in·ten·tion·al
inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l/
adjective: done on purpose; deliberate.
For those that were at the meeting Friday, I’ve been thinking all weekend on the prayer that Jenny sent to her niece. Here it is...
Dear Jesus, help my sister in Christ this week to put on the full armor of God. Help her to put on her helmet of Salvation by recognizing she is a child of the one True King! Protect her mind with that truth! Lord, help her to put on the breastplate of righteousness which will guard her heart from the fiery darts of the enemy. Remind her of that girdle of Truth that she is bought and paid for by the shedding of your blood. Let her feet be shod with the preparation of Your Gospel to go and share the Good News. May she cling tightly to her sword, the Word of Truth, and charge forward this week living each day intentionally girded up and ready for battle! It is in the victorious name of Jesus that we ask for this help, AMEN.
I’ve thought about the armor of God and how we have to intentionally put it on. We have to prepare ourselves daily for the battle ahead. If we just flounder from day to day with no battle plan we may find ourselves weak, drained and hopeless.
{Excerpt from the Beauty to Ashes blog post} :
We have to remember to put on the whole armor of God, so we can stand against the schemes of the enemy. We are living in a fallen world, in a society that is in opposition to the true, living God of the universe. If we don’t listen to the clear command to use the spiritual armor that God provides, then we are basically going into battle unarmed, unprepared and unable to stand on our own strength.
Sometimes we forget to put on the armor of God. Or sometimes we do it in a partial way.
Ephesians 6 makes it clear that we must put on the full armor of God, not a partial armor.
For example, if we pray but we’re not reading God’s word, we’re only partially armed. If we have the Gospel, but we don’t have much faith, we don’t have the full armor. It all goes together: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer!
If you are going through a difficult time right now… if you’re feeling anxious, sad, frustrated, or just tired and drained, I hope this post will encourage you to let God be your strength! Put on His armor, every morning. Don’t go to the battlefield unclothed and unarmed!