Sept 28 Victory in Jesus!

Father, I desire to “be strong in You and in Your mighty power.”   And to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes.” 

I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these.  My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.

I wear the “Helmet of Salvation” – which bears Your insignia, letting all know in whose army I fight.  It protects my head, and also my mind.  It reminds me to take every thought captive and compare it to Your truth.

You have given me a “Belt of Truth” so I can recognize the lies of the enemy.  Help me not be mesmerized by what I think I want to hear. And remind me to look deeply enough to recognize a lie when I hear it.

You protect my vital organs with a “Breastplate of Righteousness” so that stabs and attacks glance off without doing harm.  With deeper protection, it is like the forerunner to the bulletproof vest which stops and arrests projectiles before they can hurt me.

You “fit my feet with the readiness that comes from wearing the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace.”   People may remove their shoes when entering a home or as a sign of relaxing.  But when shoes are put on, it signifies a readiness for action.

As a believer, my action should be directed toward sharing the “Good News” or the “Gospel” with others.   My faith in the Good News of my salvation gives me traction to be able to “stand firm.”  “So that when the day of evil comes, I will be able to stand my ground.”

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish  all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  This is not some little garbage can lid with a handle!  The shields Paul was seeing when he wrote this were those of the Roman guard.

They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall.  And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.

Father, every time You do what You say, keep Your promise, deliver me from some trouble, or stand with me in some hardship, it builds my faith.  It strengthens my Shield!  And when I stand beside other believers and we link our shields of faith together, I am protected even more!

And I take up the “Sword of the Spirit” – Your Holy Word.  There is such power in Your Word!  Evil trembles and turns back at the mention of Your name.  Praying Your Words back to You by using scripture empowers my prayers.

When I am dressed in Your armor, and wielding Your weapons, I am a mighty force!

Your armor is the best.  With it I can stand firm.  I can stand against the schemes of the evil one.

When You fight with me and for me, it is You who give me the victory!  And I receive the blessing.  Thank You!  Amen

Ephesians 6:10-17

July 17 Your Truth delivers me

Dear Father, “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” 

It seems some days are harder than others.  If even one negative thought comes into my head, it can bring me down.  I glumly mull it over and the thought generates an emotional response.  Very easily other negative thoughts join in and pile up on each other till I am feeling discouraged.

Quickly enough, discouragement heaps on even more “should have, would have, could haves” until I am feeling out of control, overwhelmed and depressed and join with the psalmist in saying “Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death.”  In my own words, “Help me or I’ll just die.”

It’s surprising how quickly simple thoughts can lead to anger, fear, frustration, until I am not only emotionally upset, but also experience a physical response which can leave me with a headache or feeling sick to my stomach.  It impairs my judgment and my ability to function efficiently, whether at work or at home.  I can’t even relate to people normally in my agitated condition.

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.”   You have already given me a wonderful solution to this problem.  If only I would remember to use it!

The battle begins in my mind.  And You have given me a piece of armor to protect my mind – the Helmet of Salvation.   It guards my thoughts and gives me the ability to take them captive and hold them up to Your truth.  It also gives me the ability to understand and memorize Your truth so I have it at the ready when I need it.

Your truth can help me stop the flow of wrong and negative thoughts.  The evil one uses these, preferring that I remain sidelined in discouragement and depression, unable to defend myself.  He will use these kinds of half-truths and deceiving lies to mislead and condemn me.  But when held up to the truth, they are shattered and scattered.

One way I can know if a thought comes from You, is that You convict whereas satan condemns.  He would make me feel like a hopeless, dirty, rotten, sinner.

You may correct me, but Your words lift me up, motivate and empower me to make the needed corrections.

Your words generate hopefulness,

his produce hopelessness.

Lord, remind me, to use this amazing gift! 

When a negative thought comes, prompt me to hold it up to Your truth immediately.  Help me build into my memory an arsenal of truth from Your scriptures. 

When I memorize scripture I can use it to combat the lies seeking to discourage me and control my thinking.  Then I can confidently deal with whatever truth You show me.  “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me!”  Amen

Psalm 13:1-6; Ephesians 6:10-17

Sept 28 Victory in Jesus!

Father, I desire to “be strong in You and in Your mighty power.”   And to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes.” 

I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these.  My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.

I wear the “Helmet of Salvation” – which bears Your insignia, letting all know in whose army I fight.  It protects my head, and also my mind.  It reminds me to take every thought captive and compare it to Your truth.

You have given me a “Belt of Truth” so I can recognize the lies of the enemy.  Help me not be mesmerized by what I think I want to hear. And remind me to look deeply enough to recognize a lie when I hear it.

You protect my vital organs with a “Breastplate of Righteousness” so that stabs and attacks glance off without doing harm.  With deeper protection, it is like the forerunner to the bulletproof vest which stops and arrests projectiles before they can hurt me.

You “fit my feet with the readiness that comes from wearing the Gospel of Peace.”   People may remove their shoes when entering a home or as a sign of relaxing.  But when shoes are put on, it signifies a readiness for action.

As a believer, my action should be directed toward sharing the “Good News” or the “Gospel” with others.   My faith in the Good News of my salvation gives me traction to be able to “stand firm.”  “So that when the day of evil comes, I will be able to stand my ground.”

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” This is not some little garbage can lid with a handle! The shields Paul was seeing when he wrote this were those of the Roman guard.

They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall.  And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.

Father, every time You do what You say, keep Your promise, deliver me from some trouble, or stand with me in some hardship, it builds my faith.  It strengthens my Shield!  And when I stand beside other believers and we link our shields of faith together, I am protected even more!

And I take up the “Sword of the Spirit” – Your Holy Word.  There is such power in Your Word!  Evil trembles and turns back at the mention of Your name.  Praying Your Words back to You by using scripture empowers my prayers.

When I am dressed in Your armor, and wielding Your weapons, I am a mighty force!

Your armor is the best.  With it I can stand firm.  I can stand against the schemes of the evil one.

When You fight with me and for me, it is You who give me the victory!  And I receive the blessing.  Thank You!  Amen

Ephesians 6:10-17

July 17 Your Truth delivers me

Dear Father, “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” 

It seems some days are harder than others.  If even one negative thought comes into my head, it can bring me down.  I glumly mull it over and the thought generates an emotional response.  Very easily other negative thoughts join in and pile up on each other till I am feeling discouraged.

Quickly enough, discouragement heaps on even more “should have, would have, could haves” until I am feeling out of control, overwhelmed and depressed and join with the psalmist in saying “Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death.”  In my own words, “Help me or I’ll just die.”

It’s surprising how quickly simple thoughts can lead to anger, fear, frustration, until I am not only emotionally upset, but also experience a physical response which can leave me with a headache or feeling sick to my stomach.  It impairs my judgment and my ability to function efficiently, whether at work or at home.  I can’t even relate to people normally in my agitated condition.

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.”   You have already given me a wonderful solution to this problem.  If only I would remember to use it!

The battle begins in my mind.  And You have given me a piece of armor to protect my mind – the Helmet of Salvation.   It guards my thoughts and gives me the ability to take them captive and hold them up to Your truth.  It also gives me the ability to understand and memorize Your truth so I have it at the ready when I need it.

Your truth can help me stop the flow of wrong and negative thoughts.  The evil one uses these, preferring that I remain sidelined in discouragement and depression, unable to defend myself.  He will use these kinds of half-truths and deceiving lies to mislead and condemn me.  But when held up to the truth, they are shattered and scattered.

One way I can know if a thought comes from You, is that You convict whereas satan condemns.  He would make me feel like a hopeless, dirty, rotten, sinner.

You may correct me, but Your words lift me up, motivate and empower me to make the needed corrections.

Your words generate hopefulness.

 His produce hopelessness.

Lord, remind me, to use this amazing gift!

When a negative thought comes, prompt me to hold it up to Your truth immediately.  Help me build into my memory an arsenal of truth from Your scriptures. 

When I memorize scripture I can use it to combat the lies seeking to discourage me and control my thinking.  Then I can confidently deal with whatever truth You show me.  “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me!”  Amen

Psalm 13:1-6

Sept 28 Victory in Jesus!

Father, I desire to “be strong in You and in Your mighty power.”   And to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes.” 

I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these.  My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.

I wear the “Helmet of Salvation” – which bears Your insignia, letting all know in whose army I fight.  It protects my head, and also my mind.  It reminds me to take every thought captive and compare it to Your truth.

You have given me a “Belt of Truth” so I can recognize the lies of the enemy.  Help me not be mesmerized by what I think I want to hear. And remind me to look deeply enough to recognize a lie when I hear it.

You protect my vital organs with a “Breastplate of Righteousness” so that stabs and attacks glance off without doing harm.  With deeper protection, it is like the forerunner to the bulletproof vest which stops and arrests projectiles before they can hurt me.

You “fit my feet with the readiness that comes from wearing the Gospel of Peace.”   People may remove their shoes when entering a home or as a sign of relaxing.  But when shoes are put on, it signifies a readiness for action.

As a believer, my action should be directed toward sharing the “Good News” or the “Gospel” with others.   My faith in the Good News of my salvation gives me traction to be able to “stand firm.”  “So that when the day of evil comes, I will be able to stand my ground.”

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  This is not some little garbage can lid with a handle!  The shields Paul was seeing when he wrote this were those of the Roman guard.

They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall.  And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.

Father, every time You do what You say, keep Your promise, deliver me from some trouble, or stand with me in some hardship, it builds my faith.  It strengthens my Shield!  And when I stand beside other believers and we link our shields of faith together, I am protected even more!

And I take up the “Sword of the Spirit” – Your Holy Word.  There is such power in Your Word!  Evil trembles and turns back at the mention of Your name.  Praying Your Words back to You by using scripture empowers my prayers.

When I am dressed in Your armor, and wielding Your weapons, I am a mighty force!

Your armor is the best.  With it I can stand firm.  I can stand against the schemes of the evil one.

When You fight with me and for me, it is You who give me the victory!  And I receive the blessing.  Thank You!  Amen

Ephesians 6:10-17

July 17 Your Truth delivers me

Dear Father, “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

It seems some days are harder than others.  If even one negative thought comes into my head, it can bring me down.  I glumly mull it over and the thought generates an emotional response.  Very easily other negative thoughts join in and pile up on each other till I am feeling discouraged.

Quickly enough, discouragement heaps on even more “should have, would have, could haves” until I am feeling out of control, overwhelmed and depressed and join with the psalmist in saying “Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death.”  In my own words, “Help me or I’ll just die.”

It’s surprising how quickly simple thoughts can lead to anger, fear, frustration, until I am not only emotionally upset, but also experience a physical response which can leave me with a headache or feeling sick to my stomach.  It impairs my judgment and my ability to function efficiently, whether at work or at home.  I can’t even relate to people normally in my agitated condition.

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.”   You have already given me a wonderful solution to this problem.  If only I would remember to use it!

The battle begins in my mind.  And You have given me a piece of armor to protect my mind – the Helmet of Salvation.   It guards my thoughts and gives me the ability to take them captive and hold them up to Your truth.  It also gives me the ability to understand and memorize Your truth so I have it at the ready when I need it.

Your truth can help me stop the flow of wrong and negative thoughts.  The evil one uses these, preferring that I remain sidelined in discouragement and depression, unable to defend myself.  He will use these kinds of half-truths and deceiving lies to mislead and condemn me.  But when held up to the truth, they are shattered and scattered.

One way I can know if a thought comes from You, is that You convict whereas satan condemns.  He would make me feel like a hopeless, dirty, rotten, sinner.

You may correct me, but Your words lift me up, motivate and empower me to make the needed corrections.

Your words generate hopefulness.

His produce hopelessness.

Lord, remind me, to use this amazing gift!

When a negative thought comes, prompt me to hold it up to Your truth immediately.  Help me build into my memory an arsenal of truth from Your scriptures.

When I memorize scripture I can use it to combat the lies seeking to discourage me and control my thinking.  Then I can confidently deal with whatever truth You show me.  “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me!”  Amen

Psalm 13:1-6

Sept 28 Victory in Jesus!

Father, I desire to “be strong in You and in Your mighty power.”   And to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes.”

I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these.  My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.

I wear the “Helmet of Salvation” – which bears Your insignia, letting all know in whose army I fight.  It protects my head, and also my mind.  It reminds me to take every thought captive and compare it to Your truth.

You have given me a “Belt of Truth” so I can recognize the lies of the enemy.  Help me not be mesmerized by what I think I want to hear. And remind me to look deeply enough to recognize a lie when I hear it.

 

You have given me a “Breastplate of Righteousness” so that stabs and attacks glance off without doing harm.  With deeper protection, it is like the forerunner to the bulletproof vest which stops and arrests projectiles before they can hurt me.

 

You “fit my feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.”   People may remove their shoes when entering a home or as a sign of relaxing.  But when shoes are put on, it signifies a readiness for action.

As a believer, my action should be directed toward sharing the “Good News” or the “Gospel” with others.   My faith in the Good News of my salvation gives me traction to be able to “stand firm.”  “So that when the day of evil comes, I will be able to stand my ground.”

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  This is not some little garbage can lid with a handle!  The shields Paul was seeing when he wrote this were those of the Roman guard.

They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall.  And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.

Father, every time You do what You say, keep Your promise, deliver me from some trouble, or stand with me in some hardship, it builds my faith.  It strengthens my Shield!  And when I stand beside other believers in their faith, I am protected even more!

And I take up the “Sword of the Spirit” – Your Holy Word.  There is such power in Your Word!  Evil trembles and turns back at the mention of Your name.  Praying Your Words back to You by using scripture empowers my prayers.

When I am dressed in Your armor, and wielding Your weapons, I am a mighty force!

Your armor is the best.  With it I can stand firm.  I can stand against the schemes of the evil one.

When You fight with me and for me, it is You who give me the victory!  And I receive the blessing.  Thank You!  Amen

Ephesians 6:10-17

Sept 9 Recognize Truth

O Father.  I pray that I will not be “deceived by the serpent’s cunning as Eve was,” and that my “mind would not be led astray from a pure and sincere devotion to Christ.”

The serpent used deception to lure Eve into sin.  He approached her boldly; the better to distract her.  He called into question what You had really said; the better to confuse her.  He cunningly suggested that what You wanted for her was not enough, was even bad for her; the better to entrap her.

Father, help me avoid falling into whatever traps the evil one sets for me.  Let me see through them; beyond the lure of the sound of his words, to the hook buried beneath.  The answer to this “serpent speak” is “God speak.”

I need to be listening, really paying attention to all that You are saying to me.  In Hebrew, the word is sh’ma.  It means to listen so closely, so deeply, so diligently, that the words change the listener from the inside out.

The meaning also incorporates a response to those words as being similar to that of a mother who recognizes her baby’s cry and drops everything to respond immediately.  Father, let me sh’ma You, listen deeply and respond to You.

For my mind to be guarded enough so that I am “not led away,” I need to take some action myself.  You give me and every believer armor: protection against the enemy.

One item is the Helmet of Salvation.  I believe that this helmet bears Your insignia so that all who see it will know I fight on Your side.  And it protects not only my head, but my mind inside: my thoughts.  In doing so, many lies the evil one would have me believe simply bounce off and never even enter my mind.

However, some lies are disguised, or they have a little bit of truth in them, and I listen to them.   But it is a twisted bit of truth, or a half truth.  So before I accept it, I need to “take every thought captive to God.”

This means I need to examine it and hold it up to Your truth.  When I don’t, problems begin.  Even the little things I accept that are not true can pull me away from a “pure and sincere devotion to Christ.”  And I may not even realize it until I have strayed significantly off course.

So Father, help me remember to examine any thoughts and compare them to what You have told me.  I will use Your Word as a plumb line.   That string with a metal weight at the end is pulled by gravity so that the resulting line is absolutely straight.  Anything can be measured against this line to determine if it is “true” or not.

Your Word is truth.  Thank You for Your Word.   Thank You for the Helmet of Salvation.  Thank You that when I sh’ma You, I will not be deceived by the serpent or led astray, away from You.  Amen

II Corinthians 11:1-4

Jul 17 Your Truth delivers me

Dear Father, “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

It seems some days are harder than others.  If even one negative thought comes into my head, it can bring me down.  I glumly mull it over and the thought generates an emotional response.  Very easily other negative thoughts join in and pile up on each other till I am feeling discouraged.

Quickly enough, discouragement heaps on even more “should have, would have, could haves” until I am feeling out of control, overwhelmed and depressed and join with the psalmist in saying “Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death.”  In my own words, “Help me or I’ll just die.”

It’s surprising how quickly simple thoughts can lead to anger, fear, frustration, until I am not only emotionally upset, but also experience a physical response which can leave me with a headache or feeling sick to my stomach.  It impairs my judgment and my ability to function efficiently, whether at work or at home.  I can’t even relate to people normally in my agitated condition.

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.”   You have already given me a wonderful solution to this problem.  If only I would remember to use it!

The battle begins in my mind.  And You have given me a piece of armor to protect my mind – the Helmet of Salvation.   It guards my thoughts and gives me the ability to take them captive and hold them up to Your truth.  It also gives me the ability to understand and memorize Your truth so I have it at the ready when I need it.

Your truth can help me stop the flow of wrong and negative thoughts.  The evil one uses these, preferring that I remain sidelined in discouragement and depression, unable to defend myself.  He will use these kinds of half-truths and deceiving lies to mislead and condemn me.  But when held up to the truth, they are shattered and scattered.

One way I can know if a thought comes from You, is that You convict whereas satan condemns.  He would make me feel like a hopeless, dirty, rotten, sinner.  You may correct me, but Your words lift me up, motivate and empower me to make the needed corrections.  Your words generate hopefulness.  His produce hopelessness.

Lord, remind me, to use this amazing gift!  When a negative thought comes, prompt me to hold it up to Your truth immediately.  Help me build into my memory an arsenal of truth from Your scriptures.  When I memorize scripture I can use it to combat the lies seeking to discourage me and control my thinking.  Then I can confidently deal with whatever truth You show me.  “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me!”  Amen

Psalm 13:1-6

Dec 21 Shield my head

Father, what an incredible vision You gave John!  As he describes the scene and the action, it sounds like a great cosmic video game!  But this one does not play out over and over with a reset button when the player fails at the quest.

The revelation John sees here: “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” and “an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.”  These are not anime characters, but are signs that represent actual happenings.  The woman represents Israel, and the red dragon: satan.  Satan was hurled down to earth and roams here now to “lead the whole world astray.”

The bad news:  “woe to the earth and sea because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury…”.   The good news: “his time is short.”

Because satan roams the earth in his furious state, and has duped people into following him, I need You, Father, to “keep me safe from the hands of the wicked.”  It is not only the evil one, but also those under his authority who do his biding that I have seen at work.

I know sometimes I don’t make wise choices and must bear the consequences.  In those times Father, I ask for Your forgiveness and Your wisdom to learn from my mistakes.

And other times, I feel attacked; caught by surprise in situations and circumstances I did not anticipate.  I feel entrapped, tripped up, led into places, relationships, emotional states, and difficulties that feel like an oppressive force is orchestrating it all.

When I begin to feel discouraged and hopeless, when I find myself doubting Your goodness and Your love, I know there is some element of evil at work.  Thank You that You have promised to “shield my head in the day of battle.”  Your helmet of salvation protects my thoughts and reminds me of Your truth.  It helps me hold what I am feeling up against the truth of Your Word.

Thank You that I can be sure of Your love for me.  Thank You that I can know without a doubt, that Your purpose and plan for me are good.

Thank You that I know You will never, ever, leave me or forsake me.  And thank You that the devil’s time here on earth is short.  And a time will come when You will triumph over all!

In the meantime, I “will praise Your name”!  And “live [my life] in Your presence”, in safety, with You as “my strong deliverer”  awaiting Your “end game.”   Amen

Revelation 12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13

Sept 28 Victory in Jesus!

Father, I desire to “be strong in You and in Your mighty power.”   And to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes.”

I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these.  My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.

I wear the “Helmet of Salvation” – which bears Your insignia, letting all know in whose army I fight.  It guards my head, but also my thoughts.  It reminds me to take every thought captive and compare it to Your truth.

You have given me a “Belt of Truth” with which I can recognize the lies of the enemy.  Help me not be mesmerized by what I think I want to hear, so that I do not look deeply enough to recognize a lie when I hear it.

You have given me a “Breastplate of Righteousness” so that stabs and attacks glance off without doing harm.  With deeper protection, it is like the forerunner to the bulletproof vest which stops and arrests projectiles before they can hurt me.

You “fit my feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace”.   People may remove their shoes when entering a home or as a sign of relaxing.  But when shoes are put on, it signifies a readiness for action.

As a believer, my action should be directed toward sharing the “Good News” or the “Gospel” with others.   My faith in the Good News of my salvation gives me traction to be able to “stand firm.”  “So that when the day of evil comes, I will be able to stand my ground.”

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  This is not some little garbage can lid with a handle!  The shields Paul was seeing were those of the Roman guard.

They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall.  And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.

Father, every time You do what You say, keep Your promise, deliver me from some trouble, or stand with me in some hardship, it builds my faith.  It strengthens my Shield!  And when I stand beside other believers in their faith, I am protected even more!

And I take up the “Sword of the Spirit” – Your Holy Word.  There is such power in Your Word!  Evil trembles and turns back at the mention of Your name.  Praying Your Words back to You by using scripture empowers my prayers.

When I am dressed in Your armor, and wielding Your weapons, I am a mighty force!

Your armor is the best.  With it I can stand firm.  I can stand against the schemes of the evil one.

When You fight with me and for me, it is You who give me the victory!  And I receive the blessing.  Thank You!  Amen

Ephesians 6:10-17

Aug 17 Your Name, Your Word is power

Father, most days I don’t feel like I’m in a battle. I don’t see people who “seek my life”, “plot my ruin”, or who are “hiding nets” and “digging pits” for me. Most of the time I live oblivious to the spiritual battles that go on around me.

But I believe there is a spiritual realm.

You speak about spiritual powers: rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil, which have an effect on this world and on me. It may be a battle to control the minds and hearts of people; or it may affect actual circumstances. There are times I sense such calmness and peace in my spirit that does not come from my circumstances or the people around me. And there are other times when the atmosphere seems charged with negativity, an oppressiveness that feels truly evil; spawning confusion, disunity and fear.

It’s hard to put into words. But in those negative times, the waves of oppression are dispelled by calling on Your name: Lord Jesus Christ. I can speak scripture and am encouraged, strengthened by the power in it, as if I am wielding a sword, cutting through the darkness around me. It may seem the opposition is coming from a person or circumstance. Still, I do not pray against that person or circumstance, but against the power using or controlling them or it.

“Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.” Psalms like this one help me actually visualize what I cannot see in this battle, which takes place in the spiritual realm.

I can see You, Father, answering my cry, sending help to take up weapons against this enemy power. You pick up Your giant shield, strap on Your belt holding Your sword. You swing Your spear and javelin back and forth to ward off the enemy while advancing to my aid. These picture words help me “see” the fight that is before me, taking place in a realm I cannot yet see.

“May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away”.

There is a process of removing the dry, scaly outer husks of grain after it’s been harvested. For the grain to be usable, this casing must be separated from it. Pounding the harvested grain breaks the hull. Then the sifter tosses the grain up into a light wind and the seed, the heavier, edible grain, falls free from the outer hull. The breeze blows this outer piece, the chaff, aside, so the grain can be collected for food.

So now I can imagine these spiritual enemies, these powers that come against me, as the lightweight waste material, being blown away, tossed, whirled away from me, driven with the force of a powerful wind from You and Your angels.

“May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.”

When a path is dark, I usually move more slowly to be safe. And if it is slippery, I go even slower to keep from falling; trying to plant every step. So I can see the evil enemy fumbling, slipping, falling, being hurt and defeated on a dark, slippery path because Your angels are pursuing them, chasing them down.

“May the net they hid entangle them.”

I can visualize the enemy placing a net so carefully to trap me, but then getting confused, turned around, falling into it themselves, becoming tangled in the cords and held fast. Or running blindly to escape Your attack and falling into the very pit they have dug to entrap me.

When I picture these scenes as I pray, I join the battle. I feel Your power and the defeat of the enemy. Thank you for the peace You bring with Your victory! “Who is like You”? There is none. I rejoice in You! Amen

Psalm 35:1-10