Are you ready to stand with the Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
(Ephesians 6:13 (NIV))

It is my prayer that all believers have not only put on the full armor of God, but that they have also been reviewing the battle plans that we have been given. In all honesty, the full armor of God and His battle plans are one and the same. The full armor is the protection that we have been given through His Word, but we must also realize that His Word is also the battle plans for facing the enemy. Battle plans require a much deeper insight and knowledge than simply putting on armor. Battle plans require knowing the heart and mind and desires of the one whom we follow.

What are His objectives?

How can we achieve those objectives?

As members of the Body of Christ, we have been given a mission.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
(Matthew 28:19 (NIV))

I am sure that everyone has seen movies in which there is an alert and all military personnel scramble to get to their stations. In some cases it appears that they have been caught off guard and don’t know what to do.

Is that the Body of Christ?

Have we grown too comfortable and have we let the armor tarnish? If we have allowed our armor to tarnish, how do we expect to be prepared? How do we expect to know what the Lord is doing in response to what the enemy is doing in the world? Are we prepared?

Are you ready to stand with the Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Is your armor ready?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
(Ephesians 6:13 (NIV))

Armor is something that is thought of as protection, as something impenetrable. In the physical world, armor is often associated with metal and is imposing in nature. In the spiritual world, armor is not something that you wear, but something that you carry. You carry it in your hands and in your heart. This armor is the Word of God and it is a strong foundation on which to build everything that you do. The strength and protection that you receive from this armor comes from fully knowing that God always keeps His promises. He always protects His children. It is this knowledge, and the faith to hold on to this knowledge no matter the circumstances, that is the strongest armor that has ever been created.

All throughout history, men in armor have fought bravely and valiantly for something that they believed in. Even today, men in armor such military vehicles continue this tradition. They are fighting for earthly causes. How can we, when equipped to battle in the spiritual realm with God as our commanding officer and protector, not fully train to be part of the battle? We must keep our armor ready for we do not know what tomorrow may bring.

Do you have the right equipment for the coming battle?

Is your armor ready?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you able to stand your ground?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
(Ephesians 6:13 (NIV))

The phrase “Stand your ground” means to not give up even if it looks like all is lost. It usually implies that you dig in and brace yourself for all that the enemy has to throw your way. In essence, it can be taken to mean that you are in for a major battle and casualties will be severe. When you are facing this type of a battle, it is important to be prepared. It is important to take every precaution and make sure that your defenses are impenetrable.

If we have professed a faith in God’s only begotten son, Jesus, as our personal Lord and Savior, then we must be prepared for the attack of the enemy! We must be prepared. We must make sure that our defenses are impenetrable. It is important to remember that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags, so any defense that we put together on our own will be useless. We must rely on God! We cannot stand our ground on our own. We must totally surrender to God in order to stand our ground in the face of the enemy.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
(Ephesians 6:14-18 (NIV))

Too many people falsely believe that they will not have to face the attacks of the enemy. Professing a faith in Jesus does not mean that the attacks won’t come. It means that we have Jesus in our corner to fight the enemy for us. We still need to stand our ground.

Are you able to stand your ground?`

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Focus on the ultimate power and authority

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV))

No matter what the world throws at us, we have to focus on the ultimate power and authority that will eventually claim His own and then the world for Himself. We cannot be swayed by powers of this world, for they are fleeting.

A person’s life has been compared to a blade of grass. We are here for a short time, and then the world remembers us no more. With this kind of certainty in the physical world, we need to place our hope and faith in something that has better lasting potential than a blade of grass.

No matter how the world is going in your opinion, remember that God IS in control, and all powers of this earth have been put here for a reason. We do not know the exact details, but we can pray that God will be in control of us as well.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you have the resolve to not defile yourself?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
(Daniel 1:8 (NIV))

It was only food, but Daniel stood his ground. He knew that what he was being given to eat was not what he was supposed to put into his body. He could have very easily told himself that he had no choice and that it was the only thing that he had to eat. He could easily have justified doing what he was told to do.

How many times have you found yourself in a situation in which you thought you did not have any other option but to do what was right in front of you? We justify it by telling ourselves things like “just this once won’t hurt,” or “nobody will know.” What if Daniel had followed this philosophy? Would God have honored him with the strength and insight that He gave him? Daniel chose to stand his ground with respect to his faith. He did not waiver when things did not allow him to be obedient. He found ways to obey what God asked. This even carried through to later in his life when it was a royal decree to only pray to the king. Did Daniel waiver in his faith then? He did what he knew to be right with the food and he did what he knew to be right with prayer. If we give in to our circumstances, will we be faithful? Will we be held righteous in the eyes of God if we falter during these moments.

Through the atoning blood of Jesus, God will forgive us, however, will He use us? He longs for us to be faithful in our hearts and in our actions. If we justify our choices and give in to things that we shouldn’t, will God be able to trust us in fulfilling what He has called us to for His Kingdom?

What are the things that you know you shouldn’t do? How do you justify them to yourself? How do you try to justify them to God?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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