The Body Armor of God
The Sword of the Spirit
(What do you carry at your side?)
(What do you carry at your side?)
Welcome back my Frazzled Friday friends! (say that three times fast!)
The Lord has certainly blessed me earlier this week with less activity. I also was very blessed to have the privilege of ministering to the women at the St. Giles Presbyterian MOPS group here in Charlotte. What a wonderful group of women! I so love doing what God has called me to do!!!
As we finish our series on the wearing the Body Armor of God, we will focus in on the second part of Ephesians 6: 17 which says, "and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Chip Ingram explains the definition:
"The sword of the Spirit is the Word (rhema – spoken word, or words given to us by the Spirit of God) to do close, hand-to-hand combat with the lies and deceptions of the enemy. The truth of God’s Word quoted and applied to the specific lie or deception of the enemy will allow you to take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”" (emphasis mine)
God's Word IS our defense against the many lies of the enemy. If we do not have God's word in our heart and mind, then we are at a significant disadvantage against the enemy, and he knows that - because we are defenseless in some area(s). I don't know about you, but I sometimes have a hard time memorizing things. I think for the most part the reason for this is that my mind is crowded by trivial things compared to the desire to read and memorize God's truth.
I really like the way The Message reads for this verse: "God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."
Now after reading God's Word daily and throughout the last two years, I realize what a complete advantage it is to know Truth! "But where do I start?", you might ask. I am not an expert on memorization or specific verses or books of the Bible to start with. But I do know that there are Bible reading outlines available either on-line or through your church (even our local Christian radio station 91.9). Or use the Chronological Bible which I personally recommend. Before you begin reading each day ask the Lord to help you understand what He specifically wants you to know and remember. And write it down. Write down what you remember like a special verse that jumped out at you. It's ok if there isn't a verse that jumps out each day. But do know that God loves you and wants you to know Him better through reading His Word.
There are also a number of on-line devotional options. My personal favorite is Encouragement for Today. But find the one that you like best and begin to write verses down. I keep a small spiral bound note card-size book filled with verses for specific topics like fear, truth, hope in my bathroom by my mirror. And since I look in the mirror everyday I always see it and flip through to find a verse that covers the emotions going on at the time.
Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, ... It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."(emphasis mine) Now that's the kind of sword I'd like to have defending me!
So what do we carry around by our side, strapped around our shoulders? Our handbags!!
Here's the key to handbags... remember balance and proportion. If you are a small woman don't carry around a handbag that's big enough to carry a small child in!
People see the handbag coming before they see you! In contrast if you are tall or maybe wear a size 14 or larger, don't carry around a little purse.
It will make you seem larger. You definitely can rock the larger bags! If you are somewhere in between, stay with medium sized handbags.
But what color or style?? The style is really up to you, from casual to fancy-smancy. As for color, either go with one that closely matches your hair color (except for those who are blonde or have very light colored hair - you would need to stick with tan/beige/taupe or a charcoal color).
Or, pick a pop color for that season that looks great on you. I will be covering Dominant Color Characteristic (DCC) beginning next Friday. Do you have to have a handbag for every outfit? Again, that's up to you. I do encourage you to have a spring/summer bag and a fall/winter bag. Linen or straw bags do not look right in the winter any more than wool looks good in the summer! I am seeing some leather and canvas mixed bags coming out for the transition into spring. But this bag really reminded me that spring is coming!!
Tune in next week when I will explain more about DCC. You don't want to miss it... I'll have a give-away!!
Blessings!
