10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his powerful strength. 11 Put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. 12 We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. 13 Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything possible to still stand. 14 So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, 15 and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. 16 Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.
18 Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers.
Reflection
Two weeks ago, my family – husband, two kids and their spouses, and two granddaughters went on a trip to Disney World. We also did a day at Epic Universe. We had a wonderful time together. If you have been to Disney, you know that the days can be very long. There is a lot of walking, it can be extremely hot in July, and it can also rain at any moment in Florida. Because of all of those reasons, I packed my backpack every day with a wide variety of things that may have been needed – fans, cooling towels, a water bottle, sunscreen, snacks, a raincoat, a change of clothes and a change of shoes, as well as Advil, and sunglasses. My granddaughter was surprised how heavy my pack felt when she picked it up. That may sound crazy to you, but I wanted to be prepared so that we all could better enjoy the days in the parks.
Paul told the people of Ephesus to take all of the spiritual things they needed when they went out and about to do ministry so that they were prepared, and we can use those exact things when we are out and about in the world living our lives and working to build the Kindom. Paul was writing from prison, so he knew firsthand about obstacles to ministry. Our verses talk about the evil we may encounter and how the forces of evil try to keep us from planting those seeds that Joe talked about on Sunday. If we use the spiritual tools Paul listed, we should have an easier time. I’m not saying it will be easy, but these things should help us if we pack them along as we go out into the world.
First, we need to be strong in God and in God’s power. We know what God has done for us, so we need to take that with us, so we are ready to confront obstacles. We need the belt of truth because there are so many lies and so many false prophets out there. We need to speak truth to power about what is happening in our world and against those who are using the name of Christ to hurt others. The breastplate of justice can be hard to come by at times, but we need to do our best to notice injustice in the world and fight for what is right. Our shoes of peace remind us that we are to be a peaceful presence in the world. We are to work toward peace. We are called to be peacemakers. The shield of faith is out in front of us leading the way in all we do. The helmet of salvation covers us and the sword of the Spirit which is God’s word will give us information to share with others as we go. We need to do our homework within the scripture – we don’t have to be experts, but we need to be confident in what we are saying to others and in our deeds so that our words don’t come back at us as hypocritical.
The list may seem long, but I am sure you already use many of these things. Just pack your bag as you head out into the world to help others and to share the Word and your experience with those who need to hear it.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
What would you say you tend to forget to pack when you go out into the world? What can you do to work on strengthening that aspect of your witness?
Prayer: God who leads us, help us to remember to pack the tools you have fully available to us and give us strength to use them as we are out in the world, sharing your love with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
P.S. – We are looking for people to help write devotions. If you are interested, please contact the church office. It has certainly helped me dive a bit deeper into scripture!
