Pick Up the Armor and Claim It
First B Jackson
2015-03-25

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Well, good morning. I can't believe this is our last one. I'm sad. I'm gonna miss you all. So be praying about what we should do in the fall.

Lot of exciting things we're looking at. I hope that, you know, you've had some great takeaways from Ephesians. I think it was amazing in the beginning, the first half, how Paul's really driving home who we are in Christ. We're redeemed, we're forgiven, we're loved, we're accepted, and then Paul starts talking about what that looks like when we become a believer. Practically speaking, what's our walk look like, and that we have the power to do it.

And it's very interesting that he ends Ephesians saying, you got something else there though that you need to be aware of. You've got the power, you've got the position, I've given you the principles, but the enemy's there too. And do you remember when we talked about how there are two forces at work in this world? Paul in Ephesians chapter six, if you wanna turn there with me, verse 10, Paul says, finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Remember, it's always in Christ.

Everything we do is in him. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, and the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. You know, c s Lewis says there are two errors that we Christians can make about the enemy or Satan or the devil, whatever you call him. He said, first of all, we can have an unhealthy fascination with him. Do you know believers that give him credit for everything?

I mean, they seriously believe there's a demon under every bush, and I don't prescribe to that kind of thinking. I think a lot of heartache when I look back over my life has just been caused by my own stupid choices and by sin. But I do think he's there and c s Lewis said, the second mistake we as Christians make is to purposely ignore him. And that's not healthy either and that's why Paul ends with a caution for us to put on the armor. You know, the overall cosmic story of the Bible is that every soul, every one of us is headed in one of two directions.

Colossians Paul wrote, you were dead because of your sins. And he says that in Ephesians two, doesn't he? But God made you alive in Christ. He forgave all your sins. And I love this next thing he says, it's such a great visual for me when I'm confessing my sin.

He canceled the record against you and took it away by nailing it to the cross. And I love that visual. And Paul finishes that section by saying, you have victory because of the cross. The victory is ours. We just need to claim it.

It's already there for us. If you wanna know more about the enemy's origin and kind of how the story unfolded with him and how he's gonna end, then jot down Ezekiel 28 or Revelation 12. And it gives pretty good detailed description about it. I was reading both passages going, this is so someone should make a movie out of this. Ezekiel 28 and Revelation 12.

Okay. So we know there are two forces. Satan and God are in direct opposition to one another. And what is Satan's goal? I mean, why is he in such direct opposition to God?

I think it's the same sin that you and I deal with. It started with jealousy and envy and ungratefulness, and he turned against God. And the war that Satan always kicks up is that he wants to hurt God. And how does he hurt God? By hurting us.

And how does he hurt us? He gets us in our minds to buy in to his attacks on God's credit, God's character, and God's credibility. Anytime I start questioning who God is and if I can really trust him, then Satan's getting a little wedge in my heart. James four seven says, submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Now we often claim resist the devil and he will flee from you, forgetting the first part of that verse. Submit it to God. That's the key when we're submitted to God. And John says, the one that is in you is greater than the one at work within the world against you. So that's a promise we can claim.

Okay. Let's talk about the belt of truth. Amy, do you wanna show a picture of the belt of truth? Verse 13, Paul said, 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, stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

Now this was a typical army belt that a Roman soldier would have worn back in the day when scripture was being written. And what really jumps out at me in this is that we are called to have a role in this. What's my role and what's God's role? First of all, Paul says, you have to put your belt of truth on. You're unprotected.

God has given it to us on a silver platter. He has given us the truth. And there goes my sword. But Paul says, you've gotta put it on. You've gotta put that belt on.

And the other thing that kinda stuck out to me was that it's very personal. And I think this is how God operates. My belt of truth is for me. God knows what I'm seeking, when I'm seeking answers from him, when I'm seeking guidance from him. And have you ever gone to church and you've sat there and thought, did this pastor follow me around all week?

He is talking directly to me. Or you turn on Moody Radio, and you're like, oh my gosh. I was just praying about this, Lord, and there's my answer. The Lord does his part if you will gird your life in truth. The word for buckled means to gird up, to surround yourself with truth.

You know what the implication is here for you and me? If I'm gonna commit, and it's about being committed, If I'm gonna commit to knowing the truth, and that doesn't mean that I just read Vogue magazine or watch TV and listen to secular music. No. I'm making some changes in my life. I'm gonna get in the word.

I'm gonna commit to knowing the truth. God will do his part, and he'll reveal the truth to you. If you seek him for truth, he's gonna give it to you. He is so faithful in that. I love in John eight, there we're told there was a gathering of Jews around Jesus, and he is speaking the truth to them, and they got it.

And they said, wow. He is speaking truth, and we believe in him. We put our faith in him. And then Jesus turned to them, and he said, if you hold on to my teachings, then you really will prove to be my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

That's what the Lord wants us to be is free, not stuck in bondage. The truth sets my mind free from confusion. The truth gives me clarity Even though it may be difficult to stand for, the truth is clear. And God says, if you will hold onto it, I'll unfold it for you. Isn't that amazing?

But I think there's no greater time in history for us to know the truth. I have a 22 year old and a 24 year old, and I can tell you, my son went to a Jesuit college, my daughter went to a college that used to be Christian, and by today's standard is very conservative. They were indoctrinated with there is no truth. And when they would stand up and say, but this is truth, they were scorned. And I talk to young kids all the time.

I know kids in high school. They are taught relativism. In fact, do you know what they're taught? The highest form of arrogance today is to say that there is one truth. That will kick up a storm like no other.

Second Timothy two fifteen says, study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed but who correctly handles the word of truth. The truth is powerful, and we have to handle it properly in a God honoring way. I've included for you on your table a handout. The first page are some resources that I use all the time to help me seek answers from God's word or to help explain God's word. I've handed this out before, but it's so beneficial.

I encourage you poke around on these websites. You know what else we can do to commit to knowing the truth? Are you all familiar with ninety one point one Moody Radio? Best solid teachers. It's amazing.

Can listen to it on the Internet, or you can listen to it in your radio. FM ninety one point one, awesome teaching. K Love, awesome. And this is something that I've done since the beginning of my walk. Almost every year, I have a new stack of index cards.

And when I'm in the word or when I hear something in Moody Radio, a verse that speaks to me, I just write it down. And I carry this around with me all the time. It's by my toothbrush. It's in the kitchen when I'm making dinner. And I can't say I memorize all these, but it is written on my heart these truths.

Because this is gonna lay the foundation when you really need the truth and you can't go looking for it. It's gonna be there. I encourage you, it's the easiest thing in the world to do, and it will change your life. Truth is powerful. So if we're committed, God will reveal it.

The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. Now the breastplate covered the heart area and what the Jews refer to as the bowel area. The breastplate covered these two areas because Proverbs 23 says, and the he is mankind, so I changed it for us to a she. For as she thinks in her heart, so she is. I mean, we are what we think, guys, and that is revealed in how we feel.

And we're emotional beings, us women, aren't we? How do we protect those emotions? How do we feel like we're walking with the Lord? Righteousness really is just a way of saying a right relationship with God. And you know what our part in that is?

I'm going to be intentional. None of us are perfect. We're all gonna screw up. We're all gonna sin. But we can all choose to be intentional.

I sin. I confess. I ask the Lord to help me not do that again, and I move forward. That's being intentional. You know, doctor David Jeremiah said, a few years ago, there was a survey in America to Christians, and they asked Christians, why don't you witness?

What keeps you from witnessing? The number one answer was not, it's uncomfortable. I'm embarrassed. I don't have enough knowledge. Do you know what the number one answer was?

I don't witness because of the life I live. I don't witness because I don't feel like I reflect Christ in my choices. That's pretty sad within our churches today. So being righteous is making that intentional choice that I'm gonna do what's right by God. And, of course, I have to know the truth in order to know what to do.

Right? These kind of are progressive too. They build on one another. Ephesians four twenty two says, and Becca did such a great job of unpacking this section. If you weren't here, go back and listen to her lesson.

But it says, you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self and to put on your new self, which was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And I was thinking about that, and I thought, wow. It is a issue of being intentional. Because what happens when we're tired or when the storms of life kick up or things aren't going right? We kinda wanna go back to the old way, don't we?

I mean, we do. We wanna go we might fall into the old ways of how we talk, which is not very honoring to the Lord. The old ways of drinking, the old friends that were just easy and put no pressure on us, party time. I mean, Paul says, don't go back to that old way. Keep that off and keep pursuing righteousness.

Ephesians four twenty seven says, don't give the devil an opportunity. In other words, don't compromise. Don't compromise in any area. We all have areas, little chinks in our armor where we kinda compromise. And Paul says in Ephesians, don't do that.

You wanna have your emotions in a better place, stop compromising and stop cozying up to the world. Stop wanting what the world has. Start cozying up to God, and that brings everything into alignment. You know, there's really no confusion in figuring out what a person really believes. Just look at their choices.

That's why it's so hard for me sometimes when people say, is that person a Christian? I'm like, well, only the Lord knows who is one of his, but I don't know. Their choices tell a different story. And we forfeit so much when we're not intentional, when we don't live the right way. I was praying for my kids when we first moved here in high school, asking very specific favor over them.

And the Lord gave me Psalm eighty four eleven, and it's just become one of my favorite verses. It says, the Lord is my son and my shield. Meaning, I'm intentional. That's who protects me and who guides me. The Lord is my son and my shield.

It is the Lord who gives favor and honor. We can do in our humanness all that we can do, but at the end of the day, it is the Lord who gives favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is righteous or blameless or intentional. That's what it means. And, yes, there may be painful things, but in the end, there's always good.

I love that verse because it is about being intentional. Are you intentional with your walk? Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Ask the you've got the power within you to even give you the desire to want that. Okay?

The third piece of armor are the shoes of the gospel of peace. Now on the bottom of these shoes, you see those studs in there? So the Roman soldiers would put nails or spikes in the bottom of their shoes because they were often fighting on mud and rain and slick surfaces. So those would grip the surface and give them a firm foundation so they could keep fighting the good fight. Okay?

So Paul's symbology here is that we have to have proper shoes or a firm foundation. And, you know, every single one of us, almost every day, we're making a choice. Am I building the foundation of my life on the rock, the firm foundation, Jesus Christ, or am I building it on sinking sand? That's a choice we make. What exactly does the gospel of peace mean?

Well, the gospel of peace is the good news that you and I have peace with God. Romans five one says, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. You and I have peace with God by accepting him as our savior, and being intentional and committed helps us to feel that we have that peace with God. John MacArthur says, Saint is the great destroyer of peace. His number one goal is to cause division between us, between the brothers and sisters.

He just delights in that. And his other goal is to cause separation between you and God. Anytime he can cause you to turn your back or back away from God, victory for him that day. Don't let him do that. No.

I have peace with God. I'm running to God. And, you know, so often, you know, Paul said our struggle is not against people, but it's against the dark forces of the world. But we only see the people. Right?

And the people are the ones who upset us. But I think what Paul's saying here is the battle is won. Right here. The battle is won by my reaction to that bad behavior. What is my reaction gonna be?

If I have peace with God, I wanna seek peace with those people. And I'm gonna pray to God to give me his grace and his mercy and his love, and that's how I'm going to react. Ephesians two fourteen says, he is my peace. And I love when David wrote. David was super stressed out.

What's the opposite of peace? Anxiety and stress and fear. David had men trying to kill him. He was on the run, and this is what he wrote in I in Psalm ninety four nineteen, he said, when an anxiety was great within me, I am falling apart here. Your consolation brought me joy.

Do you know what that word consolation means? It means your reassurance and your hope, your peace. How do we get that peace? I can tell you for me, there's only one thing that works for me, and that's on your other handout, the names of God. When I am stressed, when I'm anxious, when I am fearful, or when I'm just in such a funk, I just don't even wanna, like, sit with the Lord.

Sometimes that happens to us. I get out those names of God, and I start looking up the scripture. And every time, it's amazing. There is a peace that will just overcome me. You know why?

Because he's getting in my head, and it works. You know, during World War two, Germany had broken through the French lines, and they were bombing the smithereens out of London. And the people were fearful and anxious and thinking for sure they were gonna be speaking German soon. And Winston Churchill said, give me the radio. I'm gonna go, and I'm gonna give an address to them every day.

And he started telling them, we can win this war. We can win. Stand for truth. Stand for justice. We're gonna start making more ammo.

We're gonna win. And he would end it by saying, the Lord's will be done. And those people started listening to him every day. And you know what happened? Their morale started to increase, and they started to say, we can win.

And their fear decreased and their courage increased, and that's the same thing that Jesus will do for us. If we let him get in our head constantly and we start doing what he says, the anxiety goes down and the peace comes over us. First Corinthians fourteen thirty three says, our God is not the author of confusion but of peace. And ladies, I gotta tell you, with every day we live, we're getting closer to the end times. That's just a fact.

And Luke wrote that in the last days, people's hearts are going to fail them for fear. Think about the things our children face today that you and I never faced just from one generation ago. I didn't even know what a terrorist was growing up. And think about that word terrorist. It implies terror.

Why? Because their goal is to kill us. That's not something that's gonna give me peace. There's only one place we're gonna get this peace because the news is going to only get worse and worse. Natural catastrophes are getting more violent and worse.

People are turning away from the Lord. Crime is getting worse. I mean, you could watch the news and have a nervous breakdown without the peace of the Lord. Know his names. He is Jehovah Shammah.

He's right there with me. He's my Jehovah Jireh. He's gonna provide everything I need to get through. He is my Jehovah Rapha. He'll heal my broken heart.

Know who this God is if you want peace. Now I think these first three really indicate that you're gonna stand up for God. If you're gonna be committed, you're gonna be intentional to doing the right thing, you're gonna have peace with God in the spiritual world, you know what that's a big red flag for? Game on. Game on.

Thank you Sergeant Tolson. You know what's funny? Dancey goes why would you ask me to do that and I'm like who else would I ask? Who else is gonna be Sergeant Tolson? So as sergeant Tolson said, we're now in a battleground.

Paul said, take up the shield of faith which can will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And I just wanna encourage you, you know, Peter wrote, don't think it's strange when you're facing trouble. We're all going to face trouble. And I was kind of whining to a friend the other day about something that I was like why did this happen to me I can't believe it it's just so wrong and ridiculous and she texted me do not think it's strange when you face trouble and I just burst out laughing I was like yeah really why do I think that's so strange? It's really not strange at all.

Peter said further on in first Peter five eight and nine, he said, stay alert, watch out for your great enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him and be strong in your faith. Remember that the family of believers all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. We are not in this battle alone. And that's why I love the Roman shields because those shields would connect with one another.

And it would when they were connected, an arrow couldn't penetrate between the soldiers. Isn't that such a great visual how when we come together, when we pray for each other together, we are really putting up a shield of protection for each other? Now, you know, I was thinking about this. How what are the arrows that the enemy flings at me? And it's important to note that during the Roman times, what the archers would do with their arrows, because the arrows didn't always kill you, they would soak them in poison so that once the arrow hit, the poison would leave a long term effect.

Or they would soak them in pitch and light them on fire, and then a flaming arrow would come at you. And the Roman soldiers got smart to it and started soaking their wooden shields in water. So when the flaming arrow hit it, it just went out. And I think, wow, Paul is just so smart to give us these visuals. Because when I stand up for the Lord, you know what the enemy's gonna do?

This is what he does to me, The first arrow that I need to pick up my shield of faith and say, I trust you, Jesus, is, did God really say that, Deborah? The arrow of doubt. And he did that right out of the gate, or I should say right out of the garden with Eve. He said to Eve, Eve, did God really say that? Do you think that's happening today in our Christian churches?

Are we turning from to what God really said? We have a whole denomination that just did that last week. Did God really say that marriage is between a man and a woman? Well, yes, as a matter of fact, he did. God says many things that our culture is like.

Did God really say that? The arrow of doubt. Know the truth, and your shield of faith will put it out. Because these are progressive too. If he can cause a little doubt in your mind, you know where your mind goes next, to just denying the truth.

And I think it's so fascinating because Eve knew, just like so many of us know. You know what her answer was to the enemy? Well, yeah, God did say that. She said, yeah, he did say that. And the enemy turned around, and this is what he said.

Eve said, God did say that I cannot touch it or I will die. And the enemy said, Eve, you're not gonna die. Come on. And that's the same thing we do today. Oh, come on.

What's gonna happen if you step outside of God's boundaries? You think he's gonna strike you with lightning or something? I mean, we don't die physically, but we die a thousand deaths spiritually. We lose and forfeit so many blessings and favor because he's not our son and our shield. And that will lead us right into the third arrow of deceit.

And I think this was the most poisonous arrow that Satan sent into Eve's heart because this is what he said to her. Deceit, false doctrine, false teachings, the world's philosophy always has a little thread of truth to attract us to it. But the bottom line is it's a lie. Satan said, Eve, God knows that in the day you eat, your eyes are gonna be open, And her eyes were open to sin and ugliness. That is true.

But he went on to say, and you'll just be like God. And Eve swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. How about us today? What about all the teachings that have infiltrated our church that, you know what, you've got the authority, you've got the power, you can rev up a prayer to twist the Lord's arm to give you exactly what you want. Are you kidding me?

We are not God. I had someone, a very what I would consider mature Christian say to me, well, know, Deborah, God did Jesus did say we will do more than he even did. And I'm like, know your scripture, girlfriend. He meant we will do more in number. He did not go around the world evangelizing, but he calls us to do that.

Do you honestly think that we will ever be omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent? We are not God. We are his creation. But the false teachings will tell you that you are indeed your own little God. Deceit, deceit, deceit.

Put up your shield of faith, and that is the truth, and say, no, I believe what God's word says. I'm not gonna question it and I'm gonna follow it. That leads us to the helmet of salvation. Okay. What is this helmet protecting?

It's protecting the old noggin. And what is that? That is the central command center for everything I do. And wouldn't the enemy just love to get in that central command center and rewire everything? Oh, yeah, he would.

The enemy is always trying to get in our head. And I was thinking, how does he where does he attack me most? He attacks me, number one, my purpose. He makes me feel like I don't have a purpose so many times. And yet, the truth is in John fifteen sixteen, Jesus said, I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.

Jesus said, Sheila, I chose you. I appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. This is eternal stuff, eternal blessings. That's what Jesus said about every single one of us. I chose you and I appointed you to bear fruit.

But see, we in America, if we don't have a big platform, if we're not Rick Warren, then we're not producing any fruit. That's a that's a lie from the enemy. In God's eye, you are producing fruit when you are being respectful with your husband. You are producing fruit when you are striving for unity with your brothers and sisters that go to another church. You are producing fruit when you're just obeying God, and nobody is gonna, you know, go over the loudspeaker and say your attention, please.

Cindy Day has produced a lot of fruit today. But in heaven, they're doing that. And that's why we can't buy into any of the lies of the Western world. If I'm walking in step with him, I am producing fruit. And that goes into the second one, productivity.

How does the enemy trip us up with being productive? I love what Joyce Meyer calls it. She calls it stinking thinking. I can't be very productive if I'm entertaining negativity, if I'm entertaining lies about who I am, if I'm entertaining any false doctrine, Philippians says, guard your mind. Guard it.

Guard it. Guard it. And fix your thoughts on the truth. Fix your thoughts on what is honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about those things, then the peace of God will overcome you.

So my purpose, my productivity are the arrows he'll send at me, and the third arrow is perspective. The enemy wants every one of us to believe this is what it's all about, and this is temporary. This is not gonna last. And sometimes I'll say to myself, oh, well, you know what? In heaven for billions and billions of years, I'm not gonna have to deal with that, so it's no big deal right now.

Everything here is going to pass away. Jesus told John in Revelation 21, John, look. I'm making everything new. Everything is gonna be okay with him someday. So if I have one eye in eternity and I have an eternal perspective, it really helps me deal with everything today.

The final sword is the sword of the spirit. So the Roman soldier would attach this sword to his belt of truth. And what is Paul telling us there? That truth is revealed in the word. But unlike this sword that goes into you and causes pain and harm, God's sword of truth goes into you, penetrates and heals and restores.

That's why his sword is so amazing. And I know that, just from talking to people, they're like, well, you know, how do we know that this Bible that we buy off the bookshelf really truly is the word of God? And I just wanna leave you with some interesting points to consider about the word of God. Number one, this book was written over a period of fifteen hundred years. Amazing.

66 books in here, 40 different authors, written on three continents, written in three different languages, and yet there isn't one inconsistency. There are no contradictions in this word. How is that possible for a book that took fifteen hundred years to write with 40 different people. There's only one answer because it came from the mind of God. It is his word.

I think the hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled in the word are another great indicator. And God's prophecies are not like a lot of people today who say they have the gift of prophecy. And so often, I will ask them, give me an example of your gift of prophecy. Oh, I saw a green door, and that meant go through it. And I'm like, really?

That's an interesting point there because God's prophecy is specific. Hundreds of years before it actually happened, the word of God would specifically name kings, king Cyrus, specific kingdoms. And what about the over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus? So specific, they said he would be born in a little town called Bethlehem. The prophecy said he would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, and then his clothes would be divided.

And a thousand years before crucifixion and before Jesus, in Psalm 22, it says he would be pierced, before that was even practiced. I think that's remarkable and lends to, I can trust this. Only God would know specifics like that hundreds of years in advance. And what about the Bible's unique power to change people? I have known people that have gone to secular psychiatrists their whole life, and nothing has changed.

And I'm like, I know a great psychiatrist for you. This really changes people. It's incredible how it can change a person. I just heard on the radio that Lee Strobel has a new book out called The Case for Grace. Lee Strobel worked for the Chicago Tribune.

His wife became a believer, and he's like, well, being the researcher and investigator that I am, I'm just gonna show her how ridiculous this Christianity stuff is. So he started this research, and he started interviewing people and unpacking what scripture says compared to history and became a full on sold out believer. And he wrote one of the most remarkable books called The Case for Christ. If you have a real thinker in your life and they question, I encourage you, get them The Case for Christ, or most recently, The Case for Grace. He's such an amazing example.

And what about, I think it's so exciting now that Israel is back in their own land, all the archaeological findings that they're discovering that talk about king David or king Solomon. It's incredible. Even the Egyptian Museum of Cairo is full of things talking about the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. The Louvre is full of artifacts and stone inscriptions and drawings. And do you know that one of the greatest archaeological finds in the twentieth century was centered on the Bible?

Near the Dead Sea in the Qumran Caves, tens of thousands of scrolls were discovered. And you know what those scrolls were? Our Old Testament. They perfectly match up to Psalms and Isaiah and Genesis, and they're over 2,000 years old. You can have confidence what we're reading is the inspired word of God.

And I think one of the most interesting things is how man, inspired by the enemy, has always tried to destroy the truth. Beginning in Roman times, they did their best to destroy the manuscripts. And then communist dictators destroyed Bibles. Hitler burned Bibles. Even today in our world, to own a Bible in some countries is a death sentence.

There have always been people trying to destroy the truth. But you know what God said through Mark? He said heaven and earth will pass away, but my word not gonna pass away. And there may come a day, even in America, I certainly pray not, but there may come a day when the Bible could be outlawed. That's why we have to put it here now.

We have to write it in our heart. No one can take that away from us. We can trust this is the word of God. You know, this whole thing about spiritual war, I think the longer we live, just the more things we're gonna experience and see. I was thinking about this driving my car the other day, how when I recommitted my life to the Lord like twenty years ago, I just was on this amazing high and just felt so invincible.

And I don't really feel like that today. I feel like, wow, I've been beaten down a little, but I've seen the victory of the Lord and there's just a deeper inner just a deeper inner trust of him and less of a emotional yippy, skippy kind of faith. John MacArthur says, it never stops being a war, and you always have a certain sense of weariness that goes along with a sense of accomplishment because the longer you fight the battle, the greater the string of victories. And the greater the string of victories, the more confidence you have in God. The more you know that God's going to get through it with God, you're going to get through it, the more thrilling it is as you just step back and watch the power of God work.

Ladies, the victory is ours. We just have to pick up the armor and claim it. God will do all the work. He'll give us the victory. Lord, your word is so powerful.

It's so amazing, and it really does change our hearts and our lives. I thank you for writing Ephesians through Paul. I think it's just a great book to center us, to give us a vision for the future. And as Paul prayed at the very end of Ephesians, Lord, I pray that all of us will always be alert and keep on praying for each other. I pray peace over my sisters.

I pray more love will grow in their hearts from faith in you. Grace to all who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. And to Jesus Christ be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen.