Rise Up ~ Part 2 ~ A Speak to My Soul Devotional
Part 2 of
Ok, so, now you know that we are to RISE UP, but what does it take to become battle ready?
That is a great question and if we read on through Ephesians 6 it will tell us everything we need to know.
Ephesians 6:14-18 (NKJV)
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
I love this! It takes us step by step on how to prepare to RISE UP and get battle ready by putting on the whole armor of God.
The first thing you are going to do is put on the belt (gird your waist) of TRUTH! You have to stand on His promises and His truth in everything you do.
Then you are going to protect your chest by putting on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS. If you think about it, what does the breastplate protect…your heart, right? Keep your heart in the right place so you are being guided by Him.
Ok, so you have your belt of TRUTH, and your breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS on.
Next we are heading to our feet (we are women and we love our shoes, don’t we?) where we will cover our feet with the gospel of PEACE. We need to walk in peace in everything we do, we can’t be adding to the madness around us. Our goal is to be cool, calm, and collected while we shine HIS light to the world.
Now we have to shield ourselves with FAITH so that we can stay strong in the midst of the battle and the fiery darts that will come our way. I know that I know that I know that in the midst of these storms that the Creator of the Universe has me perfectly safe in the palms of His hands and that is so reassuring.
Ladies, this next piece of the armor is so important for us. We have to put on the helmet of SALVATION. We have to guard our minds if we are going to rise up and get battle ready! You and I both know that we can let our minds go to places they just don’t need to. The “what if’s” and “if only’s” can eat us up. Keep your mind focused on Him and let Him lead the way.
We also need to have the sword of the Spirit which is GOD’S WORD. When you are in the midst of these storms ladies you need to stay grounded in the Word of God. This is NOT the time to put your quiet time and Bible reading off to the side. This is the time when you need to be clinging to the Word, memorizing Scripture, and learning the Truth of who God really is.
The last piece in putting on the armor of God so that you can RISE UP and get battle ready is to spend time in PRAYER. Prayer is something that can move mountains, never forget about the power of prayer. Prayer is not just something for you to do in the morning, but something you could do all day long…not for Him, but for you!
I would love to tell you that it is going to be easy, but the reality is that it is probably not. The good news is this though…He has already won the battle for us all and when we rise up and get battle ready He promises to meet us right where we are.
What a great and beautiful gift that is.
If you don’t even know where to begin (I have been there, I know…it’s hard) you may want to start out by simply asking Him to give you the strength to get started. Once you make that first step you can prepare each and every day to RISE UP!
I’ll be praying for you as you begin to rise up and get battle ready…we need this! There are so many things we can do when we are battle ready for Him, for our families, for ourselves, but it all starts when we rise up!
Seeking JOY on the Journey,
PS – Continue to keep my mom in your prayers, please. Today is she is in surgery to tackle her breast cancer head on. Your prayers are appreciated and so important to me, thank you for rising up with me!
Photo Credit: Warrior Bride by Chris Fields
Hi Mel,
I will lift up your Mom right now! I pray all of the cancer is captured and destroyed in the Name of Jesus.
And I have a habit of going through the full armor each morning. I think about each piece, calling them out as I make sure they are in place.
God help us RISE UP!
Bless you,
Beth
I love this post you explain this scripture so well I think I will print this out to keep to remind myself of what I need to do with my faith thanks so much
Wow! Great stuff. I am so thankful for you. Thank you that no matter what you are going through personally, you always find the time to encourage, remind, and gently prod friends like me. Thanks Mel for your selflessness!