Be Strong In His Might
As I was praying over what to share, the Lord highlighted spiritual warfare. The enemy is always at work trying to make us feel insecure, unimportant, and trying to steal our attention from our bridegroom.
Over the last year the Lord has given me this picture of a bride standing at the end of the aisle ready to walk to the altar. On the other side of her is her groom, Jesus, standing at the altar. Jesus is looking at his bride with his eyes locked on her. His eyes are filled with tears and he cannot take his focus off of his bride. But the bride's focus is everywhere but her groom. It’s as if she is checking her other options before she walks down the aisle to ensure there isn’t something better.
The Lord desires such an intimate relationship with us. He has already chosen us and he adores us. He is standing at the altar waiting for us to choose him.
So many things will try and steal our attention away from what is right in front of us. Sometimes it’s our own plans and desires for the future. Maybe it’s the busyness of life, relationships, or lies that are luring us slowly away from the father. The things that pull our attention from him may not be bad things. The enemy will use whatever is enticing to us as a distraction from spending time with the Lord. He will tell you any lie he can to keep you from walking down that aisle.
Ephesians 6:10 says “finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”.
Did you know that if you put an orange in water it floats? An orange peel actually contains concentrated compounds, like phytochemicals, that act as a defense mechanism against pests, rain, and sun. But if you remove the peel, the entire orange will sink. It is no longer protected. It becomes vulnerable to its surroundings.
The armor that the Lord has given us is our defense mechanism. With it we stay afloat. We are able to remain focused on the Lord. We are not vulnerable to the distractions around us. Putting on our armor is a daily practice that is vital. It’s blood in our veins and air in our lungs. We need it to function and to pursue what the lord has laid before us.
I spent the last two years serving as a missionary with YWAM. It was the most incredible time of my life. I watched the lord do miraculous things and move in ways I never expected. It was so fulfilling to be serving Him. But I got to a point about a year in where I felt so empty. I felt like I had nothing left to give. I was so burnt out and I couldn’t figure out why I had nothing left. I was doing everything right. I was spending time with the Lord, I wasn’t living in sin, I was being obedient to his call to go. And as I was spending time with the lord one day asking him why I felt so empty he said to me, “you’re trying to fill a strainer with water”. I was doing everything right to be filled, but there were holes. I was missing my armor. Where the Lord spoke a truth over me, the enemy came in with his flaming arrows. I was trying to pursue the things he laid before me to do without any protection. I walked straight into a war with no defense. I allowed the enemy to come in with his lies and distractions and take from my cup. It didn’t matter how much I was pouring into my cup because the enemy had open access.
Friend, Don’t miss the miracle. The Lord wants to use you. He has purpose for you. There are things he has laid before you to do. Things you may not even see yet. He needs you armed and ready. He has given you everything you need to battle. All you have to do is put it on. There are people he wants you to reach. There are words he wants you to speak and prayers he wants you to pray. Be strong in the strength of His might. We are in a battle. But praise God we have been given the secret weapon.
