WARRIORS - Part I

Have you seen the pictures of the warrior men and women bowing in a kneeling stance, dressed in full armour? I’ve seen these pictures numerous times as I scroll through my social media accounts. Advertisements or not, they've made me pause. They look strong—these pictured warriors of God.

This is who I want to be, so …

I was told once (maybe twice or thirty+ times) that I can be blunt. That being said ... my heart beats faster as I write this because some of what I’ll write over the next few months might be more difficult to read. I hope to be encouraging but ... you may disagree with me, and being a middle child I’ve always loved when everyone likes me. But … those days are over. LOL

I’m never going to be a huge “influencer” and that is perfectly fine, but for those few of you who read what I believe God is leading me to write, I love and care about you deeply.

And, the world being what it is today, there is no more time for twaddle and fluff. (Although the feel-good-don’t-make-you-think stuff is easy and I do write some of that too.)

I’ve been studying this: putting on the ARMOUR of God. (Found in Ephesians 6:10-20 - a short read with much wisdom packed into just ten verses.)

If we’ve made a decision to follow and belong to Him, then we need to know what makes up God’s warrior.

Over the next few months (As you know, I post only twice a month so hopefully you won’t get sick of me), I’ll concentrate on only one piece per blog. The first being … ta-da … The BELT of TRUTH! (written about specifically in … Ephesians 6:14 "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist" (NIV))

I don’t know about you but every day I feel as though more lies are being thrown at me, and I don’t have to seek them out on obscure websites either. We’re all being bombarded with them daily, on TV and any tech we own. If we don’t applaud these we're either called far-right extremists, conspiracy theorists, uneducated or haters.

Hmm … I was born in the night but NOT last night. I still believe I don’t have to simply swallow everything I’m being fed. Instead, I’ve decided to compare what’s happening through the lens of God’s Word.

(If we’re Christ-followers we should be in the habit of doing this, but I’ll admit I haven’t always.)

The bible tells us that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Every one of his attacks begins with a lie. Also in John 8, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV)

IF we hold to His teaching—ALL of it—then we will know the truth. That means studying it so we can discern what is right and good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

In order to do that, we’ve got to get into … the WORD. No two ways about it. If we study the Bible (not just some of it or only a verse here or there that make us feel good) He promises we will know the truth. I don’t know how you feel, but in this time of confusion for many, I think it's more important than ever to know the truth!

The love of God is foremost in the Bible and that’s exactly why I want to wrap the belt of truth tightly around my waist. I want to know ALL of the truth, tell the truth and KNOW the heart of the One who loved me so much that He died to save me.

It’s clear that we’re in an ever-increasing spiritual battle. I don’t think many followers of Jesus would deny that, so lets get our armour on!! And remember, “… greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1John 4:4b KJV)

I am encouraged when I read God’s roadmap. I hope you are too! This is going to be grand!!

End of July: Draw for a FREE BOOK! And … the next piece attached to the belt — the Breastplate of Righteousness.

Also ... for those of you who are praying for Sullivan -- his MRI is on July 20th! THANK YOU for your prayers!

Hope you're all having a great summer!

Pattie