Sometimes you can feel very low and as if so many things are not going right for you, your journey in faith is being disturbed by all sorts of tests that try the strength of your faith. St Paul was very aware of these battles as he had to fight right through to the end and went through many struggles: scourging, shipwreck, illness. He suffered from something that was like a ‘thorn in his side’ but said that God had not chosen to remove this from him. We don’t know what this was, just that he had to live with it. His answer to all of these things was set out in Ephesians 6:13-18 (the full quote is at the end of this message).
St Paul recommended that we ‘put on the full armour of God’ so that we can stand our ground no matter what happens. This armour consists of: a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, shoes that are the readiness coming from the gospel of peace, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation and the sword of the Word of God (the Spirit).
When we are under attack, we need to have this armour in place in order to stand firm. We can’t be half hearted or lukewarm christians and expect that all will be well when we are faced with a challenge. Going to church once a week is great, but if our behaviour at other times doesn’t bear scrutiny and we put God away into a little box until the following week, how can we triumph when life’s challenges come? We ask God for help, but the basis of our faith is shaky, built on sand rather than rock. Similarly, how can we help others if our faith is weak?
It is never easy to acquire this full armour, but God appreciates us when we try and helps us on the way when asked. I pray that you strive to acquire your armour; God is waiting to help.
God bless,
Ephesians 6:13-18
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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Widows Mote 