TUESDAY - Devotional

READ: Ephesians 6:10-11

(Answer the question/s below in your app notes)

• What schemes might Satan use to keep you from standing up bravely for God?

My sister and I are avid board game enthusiasts. Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, Codenames, Rook, chess…we’ve played an impressive spread of them and love them all for different reasons.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit unrealistic. My sister and I favor some games over others. Recently, we were dissecting what makes a game great to each of us. My sister had immediate clarity. “It’s luck,” she said passionately. “I hate games that only rely on luck. I want to use strategy.”

Paul writes about putting the armor of God on us: the Sword of the Spirit, the Helmet of Salvation, the Belt of Truth, etcetera. But it’s important to note that Paul is very specific in why we are to arm ourselves with these defenses. Paul says: “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.”

Did you catch that? There’s a strategy here: put on your armor so that you can take your stand. We don’t put on armor uselessly, or to look cool, to appear spiritual, or to win God’s favor. We put it on because we will need it.