is there something that brings you anxiety or stress that you can work to overcome?

3 - Are there seeds of doubt that you are experiencing that you could use some more confidence in? What is a habit that you can start that might help you with your doubt?

4 - Know that you are saved. Know that no matter what happens, God loves you, and God has a plan for you.

5 - Use the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Memorize one scripture this week that you can use when you experience doubt, fear, or anxiety. Some good places to start are Ephesians 6:10-11, Jeremiah 29:11, and 2nd Timothy 1:7. Write down one Bible verse that you are going to memorize this week.

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