Put on the Armor

“But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God.” LIVING BIBLE



When I read this scripture, I think of an old movie I saw with Roman soldiers. I wondered how they could possibly fight in a battle with all that heavy, metal gear. How could they even stand up?! The Bible tells us to “put on the full armor of God” – but this kind of armor won’t weigh us down. Its purpose is to aid and protect us in the battle. Yes, we are in a battle every day. Satan will try to throw things at us to make us stumble and fall away from God. He will invade our minds to plant lies and seeds of discouragement. The influences of the world around us will quietly wear us down.


Truth, righteousness, the good news of peace, faith, salvation, and God’s word, are all parts of the armor God gives us to win the battles. Truth gives us stability to stand. Righteousness is God’s goodness in us – it shelters our heart, which is so vulnerable. The good news will give you sure footing and a reason to fight. Faith – our belief in God and His promises – is the shield that makes the temptations and other things that may hurt us bounce right off. Salvation, which is our hope, keeps us pointed in the right direction. God’s word is the ammunition we need to keep fighting. It’s all there anytime we want to put it on. We never have to go into battle unprepared or alone. God is faithful.

Mothers, teach your children to put on the armor each day before they enter the world. Their tender little hearts need the protection while they are away from your care.

Blessings all!

It's Your Choice

“But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind. Such doubters are thinking two different things at the same time, and they cannot decide about anything they do. They should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:5-7

Is Doubt A Choice?

Sounds to me like it is. I God said “don’t doubt” then He will give us what we need to be strong in that area.

Doubt comes to us through our thoughts. Sometimes Satan will place thoughts of doubt in our minds when we aren’t paying attention to his whisperings. This is why it is so important to guard our thinking and keep our thoughts restricted. Satan wants to destroy our faith and he will lie and plant seeds of negativity in our minds to accomplish his goal of tearing us down.

God gives faith. Satan gives doubt. It’s that simple. God may plant a thought in our minds to direct us from doing a certain thing, but if we are in tune to his voice, we will know it is direction and not doubt. The thoughts of doubt are designed to steal your faith and it takes practice to know the difference between direction and doubt.

Don’t let doubt and unbelief rob you of victories and happiness. We all have a calling. Doubt and lack of faith will only lead us off our path. What have you got to lose by being positive? It’s your choice.

Jesus, thank you for the measure of faith you have planted in me. Help me to grow it into the mighty things you have for me to do.

Look Out Below!

"A few days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. Many people gathered together so that there was no room in the house, not even outside the door. And Jesus was teaching them God's message. Four people came, carrying a paralyzed man. Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug a hole in the roof right above where he was speaking. When they got through, they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralyzed man, "Young man, your sins are forgiven."
Mark 2:1-5

When was the last time you had a friend like the one who lowered this man down through the ceiling? Or more to the point, when was the last time you made such an effort with one of your hurting friends?

All of us reach a point when we need a helping hand - when we need to be carried to Jesus. Our troubles and pain can bring a different kind of paralysis, keeping us from reaching the One who could heal us. If it were not for the boldness and determination of certain people in our lives, we may lay there growing more discouraged by the day.

Jesus recognized the faith of these caring friends and rewarded their efforts by healing the man. Sometimes, it takes a lot of trouble and energy to go that far for someone, but when we know it's what we are called to do, we must do it.

Consider the paralytics in your life. Do they need a helping hand?

It Is Wll With My Soul

“When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul.”

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford after losing one of his children. The words which Spafford wrote come from 2 Kings 4:26, and reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is unwavering.

The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Even after all this tragedy, Horatio could still pen those beloved words.

Oh, that I might have that kind of faith. We never know what tragic things might come our way in this world. We must go deep in our relationship with Christ to anchor our hearts, minds and spirits. Only then will we know that whatever our lot…it will be well with our soul.

How Do You Know?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:1 & 3


My sister is a teacher, and has worked for 20+ years at a partially underground school. She has spent many hundreds of hours in that place. Over the last 8 years, she and 4 other long time teachers in the building developed breast cancer, and several others experienced other major health problems. The building is equipped with a radon filtering system that has not always worked properly, and hardly ever maintained. The EPA is finally getting involved in an investigation.

Even though there is no clinical indication yet that this invisible radon causes breast cancer, my sister and her colleagues are convinced without a doubt that there is a link between their cancer and radon, or some other unseen thing in that property. They have witnessed the effects, and no matter what the outcome of the investigation, they will go to their grave believing the evidence.

So it is with those of us who have faith in a God that we cannot see, smell, taste or touch. We have witness in our hearts and minds that tell us He is near to us and will greatly effect our lives. Like the invisible radon gas, the more time we spend with Him, the more He touches our lives. The only difference is that radon kills, and God gives us life, rest, peace, joy and an opportunity to spend eternity with him.

Why is it so hard for people to bow to a God like that? Why is it easier to spend time fighting an unseen gas, than it is to spend time with an unseen God who wants to communicate his love to us personally? Maybe that sounds silly, but it’s true. The world will chase the unseen things that will never last, but will ignore the loving God of the universe.

The scientists cannot prove He doesn’t exist, any more than they can prove that radon causes breast cancer. But He does exist. The evidence is all around us. I know that I know that I know, and like the uncounted other Christians in this world, I will go to my grave believing and serving my Creator.