Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 8-9; Ephesians 6
Devotional Thought:
There is an understood subject in every imperative sentence and it is you. Therefore, God is telling the Christian, “You, put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.” The things that God is responsible to do, He does faithfully, consistently, and completely. However, the things that He commands us to do, He will never do for us. God will never put the whole armor on for any Christian. He will never walk in the Spirit for any Christian. He will never go next door and witness to your neighbor for any Christian. He will not read your Bible for any Christian. God expects the Christian to obey what God has said and then receive the blessing for our obedience. Every piece of armor is designed specifically to protect the Christian from the attacks of the devil and his army of demons. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (vs. 12) Satan’s forces of darkness are highly organized and structured for the most destructive warfare possible. Like the holy angels in heaven, demons do not procreate and their number is fixed. But they are a great multitude and constitute a formidable and highly experienced supernatural enemy. One author puts it this way, “The demonic categories are not explained, but rulers no doubt reflects a high order of demons (linked with “authorities” in Col. 2:15), powers are another rank (mentioned in 1 Pet. 3:22), and world forces of this darkness perhaps refers to demons who have infiltrated various political systems of the world, attempting to pattern them after Satan’s realm of darkness.” It is comforting to know that although we face such strong opposition, we have been guaranteed the victory. “And above all…” Paul writes, do not miss this important piece of the strategy for victory, “taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked.” (vs. 16) When the believer believes what God has said and obeys what He has commanded, victory is sure no matter what the devil throws our way. Do you want to live with this kind of faith?
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to recognize the wiles of the devil as super dangerous to my spiritual maturity and development. Help me to realize his ultimate desire for me is destruction.
• Lord, please help me to be convinced of the truth of your word. Help me to realize that I am no match for Satan on my own, but by putting on the whole armor of God, I can stand victorious over every temptation.
• Lord, thank you for providing everything that I need to live godly in this present world.