The Word of God, Part 2

Ephesians 6:10-18, "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (NLT)

 

I must confess that I have been involved in sermon preparation earlier this morning and I am strengthened and encouraged as I read the promises that are revealed in the Word of God. I sense the same urgency as I did as a father when our sons drove away from the house as a solo driver for the first time. I can remember give them my "checklist" of things to notice but most of all I told them to pay attention to other drivers and what was taking place around them. Their successful journey would depend on them being able to react correctly if something went wrong! The Church must open our eyes and react in the correct manner to things that are presently going wrong around us. The moral compass of our nation is very distorted and in many cases the compass is pointing away from the Bible to a path that is driven by humanistic ideologies. What can we do in this day and time? We will do what our previous generations have done; we will look to the Word of God for guidance and direction. Will you join with me in the pursuit of truth and righteousness in our individual lives as well as corporate lives? I still believe that the Word of God is the ANSWER for the ills of our society!

 

My heart was stirred as I read this prayer of Chuck Swindoll. I want to share another portion of it with you.

 

"Father, we pray that You will cause us to glean from Your Word truth to live by, knowing that it represents truth to die for. Ours is a troubled era. The battle for men's and women's souls and for our youth's minds is raging. And rather than simply throwing a fit and screaming at the top of our voices, we bring our requests to You. We ask that Your truth may equip us with sufficient ammunition to do battle in a world that's lost its way and is guided by an enemy who is deceptive and effective, who knows exactly where he's going. We pray that we will grasp the value of doctrine as it establishes us for whatever comes our way—those surprises, those unexpected events, those things we will call tragedies, and those joys and delights that are before us.

Anchor us, our Father, to the bedrock of truth and remind us that Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday and today and forever. It's all His story. Our Father, our eyes are upon Jesus. It is in His merciful, matchless name we pray. Amen."