Putting on armour

It's funny when God seems to be hammering home a message through a recurring theme in quiet times, Bible readings and preaches. Recently it seems like God's reminding me of life being a battlefield and the need to put on my spiritual armour everyday.

Even when life is pretty cushy and there are no obvious big battles going on, the devil can still find areas of weakness where he can attack us. Things are going well for our family but I still have days where I need to protect myself and 'fight' to live in the victory that Jesus has won for me.

So, for example, if I have a day where I have the girls by myself all day and I'm not seeing many people or I have to run some errands which they won't enjoy and which are likely to be stressful, I might be tempted to think in the morning that the day will go badly. Or if Chloe is having an early tantrum or Livia has had a bad night, I can write off the day as a failure without trying to think positively. If I start my day with my head down it is likely to go that way! When I had a rough couple of weeks after Livia was first born, I often felt anxious and depressed before anything had actually happened and didn't fight to control my mind and emotions. I almost didn't have the energy to try and get myself out of negative thinking.

It is obviously a good thing to cry out to God for help during moments of feeling down and anxious. But I think there is an element of needing to arm ourselves and fight the devil rather than passively letting life throw us about or waiting for rescue. God has already won the victory, the devil already is defeated and feelings of failure shouldn't apply to us.

I have found these verses helpful:

'8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.'

1 Peter 5:6-10

This verse instructs us to 'resist' the devil and not give in. It is calling for an active response. In the same way we are told to put on our spiritual armour - it isn't permanently attached! 

So the next time I have to take Chloe and Livia somewhere they are likely to act up or I have a day of no plans, I will resist the anxious knot in my stomach and don my shield of faith. I am so thankful that I have a God who provides me with divine protection in every day battles!