Paul has described the armor of God in terms of those pieces worn by Roman soldiers of the time. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. All of these are physical weapons in our arsenal for fighting our earthly battles of seen and unseen forces that are against us because of our faith. They are to be worn in all circumstances so that we are never without protection from God and His Holy Spirit. The last piece of armor Paul lists is a non-physical weapon that we are to use constantly, prayer. Ephesians 6:18 describes this weapon, ” And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Prayers are to be constantly on our lips for other believers. It is a weapon that is to be used at all times for all occasions. Paul exhorts us to stay vigilant for attacks upon our faith, trials that test our resolve or ideas that cause us to doubt. Being alert keeps you or other believers from being taken by surprise by the things of the world that would cause you to stumble. What kinds of prayers should we be offering for other believers? Faith that is growing and maturing seeks to be more and more like Jesus so anything that would strengthen the walk, character, resolve, purity, thankfulness, kindness, gentleness, self-control, hope, salvation, purity, pursuit of righteousness…. the list is endless. All these things we are told in scripture are desirous for the believer. Here are a few examples:
Leviticus 19:2 “‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” We can pray for our own holiness and purity as well as all other believers.
Psalm 25:9 “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” We can pray for humility in ourselves and others and commitment to walking with Jesus daily.
Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Pray for each other’s daily walk, grounding in scripture, strength of faith and a life showing great thankfulness.
Galatians 5:22-23 “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We can pray for the fruits of the Spirit to be evident and developing in our life and other believers.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have the privilege of lifting myself and others up in prayer as we face life’s battles. Take this privilege seriously and make it a habit to pray for yourself and others so that all would be strong in faith and rooted and grounded in Christ. Satan desires that we stumble and falter as he wants to destroy our witness for Christ. Jesus reminded the disciples before His death, “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Pray that we will all be over-comers and live victoriously in Him.
Linda
Holy Week- Jesus’ Friday was incredibly grueling. He was tried in various courts in the night and early morning, beaten, brought before Pilate and condemned to be crucified. He was brought to the cross and crucified then buried in a new borrowed tomb. “Good Friday” was good for us but physically hard, painful and demanding all from our savior. Matthew 26:47-27:66, Mark 14:4-15:47, Luke 22:47-23:56 and John 18:2-19:32.
righteousness, shoes of the gospel and the belt of truth. However, the sword of the Spirit is our only physical weapon that can be used both offensively and defensively. “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” 
God’s Word is active and alive, remember saying or using the words of God has power to effect lives for Him. God’s Word helps us to discern God’s truth and discover our hearts intentions. God’s Word has power and should be treated with reverence as it is God’s defensive gift to us for use in our struggles here on earth. Know it, use it and be transformed by it! 
of salvation. 
arguments against the faith can be overcome with all thoughts captivated by Christ and His truths. Having a firmly placed and active helmet helps us keep our shield of faith in place and solidifies who we are in Christ. We need to think like kingdom citizens. Protecting our minds from attacks of stray thoughts, doubts, letting fear creep in and control us or letting desires over come what we know is right are all things we are vulnerable to without a good helmet. 
Ephesians 6:16 describes the Shield of Faith that we must possess as believers so that we may combat the enemy, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” Paul in these passages is comparing our Christian walk and witness to going into or being in battle each day. In verse 12 he had reminded us that the forces of evil in this world can be both physical and spiritual so we must always be ready. Satan cannot take our salvation away but he can destroy our witness and effectiveness for God. As Paul said here, we must be ready in all circumstances.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose for the dead,
protected. But what kind of foot wear is Paul suggesting, spiritual footwear that only comes through the gospel’s good news = peace. “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Ephesians 6:15
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus’ return to Jerusalem. His reception was loud and colorful with waving palms, cloaks on the ground, shouting, chanting of praises and Jesus riding on a humble donkey. It was the conclusion of three years of public ministry that ended in His death on the cross on Friday. However, all was not lost as He miraculously rose from the dead and appeared on Easter morning just as He said He would. His ‘life’s ride’ on earth was a wild one filled with compassion, love, obedience and sacrifice for us. As we enter this Holy Week let us ponder anew how we personally have felt His compassion and love in our lives. How we have benefited from His obedience to the cross and the sacrifice of His life for ours. We have much to be thankful for, even in the hardest of times. Only you can answer today’s sentence, 
Have a Blessed Palm Sunday.
character- the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. The root of the believer’s strength is the character he/she has in Christ. Godly character is based on the truth of God, who He is, and how you are bound to Him through faith in Christ. 
our breastplate. The breastplate covers the heart and protects our vital organs. Since we cannot be righteous on our own because of our sin nature, we have to depend upon Christ and His righteousness. Romans 3:21-24 “
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,
Ephesians 6:10-12 “
said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
If you look at these relationships and view them through the lens of faith and empowered living in Christ, we see that we are to be loyal, respectful, obedient and filled with integrity in all we do for our employer. We are to do our jobs as if we are doing them for the Lord seeking His reward for right living and not worrying about praise and accolades from our bosses. If we are in a situation where we are the employer, we are to care about our workers, treat them with respect, show no favoritism and refrain from threatening or abusing them in any way. We are to treat them as equals, as we are all equal before the Father.
care for those around us
Fearless Living 