School Bible study thingy. I missed two weeks this time. :(

     I am really sorry; I have been really busy, so I couldn't do the Bible study post thingy! Anyway, I want to write about faith. My favorite verses from the bible come from Ephesians. Chapter 6:10 through 17 says:

Ephesians 6:10-17New International Version (NIV)

The Armor of God

     ^"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

     I know I have kind-of already talked about it, but I love this verse, so I decided this should be my topic. Here is why I like this verse.
Life is hard. There are struggles and hardships around every corner, it seems. In reality, it is a war. Spiritual warfare is active in every human being. The devil is temping everyone to give up. He wants us to abandon God and he is trying his best to make it happen. Lies or almost-truths fly at us to force us to devalue ourselves. Bad messages are being wedged into the minds of the lost so that they might desire something else other than God. Those who have blocked their ears to the Savior's voice have found themselves in the sinking sand of depression. The spirits of those who have lost their purpose have tried to become what they aren't in order to be accepted by men. Those who aren't on their guard because they believe that there isn't war at all are attacked without a spiritual weapon to defend them. These people's hearts are not firmly fastened to the truth. Life is impossible in the presence of the enemy. Or is it?

     The Christian life is one of hope, for our powerful ally, the Lord Almighty has won the battle and rendered death defeated. It is still here, but it has no power over us. Christ has won the victory! He has given us Truth, Light, Guidance, a Firm Foundation, Purpose, Strength, and a Stronghold because He is those things. The enemy has not yet been sent to hell, but he still is at work in the world. Christ is with us, and he has offered the tools to stand firm, should we take it. We have the Belt of Truth to, well, hold all ourselves together. 

 Romans 1:16 New International Version (NIV) says:
     ^"16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

     That's what the Belt of Truth does and how it helps us to stand firm. Next, we have the Breastplate of Righteousness. It holds our structure upright. I picture it as the part of the armor that shines like the sun because righteousness loves the light. Or should I say, it shines like the Son, for Christ is the perfectly righteous Son of God. Our feet, then, are also firm on the solid Rock, in the shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of peace. The roman soldier shoes of the time this passage was written in were called caliga and were kind-of like cleats with metal nails sticking out the soles. They were firm, good for long marches, and, well, they helped the soldier stand their ground. It is the same for the spiritual footwear. The Shield of Faith extinguishes the flaming arrows designed to burn in our hearts with degrading lies about ourselves. The shield is the strongest tool of defense to stand our ground. The Helmet of Salvation protects our minds from the wrong messages coming at us from the world. The sword of the Spirit is our hope, for the Word of God counters all the hurling accusations from the Evil One. All these are to help us stand strong.

     And we are not alone. No, we can talk to our Almighty Father anytime, because He is fighting for us and He is our friend. This armor is to encourage us to have faith in God. He wants us to believe that He will provide what we need, even protection.