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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NIV
I’ve been studying the parables in Matthew. One of my favorites, is the parable of the sower. You may recall that the seed falls in four places — on the path, which is too hard for it to take root; in shallow ground, where it sprouts quickly, but then dies out because of an undeveloped root system; in a place where thorns grow up and choke it out; and then finally on fertile ground where it takes root and multiplies.
The seed, of course, is the Word of God, and the various kinds of ground are the kinds of people who receive the Word. Some are hard hearted and refuse to listen. Some get enthusiastic early on, but, their faith fails to take root. The third group, I think, are where Satan spends the majority of his time. If he can use things to bind up believers, to make them ineffective, the word will fail to multiply. And there will be fewer believers in that fourth group, which is out there making a difference.
One of the tools that Satan uses so effectively, in my opinion, is worry. If I am bound up in worrying about things over which I have no control and that I cannot change, I am not up and out in the world making a difference for God.
I want to be Jesus’s hands and feet here on earth. I am so thankful that God has provided these instructions and tools to use to overcome the thorns so that I can be fruitful.
I must protect myself from worry. And I will do that by putting on the whole armor of God.
365 Days of Peace 