Category: Ephesians

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Suit Up

There’s a reason why I was so emphatic in my comments yesterday about never, ever compromising on the Word of God.

A recent sermon reminded me of a teaching I have done many times from Ephesians, chapter 6.

We are commanded to put on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand in the face of our spiritual enemies and emerge victoriously. Each piece of the armor is tied to God’s word and His promises.

“ To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.

19 Also pray for me—that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret truth about the Good News without fear.” Ephesians 6:10-19 ERV

Let’s break down the armor: Belt of truth – “ Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours.” John 17:17 CEV

Breastplate of righteousness – “Christ never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.” II Corinthians 5:21

Footwear – The Gospel which means good news – “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15 NKJV

Shield of Faith – “ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV

Helmet of Salvation – “ For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 NKJV

Sword of Spirit – “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two–edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

If we are without God’s word, we are without armor. Suit up – the victory is ours in Christ Jesus!

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New Life

Do you remember what it was like to be an expecting parent?

You picked out everything you felt that little one would need. There were diapers, onesies, bottles and blankets, you designed the nursery with crib, changing table, toys and baby monitor. A whole host of details to make this new little one a part of your family – loved and protected.

Do you know that our heavenly Father did no less than this in preparing for our arrival? Yesterday I was reading the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3 – you must be born again. Now look at the question that Nicodemus asked Jesus.

“Nicodemus asked, “How is all this possible?”…16 Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.” John 3:9-17 ERV

From the time of Adam’s fall in the garden, the Father began planning for our arrival with great expectation. He sent His Son to bring spiritual rebirth to all of those in the earth.

He planned what we would wear.

“Don’t lie to each other. You have taken off those old clothes—the person you once were and the bad things you did then. 10 Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. ” Colossians 3:9-10 ERV

“Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks.” Ephesians 6:11 ERV

He also planned what we should eat and drink.

“Then Jesus said, ‘I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty.'” John 6:35 ERV

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give people will be like a spring flowing inside them. It will bring them eternal life.”

15 The woman said to Jesus, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again and won’t have to come back here to get more water.” John 4:13-15 ERV

And then He planned for all of life’s other necessities as well.

“Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:31-33 ERV

The Father has meticulously planned for our every need. His plan is perfect. Our responsibility is to trust Him and make relationship with Him our top priority. He is the giver of life!

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Ask for Wisdom

I was doing a search on wisdom and what I found was very interesting. Really it was!

I thought it might have been used for Adam naming the animals or Noah building the ark but no.

Wisdom is first used in Exodus chapters 28 – 36 when the Lord showed Moses how to make the Tabernacle. It talks about all the workers who were assigned the tasks of building. The Bible said that they were all filled with a spirit of wisdom.


Then it goes on to show that Joshua was filled with wisdom and Solomon was the wisest of all men.

God has promised to give wisdom to anyone who asks.

As you are looking at your day, your occupation, your marriage, your kids… Let God fill you with His wisdom and it will definitely make a much favorable outcome.


” I have chosen Bezalel from the Judah tribe to make the sacred tent and its furnishings. 3-5 Not only have I filled him with my Spirit, but I have given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.” Exodus 31:2-4 ERV


“So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.” Ephesians 1:16-18 ERV


“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. 6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.” James 1:5-6 ERV


If you need wisdom today – ask and you will receive it.

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Peaceful Moments

This morning finds me aboard our son’s boat gently resting in Santa Cruz Harbor. Such a peaceful sleep.

I’ve only been up a short time, the coffee’s still brewing but already a couple of boats have left the harbor and are headed to open water. They must be fishermen. The gulls are just now starting their morning chorus.

“All creation, come praise the name of the Lord.Praise his name alone.The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth.” Psalm 148:13 CEV

On the flight over I was reading the memories of a dear friend of mine. He passed away just a year ago. He was a collector of things that reminded him of his childhood and early life. I helped him acquired items for his collection for twenty years.

In reading I learned the reason behind much of his collecting – it was a love for life and the places it had taken him and the people he had met.

As I turned the pages there were photographs of many of the items I had purchased for him. I paused thoughtfully and remembered acquiring them and how pleased he was.

I was drifting off to sleep last night when the Lord interrupted my nostalgic thoughts with His point of view.

“Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children. God treated us with undeserved grace because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God. Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,” Ephesians 1:4-8 CEV

God, the Father, is a collector. A collector of people. From before the foundation of the world He had a plan to collect the lost just because He loves us. And then He sent Christ Jesus to purchase us for Him, with His blood.

WOW! What a memoir.

Dawn is breaking and I think I will have my coffee and spent time in prayer for all those who are in Christ and for those who still need to be added to the family!

Have a day filled with the Father’s love!

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Freely – By Grace

I want to expand a little further on justification, just as if I never sinned, that we were talking about yesterday. This is such an amazing part of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, it is a tangible act of God’s goodness.

“ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Romans 3:23-24 NLT

Imagine if you will, a wrapped gift sitting on a table. The gift tag says “For You”. Would you open it? Would you believe that you are the one it’s addressed too?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 NKJV

We have been invited to open the box. The free gift is ours! It was purchased, at a very high cost, and given in love.

“ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:7-10 NLT

We can’t brag about how good we’ve been and how worthy we are to receive such a gift. But, what we can brag about is the love and the grace of our heavenly Father. This gift is His plan and His design, bringing us into right relationship with Him.

This wonderful gift is personal but inclusive for all.

“ He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” I John 2:2 NLT

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Romans 5:1-2 NLT

This free and lavish gift is for our daily lives and our eternal salvation. The gift is ours. We have been justified – freely, by His grace!

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Just in Time

For the last number of days, I have been mulling over the word justified.

I remember a definition that we were given for that word when I was in Sunday School. Justified = just as if I never sinned! Wait here for just a moment and let that sink in.

It took me years to come to grips with that. Because of Christ, I am justified. For years it seemed I tried to measure up to standards that were placed in front of me. These are the things a good Christian does and these are the things they should never do.

It seemed to me that my success as a Christian was doomed. I couldn’t measure up.

“we know we cannot become right with God by obeying the Law. A man is made right with God by putting his trust in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we have put our trust in Jesus Christ also. We have been made right with God because of our faith in Christ and not by obeying the Law. No man can be made right with God by obeying the Law.” Galatians 2:16 NLV

Obeying the rules, following the do’s and don’ts won’t put us right with God. We are justified by what Christ has done for us.

“20 No person will be made right with God by doing what the Law says. The Law shows us how sinful we are.

21 But now God has made another way to make men right with Himself. It is not by the Law. The Law and the early preachers tell about it. 22 Men become right with God by putting their trust in Jesus Christ. God will accept men if they come this way. All men are the same to God. 23 For all men have sinned and have missed the shining-greatness of God. 24 Anyone can be made right with God by the free gift of His loving-favor. It is Jesus Christ Who bought them with His blood and made them free from their sins. 25 God gave Jesus Christ to the world. Men’s sins can be forgiven through the blood of Christ when they put their trust in Him. God gave His Son Jesus Christ to show how right He is. Before this, God did not look on the sins that were done. 26 But now God proves that He is right in saving men from sin. He shows that He is the One Who has no sin. God makes anyone right with Himself who puts his trust in Jesus.” Romans 3:20-26 NLV

We are justified, made right with God, by putting our trust in Jesus!

All in, all done. Christ paid the price for all our sins. He has given us new life, and He is our example on how we should live.

“Do as God would do. Much-loved children want to do as their fathers do. 2 Live with love as Christ loved you. He gave Himself for us, a gift on the altar to God which was as a sweet smell to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NLV

By God’s goodness and love, we have been justified. For me, this message came just in time!

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Wood, Hay, Stubble

Each day we have the opportunity to build something lasting and meaningful or something temporal.

“But we must each be careful how we build, 11 because Christ is the only foundation. 12-13 Whatever we build on this foundation will be tested by fire on the day of judgment. Then everyone will find out if we have used gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw.” I Corinthians 3:10-13 CEV

It’s important that we keep the eternal value of things in mind as we live our daily lives. Jesus’ example is the best we have. What’s really important is touching others with the love of Christ and being true to His word.

Strong as a brick house!

You remember how the story goes: three little pigs, one built their house of straw, one built their house of twigs, and one built their house of bricks. The big, bad wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the first two houses but when he came to the house of bricks he huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and he couldn’t move the house.

Did you realize that’s an example of the believer who is standing on God’s word?

“You believers are like a building that God owns. That building was built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets prepared. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building. 21 The whole building is joined together in Christ, and he makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Christ you are being built together with his other people. You are being made into a place where God lives through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22 ERV

The cornerstone or foundational stone for our lives as believers is Jesus Christ. We are in Him! And in Him, the Spirit of God dwells, so the Spirit of God dwells in us empowering us for victory.

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.

26 “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a loud crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus is called the “Word made flesh” so when we accept Him as our chief cornerstone and realize that He is the true foundation for our spiritual lives we will be secure in our position of being grounded on the rock.

Following His example, obeying God’s word, and trusting in His promises give us the foundation to withstand the storms of life. The Father will build us together with others who also need to be strengthen.

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I Will Stand

Yesterday’s blog was “God Can” and in fact, He already has. He’s given us all the promises we need for this life and when we give our lives to Him, He has given us an eternal life with Him in heaven.

“ We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:3&4 CEV

It was another very early morning. Time to get up and pray. Pray for those who are weary and struggling. Pray for those who need the determination to stand.

When I finished praying, I was reminded of a time when I struggled with weariness. I wanted to give up. I was ready to quit. We had a “Scripture Scroll” on the wall in our living room. Each day or two we could wind the scroll, and another Scripture was there for the reading. I had expressed my frustration and weariness to Dave. I was crying, I wanted sympathy.

We prayed together and as he walked out of the living room he read the verse on the scroll.

“Don’t get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 CEV

“That’s not fair”, I blurted out. He rolled the scroll and read again.

“But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory! 58 My dear friends, stand firm and don’t be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 CEV

He was silent and let that sink in. I was frustrated and felt as if he was using Scripture against me. I hadn’t realized yet that God was using these little verses to encourage and strengthen me. He rolled the scroll one more time.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 CEV

This time instead of tears there was laughter! Ok Lord, I get the point. Thank you for the power of Your word and the instruction it gives me for daily living.

Now these next verses weren’t on the scroll but they should have been.

“ To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 CEV

To end this blog (letter) I leave you with this list that gave me strength all those years ago:

  1. Do not grow weary and faint
  2. Be Steadfast and Immovable
  3. Do not give up or faint
  4. Be strengthen by Christ
  5. Stand

Jesus gave His all to give us the victory. Because of Him we have great and precious, unbreakable promises. Because of Him – I will stand!

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Stand Strong

Today I’m going to ask that you make this blog interactive. At the end of this writing I’m going to ask you to stand up – physically, stand up! Keep that thought in mind and read on.

The Bible is very specific in asking us to stand. We’re going to look at a few of those verses. Knowing where to stand is just as important as standing.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks...13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 ERV

Life has its battles for sure. But God has given us His promises of strength and power to succeed in the battles and the storms. Jesus compares our lives to a house built on a firm foundation, a house that stands strong in the storms.

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

The book of Mark tells us about a physical storm that Jesus and the disciples were in. Look at what Jesus did.

“A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water. 38 Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”

39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.” Mark 4:37-39 CEV

Here we see physical winds and waves, like the ones that were beating against the house on the rock. Jesus STOOD UP and took control. The wind ceased and the waves subsided.

Now, I have one more set of verses to share with you before we take our stand.

“I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers 17 and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love.” Ephesians 3:16-17 CEV

We are never asked to stand in our own strength. We are to stand on God’s word, in the armor He provides and to stand firm in His love!

Our Father will never leave us to stand alone. Physical storms or spiritual attacks we can be victorious. Now, join me and Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!

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Freedom

Each morning I rise with gratitude in my heart.

Thankful for God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus when He paid the price for my sins and the Holy Spirit who dwells in me, guiding my life.

I’m also thankful for the freedom we have in this nation. So much to be thankful for, so much to appreciate. God has blessed us so much in this country of ours…its great to have these days of Independence, reflecting on the sacrifice of so many and remembering that the fireworks are a symbol of cannon fire and rifle blasts. The sounds of freedom!

I am eternally grateful for the freedom from the wages of sin. I have this freedom because Jesus chose to die for me! Unconditional love and a gift of mercy!

” In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. 2 Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil power] that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. 3 In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.

4 But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:1-5 ERV

Each day I am thankful for the “But God” that is in Scripture. “But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much”. God’s love is greater than our transgressions. His mercy and grace eliminate the penalty that we should have to pay for our sins. That freedom comes to us from Christ.

“ So if the Son makes you free, you are really free.” John 8:36 ERV

Free from a guilty conscience, free from past failures and shortcomings. Free from the power of sin and death.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

There it is again…But God. He set us free!

As our nation is set to celebrate our independence as a country, make it a day to celebrate your freedom in Christ!

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