Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.Proverbs 4:23
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 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. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:10-20
7 For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, Scripture says we are a new creation. This transformation is immediate! The old has gone, the new has come! [2 Corinthians 5:17] Immediately, we have new life in Christ and a new identity. And with that new identity comes responsibility.
Scripture clearly warns us to be on guard. We have an enemy who would love nothing more than to discourage us, cause us to doubt God’s love for us, and distract us with lies about our identity. He deposits lies into our minds in hopes of causing us to question if what God has said is really true.
We need to be wise to the schemes of Satan and do as Ephesians 6 instructs us to do – put on the full armor of God. Why? So that we can stand. But not just stand… we can stand firm!
Standing firm requires a regular assessment of our armor. As you read today’s Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where there might be weak points in your armor (a few of those being the helmet of salvation – guards the mind, shield of faith – a protective barrier against Satan’s schemes, belt of truth – guards our inmost being, and the breastplate of righteousness – guards us against anything that comes against the knowledge of God). Ask Him to teach you how to be more alert to the ways the enemy may be trying to come against your identity.
It takes being alert and wielding prayer and the Word as our weapons to truly guard our identity from the enemy. It takes guarding our heart, our soul, and our mind!
