Get Dressed Today!

Good morning friends! As I’m sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee and some peace and quiet (much needed) on this beautiful Saturday morning, let me just say that it has been a week! And I mean a WEEK! I admit that I have felt a little like Jonah: “cast [me] into the deep, into the heart of the seas…And the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me” (Jonah 2:3,5). Or maybe A LOT like Jonah! Stress levels have been high (my watch even tells me this!)…energy levels have been low.

This morning’s Bible reading found me in Ephesians. I love this epistle so much! Everything about it is so practical and so necessary. The Lord never fails to find me when I visit Him here. This morning, God met me in chapter 6. Take a look at this passage with me:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints^…” (Ephesians 6: 10-18).

So here is the journey God took me on with this passage this morning. If any of you have or have had little kids, you can relate to the idea of laying their clothes out for them. Let’s face it…little people usually aren’t capable of putting together a matching outfit. To be honest, many teenagers haven’t even mastered that skill. So yeah, I can distinctly remember laying cute little outfits out for my girls for school, draping them over the bed, all ready and waiting for my daughters’ little bodies to fill them out. Outfits with the perfect accessories. Outfits with just the right amount of bling. It’s just another part of the mom job. But did you know that it is also just another part of the God job too? Did you know that God, from the beginning, has been hand-selecting and laying out our outfit on our beds for us each and every day? Did you know that God has designed and chosen an outfit for us, one with all the right accessories? With all the right bling? An outfit that looks a lot like armor 😂

Many of you have probably read or heard about or maybe even studied the armor of God before. But, for me, for today, this was a much needed reminder.
~In a world full of fake news, of misinformation, of endless fact-checking, of flat out lies and deception, God has laid out for me the Belt of Truth. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life.” He also says that we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free (John 8:32).
~In a world full of evil, evil intentions, evil motivations, evil behaviors, God has laid out for me the Breastplate of Righteousness. On a literal level, to be righteous means to be right. Morally right. Right before God. Right with God. The Psalmist describes this person as one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly or take part in sinful activities with sinful men, but instead as one who delights in God and His word and who brings forth godly fruit (Psalm 1:1-3).
~In a world full of stress and turmoil and anxiety, God has laid out for me the Shoes of Peace. I own a lot of shoes (to my husband’s unending chagrin), but these are my absolute favorite! Because, as Paul tells us in his epistle to the Philippians, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (4:7). The peace of God….that means God’s peace! I don’t know about you, but I do not picture God as being in stress or anxiety or turmoil EVER. And we literally have access to His peace. So, when we have those shoes strapped on, that peace, God’s personal bank account of peace, GUARDS our minds from all the stress and anxiety and turmoil bombs the enemy tosses our way.
~In a world full of doubt and unbelief, God has laid out for me an amazing accessory, the Shield of Faith! We are told in Hebrews that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (11:6). That’s kind of a frightening thought because I want to be pleasing to God-until I think about the armor. Then I realize that I don’t have to manufacture faith because God has already laid it out for me…for all of us! And this shield of faith, well, it is a special shield, one that can “quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16). Trust me, the enemy is all about lobbing fiery darts our way. I’ve personally been singed by one or two- this week! But our shield of faith can and will quench them ALL!

~In a world full of despair and hopelessness, in a world full of people without God, God has laid out for me (and for you) the Helmet of Salvation. Picture the most awesome fedora as an accessory to the most amazing outfit you own….voila! The Helmet of Salvation! Think about this one….helmets protect our heads, our brains, the place where our thinking takes place. Once we slip that helmet on, we can rest in the assurance of our salvation in Christ, in the assurance of knowing that we are His. And when we know this, truly know this, we can lean into Jesus’ words: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).
~In a world full of enemies and pitfalls, with weapons aimed at us from morning until night, God has laid out for us the ultimate accessory: the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God. If you have a Bible lying somewhere nearby as you read this blog, take a quick look at it. THAT is your weapon. One more qualifier- that ALONE is your weapon. The Lord has not given us any other weapons than His word. Some days I wish I could leave my house armed to the teeth with all kids of defensive weapons….but He has given me His word alone…BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WEAPON I NEED! Dig into this word….know this word. For it’s only in doing so that you can resist the enemy, that you can stand against his wiles, that you can be free. Which takes us right back to the truth. The Bible says that Jesus is the word and that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus tells us that He is the truth. By the process of deduction then, the WORD IS TRUTH, the only truth that can make us free (John 8:32).

So that’s the outfit God has laid out for me…for today, for tomorrow, and for the day after that…..for all of my days. But how many times have I been like those little girls I used to dress so carefully? How many times have I walked away from this outfit that God has laid out for me and chosen a different outfit instead? Too many times…..too many times I’ve chosen to leave my house exposed and vulnerable and open to attack. And let me tell you, friends, the enemy of your soul knows when you leave your house naked! He knows and he attacks accordingly! But you don’t have to let him. Put on your armor today! Take up your whole armor! Don’t leave any piece of your divine clothing lying on that bed! Because, once you put on the whole outfit, you can stand! You can “withstand in the evil day, and having done all” you can continue to stand! That’s a promise from God you can rely on completely and entirely and wholly…because the God who promised is always faithful (Hebrews 10:23).