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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV).

[Editor’s Note: The devotional writing team, still on hiatus, prays you’ll be blessed with these devotionals from Jan. 2024, the second week of the sermon series: Spiritual Power in Everyday Places.]

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for blessing us with the gift of life today. Let us not take for granted the opportunities we have to worship you and be in fellowship with those around us. Thank you for giving us the authority to spread your Word and to help advance your kingdom here on earth. I pray that we look to you - the calm in the middle of the battle - whenever we feel as if we are being swallowed by the fighting around us.

In a world full of lies and deceit, help us to buckle the belt of truth around our waists. The enemy’s first attack is to rid us of all things true, by making it hard to discern what is true or untrue. Lord, let us hang our weapons from this belt, as truth is a weapon against the devil. Allow us to protect our hearts by also putting on the breastplate of righteousness, so that when we are tempted by unrighteous things, we are able to guard our hearts against them.

Heavenly Father, aid us in putting on the shoes of readiness given to us by your gospel of peace so we are ready to fight in any type of terrain we encounter during this battle. Help us hold steady the shield of faith - with this shield, we will be able to halt the flaming arrows of the devil. When temptations of the world are thrown at us, our faith in you, oh God, will help protect us. 

Thank you, Lord, for the sacrifice of your Son and for the salvation you have extended towards us. Allow us to place this helmet of salvation on our heads, so we may be granted clarity while fighting the battle over our minds. 

Finally, let us wisely wield the sword of the Spirit, so we may be able to actively fight any opposition that tries to draw us away from you.

We pray this always, in the holy and precious name of Jesus,

Amen.