The Armor of God

The Armor of God

“Saul dressed David in his own armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head, dressed him in a breastplate and buckled his own sword over David’s armor. David tried to walk but, not being used to them, said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk in these; I am not used to them.’ So they took them off again.” (1 Samuel 17:38)

What are the big fights facing me at the moment? Which Goliath am I facing? Which armor am I putting on for the battle? How does God see my situation today? Which armor is God offering?

“That is why you must take up all God’s armor, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.

So stand your ground, with truth a belt round your waist, and uprightness a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to quench the burning arrows of the Evil One. And then you must take salvation as your helmet and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 13 – 17)

Which armor are you putting on in your struggles today? God’s armor or man’s? To fight Goliath, David rejected man’s armor and put on God’s armor.

Do I have instances in my life where the choice between God’s armor and man’s mad a critical difference?

These scripture passages are a few of the many scriptures that represent God’s armor when I faced Goliath in the areas of job, finance, health, etc in my life:

“Yahweh your God himself will lead you across.” (Deuteronomy 31: 3)

“The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Finally, David answered Goliath defiantly:

“But I come to you in the name of Yahweh Sabaoth, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have challenged …. So that the whole world may know that there is a God in Israel, and this whole assembly know that Yahweh does not give victory by means of sword and spear – for Yahweh is Lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.” (1 Samuel 17: 45 – 47)

Appearances

Appearances

“But Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Appearances can be deceptive. The tiny Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem was certainly an appearance that was deceptive. The bloodied Jesus on the cross was another. The bread and wine transformed at Mass into the Body and Blood of Jesus retain their accidents and deceive many. But note that those who walk by faith and not by sight are not deceived by appearances. Jesus was recognized by his parents, the shepherds, the magi, Simeon and Anna as the Son of God. As bloodied as he was on the cross, the Good Thief still recognized Jesus as divine. Millions everywhere recognize the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. What all these people have in common is faith.

How do I see people, institutions and events? Am I influenced by appearances? Is it possible for me to see as God sees, that is, “look at the heart?”

O Jesus, help me to see myself as you see me. Help me to see my neighbor as you see him. Let me see the world as you see it.

What do I need to see today as God sees it?

• The Enterprise


• Family


• Money


• Health


• Food

Where can I look for answer? In the word of God.

The Choice, the Call, the Anointing

The Choice, the Call, the Anointing

“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42: 6-7)

Lord, if you call me, I answer and say: “Here I am Lord, I will go.”

You promise to be my strength in proportion to the trust I place on you. Lord, who would not like to place 100% trust in you so that he may enjoy your strength and your resources to the full? Lord, help me to trust you 100%.

Promise of Provision

Promise of Provision

“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.’ Let us be bold, then, and say,

‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” (Hebrew 13:5)

The above scripture has brought me immense peace again and again with regard to money. My interpretation of it is as follows:

Do not worry about money. Have no anxiety whatsoever about money.

Whatever you find that you have at any material time, be content with it. It may be a large amount or a small amount, let not that bother you.

God promises: I will always provide for you and be your sufficiency and you will never be embarrassed by money. You will always have what you need.

Because God has made the above promise and I know that he is faithful, I am very bold and confident as I say: ‘The Lord is my helper in financial needs. Why should I be afraid? Nobody can threaten me or embarrass me because of money.’

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need.” (Psalm 23: 1)

“The Lord is my light and salvation; I will fear no one.” (Psalm 27: 1)

“Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from you.” (Psalm 16:1)

Character is Destiny

Character is Destiny

“For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.” (Deuteronomy 10: 17 – 18)

God’s Character:

• · Omnipresence
• · Omnipotence
• · Omniscience
• · Grandeur
• 
  
• · Goodness
• · Love
• · Truth
• · Faithfulness
• · Mercy
• · Compassion
• · Holiness
• · Purity
• · Eternity
• · Longsuffering
• · Just

Man’s Character: this is how God sees the new man liberated by Jesus Christ. We are continually evolving into this.

• · Created in God’s image and likeness
• · Righteous
• · Son of God
• · Temple of the Holy Spirit
• · New creation
• · Reflection of God
• · Heir
• · Good
• · Strong
• · Rich
• · Beloved
• · Chosen
• · Holy

Trust God

Trust God

“For there is nothing that God cannot do.” (Luke 1: 37)

I believe in the Bible
I believe in prayer
I believe in miracle
I leave the rest to God.
I have faith in God’s disposal of events.

Your Word is my life

Your Word is my life

“Take all these words to heart; …..  You must not think of this as empty words, for the Law is your life, and by its means you will live long in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  (Deuteronomy 32: 46 – 47)

“In the scroll of the book it is written of me, my delight is to do your will, your law, my God, is deep in my heart.” (Psalm 40: 7 – 8)

“If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciple; you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8: 31 – 32)

Your word O God is:

• My life


• My delight


• My joy


• My food


• My home


• My treasure


• My passport


• My freedom.

If I cling to the word, I will succeed in everything I do. (Psalm 1: 3)