Today, I am discouraged .   Oh, I have hope but it is clouded by the Enemy's arrows.  Like that term?  I stole it (sort of) from the Bible study we are doing called Putting on the Armo r.   We are supposed to pick up the shield of faith , which is something else I have. I have hope and I have faith.  You would think that would be enough.  But today, I just feel discouraged and frustrated. Today, I know what the devil's arrows are.  You see, there are things going on that seem to be so counter-Christian....at church.  People are frustrated and discouraged. Good people. People who have faith and hope. People who LOVE Jesus.  They are so frustrated that they are focused on what's bad.  I'm  not trying to diminish the issues.  I just wish that we could instead focus on the good and look for ways to be proactive, instead of "there's no use".  Instead of hashing and rehashing, we should stop each other in each other's tracks t...

Yes, I have more to say on the subject.  I never would have thought that when I first saw the passage.  It has such few words and isn't even a complete sentence! (See Ephesians 6:15 - NCV this time) I thought about this piece of the armor a little bit. At first I was focused on preparedness. But looking through images for the previous post, and thinking a little about shoes in general, I gained a fuller understanding and visual image of this piece of armor. Our study included a sentence about the footwear of the Roman soldier, who was certainly  a prominent part of the culture when this passage was written.  I found an image of that sandal.  The shoe/sandal has long nails to ensure solid footing.  The land in the Holy Land is sandy and rocky and hard.  Slick bottomed sandals would not have been considered part of military equipment.  So, to make them military armor, the nails were added. Let's look at that and other purposes of shoes....

Put on your sandals so you are ready.  Well, you don't have to wear sandals.  Any appropriate footwear will be okay.  Just be ready, with your shoes on.  Be ready to tell others what you believe about Jesus Christ; that He is your savior, that He loves you and everyone you come in contact with, that He DIED a horrible death for you, and that He forgives every bad thing you've done, bad thing you've thought and  every bad thing you will ever do or think.( Ephesians 6:15 HCSB ) That is the Good News.  That even though He was in paradise with the Father in heaven, where things are perfect beyond what we can imagine, He still came to us as a baby, grew up stubbing his toes, falling as He learned to walk, hurting his hands working with wood and stone, and otherwise was human.  And if coming to us where we live here on this fallen planet weren't enough to make you tell about Him, He suffered a horrific death, taking on all the sins ever committed and all ...

Ephesians 6: 11-18 The Armor of God Verse 14 is: Stand firm then, .......... with the breastplate of righteousness in place, The breastplate of righteousness is doing what is right.  That is a lot easier said than done. And to be perfectly honest, I think doing what is right changes over time.  I don't mean that God's definition of right and wrong changes.  I mean that the more I learn about the Bible and the closer my relationship gets with Christ, the more I learn about what right and wrong are.  I believe a lot more things are wrong that I used to.  They were always wrong.  I just didn't know it or I chose to ignore it. For example, there was a time when receiving too much change back was considered good luck, or not my problem, or even a gift from God.  But as I have grown in my Walk, I have come to KNOW that receiving then keeping that excess change is wrong and the same as stealing.  Now, if you aren't there yet, that is ok.  I am n...

Ephesians 6:14 says " Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.. ," Let's think of what a Belt of Truth might be.  We already know that Truth is Jesus.  Jesus is the Truth as he said in John 14:6 " ...I am the way the truth and the life......" So, what does it mean to wear the Belt of Truth? When I think of a belt several images come to mind.  One is the slim belt that I wear on my dress pants.  At one time, its purpose was to keep my pants in place and to keep my shirts tucked in.  So this belt is for keeping things in place...or perhaps in perspective.   Another belt is picture is a prize held up after a boxing match.  This belt is to show the winner of a match earned from hard work and a winning boxing match.  This belt can illustrate hard work, determination, fighting for what one believes in. Another that comes to mind is one worn by persons who need help to support their backs. This belt is for being able to ...