Discuss: 1) Where do you recognize spiritual battles in your life? 2) Where do you feel dressed in God’s armor, ready to fight those battles? Where don’t you? 3) Write a prayer using the armor of Ephesians 6:10-18. Go through each piece of armor and how you will “wear” it in your life, standing strong against the enemy.
Introduction Peter leads a large group of disciples to an isolated (perhaps secretive) meeting where Jesus will once again give them their marching orders. Then they make their way back to Jerusalem to await the coming Holy Spirit as the movement switches into its...
Introduction After rising from the dead, Jesus appears to His disciples on several occasions. Paul lists the appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. He appeared to many people individually — to His leaders on several occasions and even to a group of disciples numbering...
The CS Lewis quote rings true: “You either disbelieve the existence of the devil or feel excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” For me, the spiritual battle manifests as busyness. Thoughts like “I am too busy to read the Bible” or “God knows everything, so why pray?”.
I believe I’m dressed with the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the gospel of peace. However, I acknowledge that I lack the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the spirit. I tend to cut corners, find loopholes, and always speed on the freeway. My busyness has hindered me from cultivating a deeper relationship with God.
Dear God, I thank you for equipping me with your spiritual armor, which enables me to stand against the darkness of this world. Lord, please clothe me with the belt of truth, that your truth may reign in my heart, mind, and words. Apart from you, there is no righteousness; cleanse my heart through the blood of Jesus and restore me to righteousness. May my actions reflect the Gospel of peace, bringing peace and drawing others closer to you. Help me to trust in your promises, knowing that you love me with an everlasting love and offer me abundant life, so I do not need to worry about what future will bring. Remind me that nothing can separate me from your love and that I am saved by grace. May your Holy Spirit reign in me, enabling me to take your words seriously, treasure them in my heart, and guard again temptation. Thank you Father for never leaving me to fight alone, for you are always with me. In your name I pray Amen.
(from Charlie)
Recently I have become more and more aware of the constant struggle with wanting to obey God and the draw of the base instinct and personal/immediate gratifications. I struggle to hold pride at bay even when my pride is in what I believe to be growing devotion to God. I worry that the Devil subvert even the good thoughts by making it difficult to figure out when it is pride and when it is deserved.
The Devil is cunning indeed in how he can subvert human to cause problems for us that ripple through time. I recently read in Genesis 16:1-2 where Sarah who was already promised by God that she would have a child with Abraham but because she was impatient and wanted to speed up the process instead of waiting for God time, she arranged for Abraham to sleep with one of the slave girl Hagar and Abraham born a son with Hagar. Later God did give Sarah a son but Sarah impatience (although the Bible doesn’t say this, I think it could be the Devil whispering in Sarah ears – you can’t have children, it’s impossible for you because of your age no matter that God promised you – you can imagine the conversation) caused Abraham to have two sons. According to the Islamic tradition, the prophet Muhammad is directly descended from Ishmael who is the son of Abraham and Hagar and is in fact the first born son. Whereas from Isaac line came the Israel and is the one fulfilling God’s promised. But for thousand of years now there is a struggle between Islam and Christian. All because of one person impatience to take matter into her own hand instead of waiting for God’s time and will. A single lack of faith rippled through history!
That’s an extreme example, but I think about that and am constantly reminded to be patience and wait for God’s time and plans to play out. Anything we do on our own against His plans tend to turn out badly, maybe not directly for us but for our children and others around us.
I feel armed with all of God’s armors but somehow I don’t have the pro versions of these a
From Cyndi
My Spiritual battles: my thoughts about myself and others, my responses and reactions when things are out of control, my anxiety and stress with work and meeting demands and deadlines
I need all six elements of God’s armor to fight my spiritual battles.
Belt of truth: seeking God’s word to know and discern what’s true and not. Going to the Bible first instead of social media or people.
Breastplate of Righteousness: speaking up for what is right at work and giving my full attention, care, support, and best treatment/interventions to all my clients and parents..not to favor and choose the easy clients.
Feet fitted of Peace: be bold and confident when opportunities arise to share the good news to those around me especially at my work and with my nonbeliever friends and family.
Shield of Faith: continue to pray and read God’s word daily before I start my day, and to be in community and share life with my fellow Christian friends in my small group and with Eric.
Helmet of Salvation: I will remind myself that God has conquered it all and have saved me from my sins. He loves me and has paid the price for me.
Sword of the Spirit: to keep practicing and training..reading the Bible, know it, study it, and memorize so I can put into action and apply it at my work, at home, at church and in the community.
I think in my life places I see spiritual battles is with righteousness and faith. I definitely need the shield of faith and breastplate of righteousness. Lord I pray God that I will wear the armor you have provided. Especially with the shield of faith lord I pray as I live in this next season that I trust in you and you only lord. That wherever you lead me I will take steps of faith knowing you will protect me. Same as righteousness Lord. It’s easy to do the right thing in front of other people but when others aren’t it’s easy just to do sinful things. Lord I pray I put on the breast plate of righteousness and do what is true to you
I recognize spiritual battles in my busy sessions. It is so easy to just put my head down and grind. I live alone time and just being by myself to work. This hinders my relationships with friends, families, and co workers. My mind doesn’t allow myself to rest or enjoy times of feeling good. There is a point where it becomes a problem in my faith. Where I seek my own self interest instead of others.
The breast plate of righteousness is what my parents taught me at a young age. This being to not cut corners and do things the right way and not the easy way. I think this has helped me with my discipline as Christian. However, God has been teaching me that I can’t rely on this alone. I need him more than I need my discipline.
I feel that I am need to always sharpen my shield of faith. Sometimes I put out the fire and let the arrow hit me when I should have clung to my Bible and prayers.
God I prays that you would be my belt of truth in all that I do and say, I pray that you would continue to humble me in my discipline that I may rely on you and not myself. I pray that you would be my foundation in all my works and activities. I pray that you would come to me when everything starts to burn and when I feel the need to let go that you would provide that comfort. I pray that you would give me strength to turn from temptation and honor you instead. I pray that you would sharpen me to speak the fire of the word in your name.
(Brandon)
The spiritual battles I face in my life are discovering who I am and how my life is supposed to go. I tend to think about what my purpose is in this world. I feel dressed in God’s armor whenever I’m with my family and friends and the community. When I’m around them I feel like I can do a lot. I feel like they give me strength and support to do what is needed of me. On the other hand I feel that I am without God’s armor whenever I am alone. Whenever I feel alone and detached from the world I feel weak and lost. I pray that God’s armor will protect me when I need it. I will wear the Belt of Truth whenever I question my devotion. I will wear the Breastplate of Righteousness when I try to take shortcuts. I will wear the Feet Fitted with the Readiness when I feel lost. I will wield the Shield of Faith when I am afraid. I will wear the Helmet of Salvation when I lose hope. And I will wield the Sword of the Spirit when I must act.
1. The balance between school and church is a spiritual battle for me. It’s really hard to live at school the same way I live at church. It gets really tempting to fit in with the non believers at school and I know that if I get involved with those type of people, it’s gonna be hard for me to live for God.
2. Now, I feel dressed in God’s armor when I’m evangelizing to people, and when I am leading Cru for FV. After Fastbreak, God has given me the confidence to just go out and share the Gospel to people. Now I just need to be dressed in God’s armor with the way that I’m living. I should be living like a follower of Christ no matter where I am at.
3. Dear God, I really need the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness to trust in what You say, and to live a life that reflects Your righteousness in me. Cover me with your armor every day, for the enemy is at hand. Help me to live for You, sanctify me, and give me an undivided heart so that I might fear Your name. I pray all these things in Jesus Name, Amen.
I recognize that a spiritual battle in my life right now is within the battle for my time. The temptation exists to say that I don’t have enough time to do this or that or read the Bible, but the reality is that everything fighting for time is in a sense a spiritual battle because it can draw me away from God. Right now, I do feel that I am equipped in the “sword” or the Bible because I do think that I’m putting aside a lot to make sure that I have my time with God by reading His word. God, I reflect on each of the pieces of armor, I pray in particular that you equip me right now with the helmet of salvation and shield of faith so that I am equipped to defend against temptation and stay rooted in you.
From Ciara
One of the most challenging battles I face is the constant battle within myself – my thoughts about myself and others. In addition to battling against my own thoughts, I also face challenges when things are out of my control. Whether it be unexpected obstacles or disappointing outcomes, it can be difficult to maintain a sense of peace and trust in these moments. However, I have come to understand that these battles are opportunities for growth and surrender. Instead of trying to control every aspect of my life, I have learned to trust in God and have faith that everything will work out in the end. Another major spiritual battle I face is managing my anxiety and stress about school. As a student, there are constant pressures to perform well academically sometimes.
Sometimes I feel a sense of peace and strength wash over me. I know it’s Gods armor. It’s a spiritual shield that protects me from the negative influences of the world. It is a reminder that I am not alone in my struggles and that I have God by my side. As I wait for God to answer my prayers and guide me through each step, I feel a sense of empowerment and reassurance. In moments of doubt or uncertainty, it can be tempting to give in to the distractions offered by other things or even Satan. But I remind myself that waiting for God is far more rewarding than giving in to temporary pleasures. It takes patience and trust to wait for His guidance, but the results are always worth it.
Dear Lord, i ask that you’ll help me wear the armor of God in my life. I’m trusting in you, God and following righteousness as a new season comes. I pray for God’s protection and guidance. Amen