When you get dressed today, don’t forget . . .

When you get dressed today, don’t forget . . .        2 Corinthians 10.3-6

Preparation for moral combat, so to speak

Welcome, Sammy from Ghana, Sara from Monterey, California, Justine from Uganda and others who just joined Morning Briefings this week!  You joined us midstride as we have been talking about hearing the voice of God, and discerning which of our many thoughts are from God, or from some other source.  Sometimes, things that run through our minds are placed there by our detractor, as I discussed in the last several briefings; these and thousands of others, may be accessed at www.pastorwoman.com.  Welcome, new friends.

Besides writing and teaching, I am a mother to four children—ages 31, 28, 18 and 15.  What has been said is true:  being a mother is like cutting part of your heart out of your body and letting it walk around without you.  Oh, there is so much joy watching your babies grow, take their first steps, learn to talk, and grow into children and then young adults.  There are so many things to teach them, including those things to be both aware of and wary of…

Similarly, Paul was like the spiritual parent of all the churches he spawned as he spread the gospel.  He wanted his young offspring to be fully aware of themselves as followers of Jesus Christ in a non-believing world.  He taught them to be aware of what was always going on around them, saying:  “For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed.” 2 Corinthians 10.3-6, HCSB

Paul’s words were not just for the first-century Christians; in fact, they are as relevant today as then, if not even more so.  Many people fail to recognize that the deceiver, Satan, has set himself against all that is good, all that is holy, healthy and helpful.  Some people do not want to countenance the truth of evil, but my dear friends, that does not mean it does not exist!  Truth is truth whether or not one chooses to acknowledge it.

Recognizing then that there is a war brought about by the powers of darkness that would rob us of joy, truth, honor and generally lead us astray, we are not without resource.  Indeed, we who are Christ’s followers have been given ‘weapons’ with which to gird ourselves.  Our weapons are God-given--the Word of God, righteousness, faith, the gospel of peace, and the power of prayer. Paul called these things the ‘armor of God’, and told the believers to put on the full armor of God, and then they would know his strength and his power! 

So, when you put on your deodorant in the morning, remember to put on the armor of God.  Just had a mental image of Ironman putting on his suit of armor before assuming his role in fighting the powers that be—why?  It equips, prepares and protects him.  The NFL player does not step onto the playing field without helmet and protective gear—why?  Because those are his protection, enabling him to play the game well AND without fear.  Now, you--you are a child of the King, so walk in righteousness and truth, and gird yourself with his words.  Picture yourself putting on the righteousness of God, kinda’ like your own Ironman suit, and carry his words within you—there, you’ve got your own armor.  ‘Got it?  Deodorant…soul armor…and okay, now you can put your pants on!

The world uses different ‘weapons’—lofty thinking, scientific knowledge, personal influence and intellectual rhetoric all laced with insidious pride, but we have TRUTH.  It is this TRUTH we use to overcome strongholds, which are what they sound like, fortresses built on false thinking/falsehoods.  It is the TRUTH of Christ that destroys lofty arguments that keep people in darkness.

“We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God,” Paul wrote; in other words, we take down any thought that keeps people from Christ.  This indicates strong action, biblical knowledge and intention on the part of the people of God. 

Knowledge of the evil one’s ways is beneficial.  He will remind you of your past, tell you that you are no good, that you’re never going to change…he will steal the joy God has in mind for you, causing you to worry and be anxious.  Do not let him.  Know who you are in Christ, and never forget whose you are.  Train your thoughts to hear God’s voice, and when you get dressed today … put on your soul armor.