Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 10 | Day 4
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Ask God to give you His wisdom today.
Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17
Read these verses three times slowly.
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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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.
Reflection & Questions
We’ve been looking this week at the humble confidence that the believer can walk in because of what God has done. In Romans 8, Paul asked a series of rhetorical questions that made us aware that we are utterly, completely and fully secure in Him.
Today’s reading reminds us that just because we are secure, doesn’t mean we are out of the battle. The battle is strong. We have to “stand against the devil’s schemes.” He will trust to tear us down. To rob us of our confidence in our new identity. He hates that God has rescued and redeemed us. He hates that we are loved.
So what do we do in response? We are to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We are “to put on the full armor of God.” We are to remember all the truth of who we are in Christ. We are to remember the righteousness that God has given us. We are to walk in peace because God is on our side. We are to handle the accusations of the devil with faith, knowing that what God says is true and what the devil says are lies. We are to stand strong in these things.
- What word or phrase sticks out to you from these verses?
- Are you wearing your armor and standing firm in Christ? Why or why not? What do you need to do?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17
Read these verses three times slowly.
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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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.
Reflection & Questions
After reading today’s verses, you can probably get a pretty good mental picture of the full armor of God. But why do we need it if we are saved?
Our future with God up in heaven is safe and secure once we are saved by Jesus. But here on earth, there will still be battles we will have to fight. The devil will try to tear us down and tempt us to do the things we really like to do, but know we shouldn’t do. He will try to convince us that we are not children of God. He will use every trick He can to mess us up. He hates that God has rescued us and that God loves us.
So that’s why we need this full armor! The most important parts of the armor are truth – the truth that we are God’s children. And righteousness – which is a gift that God gave us by having Jesus die on the cross to save us from our sins. Peace – is what we can have because God is on our side (He’s much more powerful than the devil). Faith – believing and knowing that God is full of truth while the devil is full of lies, which are his flaming arrows. When we remember that we have all of these pieces of armor, we can stand strong against the devil and all the arrows he shoots at us.
- Are you wearing your armor and standing firm in Christ? What is one piece of armor you have a difficult time remembering to “wear?”
Pray
Ask God to help you to put on your armor everyday. Thank Him for being with you so you are not alone when you are fighting the devil.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
