Tag Archives: Armor of God

Be Watchful

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

Well, our resident opossum is back and Bear is not happy. I don’t know where Mr. Possum goes between visits, but Bear believes it is his responsibility to send the intruder away.

It’s bad enough for our poor dog the cat across the street spends his evenings curled up  on the chair on our front porch, but the backyard is Bear Territory. No varmints allowed.

Bear takes this intrusion into his yard seriously. He wakes up at 2:30 am many mornings to sniff out violators of his space and secure the perimeter.

I have no idea why Bear believes 2 am is the prime time for possum chasing, (and skunk investigating) but I know Pilot wishes he’d make his rounds in the daylight hours.

As I ponder Bear’s vigilance, I wonder how well we stay on guard against those things that go bump in our nights.

No, I’m not talking about bats again. I’m talking about those spiritual attacks that can come out of nowhere and catch us snoozing with our defenses down. Things that by themselves might seem innocent, things we can rationalize away, but if allowed to become a habit, can turn unhealthy.

The following is in no way exhaustive, and I’m sure you can add to the list, but I’ll just mention a few.

  • We eat lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex more often than we should. They understand when our spouse doesn’t after all, so what’s the harm in that?
  • We watch shows and movies we know don’t line up with God’s word. How else can we know what our friends are discussing?
  • We read books and magazines that would make our grandmother blush. We need to stay current with the trends, right?
  • We lose our temper, become angry, and spew harmful words that we can’t take back. Can we help it if we have a short fuse?
  • We decide it won’t hurt to skip church today, or next week, or the week after that. I can worship God anywhere, right?

In 1 Peter we’re told to be watchful because the devil prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour. After Paul tells us to put on the armor of God so we can stand against Satan in Ephesians 6, he tells us to remember to pray at all times.

Just as Bear is vigilant to protect our perimeters from intruders, we need to be watchful against spiritual intruders that threaten to undo us. The Bible tells us how. All we need to do is follow it.

courtesy bing

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 Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.  Ephesians 6:18 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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The Full Armor of God

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

If you have even the slightest interest in space exploration and America’s space flight history, and have the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida, I strongly suggest you go.

Pilot, his father, and our son, Pie, all have ties to America’s space flight history and I couldn’t be prouder. I’ve been privileged to meet numerous astronauts and have my own very small part in the adventure. I guess you could say space excites me.

 

On a recent visit to the Kennedy Space Center, one thing that especially caught my attention was the astronaut suit display. This was not my first time examining the Pumpkin Suit, as it is called. I’ve seen it many times before but this was the first time I made a spiritual connection with the suit and the armor of God.

Boots : Heat resistant, strong but flexible, allowed astronauts to run if necessary.

 

Astronaut class badge: Designated which class the astronaut was a part of by year.

The bright color orange: Used because it stood out so well against any background.

Gloves: Textured to allow astronauts to throw switches, push buttons, and turn knobs.

 

Helmet: Connected to suit via a locking metal ring. Contained all communication equipment needed to talk to each other and mission control during launch and landing. Heavy reflective tape on outside aided in search and rescue.

 

Helmet Visor: Provided a large enough field of vision to see front and sides. Sunshade could be brought down to block the sun’s glare.

Personal pocket 1: Used for various personal items such as glasses, medicine, a watch, calculator, note pads, pencils, personal photos.

Personal pocket 2: Carry anything that fit there, mostly pens.

 

Right leg survival gear pouch: Radio with 24-hour battery, earphones, spare antenna, motion sickness pills, signal mirror visible up to 40 miles away, one survival mitten.

Left leg survival gear pouch: Strobe light visible up to 50 miles away, two glow sticks, flare kit with seven cartridges, one survival mitten.

Just as the astronauts suit-up with the equipment especially designed for their missions in space, Paul tells us in Ephesians we are to suit-up with the Armor of God to be equipped for our missions here on earth.

I know there are other comparisons that can be made regarding uniforms designed to protect the wearer, but this was the one that came to mind while I was at Kennedy.

What other uniform comparisons come to your mind?

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In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women. Ephesians 6:11-18 (Phillips)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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One of my posts is scheduled to appear on Christian Devotions September 21, 2015. Please stop by and check it out.

Keep Your Eyes Open

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Several weeks ago, Pilot and I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. In the late afternoon of the last day of the conference, we decided to hike to the lake. Most conferees had already headed home by then. The once busy campus of Ridgecrest felt rather deserted.

Because I made a last minute decision not to include my hiking boots for the trip, Pilot and I walked on the asphalt road, instead of through the wooded trail. Safer for my sandal-clad feet, I reasoned.

Away from civilization, we rounded a bend in the road. I marveled at the soothing sound of a small stream to my right. I leaned over the edge of the road, stared down to the water below, and kept walking.

 

That’s when Pilot shouted, “Stop! Snake!”

Got my attention. That’s for sure.

Not more than two steps in front of me, lay a healthy-sized Copperhead. Head up, he sat motionless like, well, a snake on the asphalt. Unperturbed by our presence, the Copperhead continued to gather warmth from the road for his cool evening ahead.

Pilot suggested we walk around the snake, and continue up the mountain to the lake. NOOO…I was not about to expose my ill-shod feet to venomous predators. Thank you very much. Besides, I’m not so sure Pilot could haul me back down the mountain without injuring himself. And I’m pretty positive, despite knowing I would need to stay calm if bitten, that probably wasn’t going to happen.

 

So I’m thinking…do we ever find ourselves walking along in life, uphill at times, with a goal in mind, only to be distracted by something? We take our eyes off the road, and stumble onto some danger we could have avoided, if we’d kept our eyes open, and paid attention to where we were going.

Sometimes the road blocks send us back the way we came. We refuse to step over, or around the danger, because we are ill-equipped. We don’t have on the right gear.

The apostle Paul gave the Ephesians some good advice which is just as applicable to us today.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message)

 

Do you ever take your eyes off the path in front of you? Physically, or spiritually?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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