Ephesians 6:10-14
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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.13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… The Apostle Paul talks about the weapons we have access to in order to defend ourselves from the enemy of our soul. The armor of God provides everything we need to be victorious over the arrows the enemy shoots at us. Having the armor and knowing how to use them are two different things. Paul instructs us to “put on” the whole armor of God daily to prevail against the enemy. Today we are going to look at the 2nd piece in the armor of God which is the Breastplate of Righteousness. The breastplate in a Roman soldier’s armor was the heavy section that fit over the torso or the trunk of the body. It protected the vital organs of the body from being pierced by an arrow or any weapon. We need to protect our vital areas with righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is the righteousness of God. It is understanding who you are in Christ and living your life to reflect this truth. Righteousness is the identity of every Christian because of Christ’s shed blood on the cross. When a believer lives contrary to the cross then you are vulnerable to the assault of Satan. Living with unconfessed sin or tolerating a deceptive spirit and countenance will open yourself up for deep spiritual wounds. Confront any area in your life that may not be filled with the light of Christ. We are to remain in Jesus’ light and confront the darkness. Living truthful lives is putting on the breastplate of righteousness. As we mentioned last week, flesh and blood is not a factor in the battle we are engaged in. The fact remains, putting God in second place by tolerating unconfessed sin and not living according to God’s Word exposes the core of our being. We cannot afford to enter the day without putting this vital piece of armor on. I thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese New Year celebration this past Sunday night. Over 300 gathered together in the Family Life Center for some good food, fellowship, and faith. We took the cultural symbol of the “dog” and turned it around and gave Glory to our “God.” God is on the move in our Chinese ministry. I am seeing lives changed and more territory opening up. Thank you for all who have found a place to embrace and minister through the love of Jesus. It has been exciting to see so many people involved. Continue to pray for this ministry as we seek the Lord in all that we do. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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