Have you noticed how more and more things must be plugged into outlets these days?
I’m glad my Ford Fusion Hybrid recharges itself as I tool around town and still conserve around 40% to 50% on fuel costs.
Yes, my smart phone gets a new charge every evening, but the most important daily charging happens to me personally every evening and every morning.
That’s when I remove and then replace the full armor of God as I go to bed and arise to the spiritual battle that we must face daily.
You see, I consider myself a warrior who needs to be prepared for the spiritual onslaught of the enemy that confronts all followers of Christ. Apparently, those 18 months spent in Vietnam were good preparation personally for what lies ahead going forward.
The Apostle Paul illustratively presents us to the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:14-17.
But first, I’d like you to listen to the powerful words of Paul found in Ephesians 4:1-3:
“As a prisoner for the Lord then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
To me, the key ingredient in this passage is acknowledging the Holy Spirit and realizing we belong to Christ rather than to the ruler of this world.
We need to be God’s hands and feet here on earth as He sees fit to use us for His glory.
We are richly blessed as Christians when we are given opportunities to serve our Risen Lord.
But before we can be used, we need to be recharged daily for the spiritual confrontations all around us. We need so much more than an effective prayer life.
We also need to be around fellow believers who will encourage us in our daily walk. We’re not talking about a walk in the park, but walking through the minefields of the enemy!
In 1 Peter 2:9, the Apostle Peter speaks of Christians as “a chosen people a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Those are awfully powerful words written by an uneducated fisherman. This disciple along with many others who followed Jesus were truly transformed by the Holy Spirit on that special Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.
Those few good men were the first of millions upon millions who have faithfully followed the Son of God.
The Book of Acts written by Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke, beautifully describes the early history of the Christian Church and it’s certainly worth the read, if you are at least somewhat intrigued by the life of Christ and those who first followed Him as Savior and Lord.
This account is not good fiction. It’s been well-documented by many archaeological findings that can be trusted.
My hope is that you, too, may experience His wonderful light and find refuge from the darkness that encompasses so many in this present world!