The year of the armor
Today on Choosing Peace, you’ll read about a squirrel, a raw egg and a soccer game, plus a lot more.
We’ll be looking at the first three pieces of The Armor of God—The Belt of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness and The Sandals of Readiness—illustrated by stories and journal entries from three years ago. I think of that year as The Year of The Armor.
The armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God….
Ephesians 6:10-17, New Heart English Bible
The belt of truth
The first item in our armor is The Belt of Truth. In other words, truth holds it all together. God is truth. God’s love is truth. God’s power is truth. God’s presence is truth. Truth helps us see clearly. Truth helps us determine good from evil. We start with truth. Why?
Lies bring confusion. Truth brings clarity.
The word, family and friends
One July morning in The Year of The Armor, I began my journal entry like this. Joshua 23:10b “…the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised” [NIV*].
Here are more journal entries that speak truth to me.
Tuesday, January 22
Journal entry
Brandon did our taxes this evening. At bedtime, he asked me to pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his wonderful provision. I did—with joy.
Monday, July 29
Journal entry
Charlene sent me sweet texts today. She is my Soul Sister. One of the texts was a photo that said “A True Friend warms you with her presence, trusts you with her secrets, and remembers you in her prayers.” Amen to that.
A victory and a mess
This one is funny.
Tuesday, October 22
Journal entry
[Logan’s dog] Pierre caught a squirrel this morning and sat proudly with the dead squirrel in his mouth at the back door. I went out and told him a number of times “leave it,” (i.e., “put it down”). Not happenin‘. Also, I put his food bowl outside. He looked at me, like, “Are you kidding me? I eat that stuff every morning.” The Holy Spirit reminded me of the raw egg we occasionally put on his food when we’re out of the tomatoes. It worked! He started eating it, with the squirrel right by the bowl, where he could guard it. I think Pierre had his foot on it. I grabbed it, wearing my rubber kitchen gloves, protected with a black trash bag and threw the squirrel behind our back fence. PTL. I praised Pierre for his super-exciting catch this morning.
I think this is a great example of “One man’s victory is another man’s mess.”
That reminds me of some of our relatives. The Sneak Attack posts show a stellar example of psychological and spiritual warfare. The Armor of God protected us mightily during that season. And it all started with The Belt of Truth. We sought and found the truth. Finally.
The breastplate of righteousness
Let’s look at the second piece of armor. The Breastplate of Righteousness protects my heart, which connects me to other people. Or not. Some people, like my sociopathic in-laws, were never emotionally connected to anyone. Those of us who are emotionally healthy must use discernment. Some people are safe and appropriate to be connected to emotionally. Others aren’t. Be wise. And pray.
For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
The good person out of his good treasure brings out good things,
and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.
Matthew 12:34b-35, New Heart English Bible
God calls our breastplate—which protects our heart and lungs—The Breastplate of Righteousness, not The Breastplate of Popularity or The Breastplate of Stupidity. Don’t get me going on People-Pleasing Avenue again, because that is a dead-end street. I’m kidding. See this post for more.
But seriously, righteousness means right thinking, right decisions, right efforts. It’s wisdom in action. When to say yes and when to say no. When to stand still and when to walk—or run—away. When to speak and when to be silent. Here’s a familiar passage from Ecclesiastes about different times and seasons of life.
Weather and seasons
These memories, chronicled in my journal, show the interweaving of our lives, the weather and the seasons. I love that.
A time to give
You may remember Christopher from The Prayer, part 1. He’s homeless and has schizophrenia. Christopher visits us at St. Matt’s, the small church where I work.
On a cold, rainy October day in The Year of The Armor, Christopher came by St. Matt’s while my friend Sam and her husband were working in the kitchen. Sam suggested that we give Christopher a coat from our lost and found. We had a men’s coat that fit him perfectly. What a great idea. Sam also grabbed a baseball cap to help keep his head dry. Sam and her husband went to Subway to get a gift card for Christopher since he likes to eat there.
I wrote in my journal: “Christopher came to St. Matt’s yesterday asking for $10. He left with so much more—a coat, a hat and a $15 Subway card. Our Lord does abundantly more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3). Thanks be to God.”
A time for love
On a cold, drizzly February day that year, we drove to Logan’s soccer playoff game in Dallas. Our team lost the game, but you should’ve seen the boys’ faces as they left the field. They were beaming from the love, clapping and cheering they received from their parents and fans at the end of the game. Their faces said it all. “We know you love us. We feel it.” Joy, joy, joy.
In September of The Year of The Armor, on my mom’s birthday, I received a sweet note from Lois, one of my favorite ladies at St. Matt’s. She wrote: “…I’m anxious for the changing seasons. I love to see the autumn leaves fall and trees in different colors. The Lord is good! Blessings to you this day. Love, Lois.” I never received a note like that from my mom. But I received A Kiss On The Head from Jesus on my mom’s birthday—the year after she died. Sweet.
A time to cry
Six weeks later…
Monday, November 11
Journal entry
I found out today that precious Lois Murphy died yesterday and I cried. I have a sweet note from her on my desk and another in this journal…. She’s a precious, kind angel and I will see her again.
The Lord gifted me with the song “Seasons,” …and I listened to it again and again.
My Lord told me to go get the mail this morning. Shortly after I got back inside, a powerful, cold wind blew in and stayed all day.
The sandals of readiness
It’s time for the third piece of The Armor of God. I call this piece The Sandals of Readiness (from the Christian Standard Bible). In other words, am I ready to go where God’s calling me to go today? The gospel of peace makes me ready. Am I ready to go in Jesus’ name? Having my shoes on shows God that I’m ready.
A time to leave the rain
The week of Thanksgiving, two weeks after Lois died, we took our boat to Lake Texoma for a vacation on the water. After two days of sailing, we learned that rain and high winds were coming soon, so we needed to go home early. Right away. I was really disappointed (and maybe even a little whiny). But then I started feeling sick on the ride home. After spending Thanksgiving and the next day sick in bed, Brandon took me to the emergency room on Saturday. The doctor said my symptoms looked like I was hit with E. coli.
Needless to say, it was very important for me to be at home and not on our boat during that illness. The weather sent us home just in the nick of time. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
A time to go into the rain
Earlier in The Year of The Armor, we drove someplace new.
Saturday, March 2
Journal entry
We went to Logan’s first track meet—in Dallas at Kimball High School. It was cold and rainy, but our hearts were warm. We had a great [Covenant Christian Academy] group of parents cheering for our students…. There were more CCA parents there than for all the other schools combined.
Logan ran the 100 and 200. I enjoyed watching him run.
What I see
The stories you read about today seemed mostly lighthearted and happy. But they actually represented immense victories over darkness—victories over fear, pride, isolation, laziness, self-absorption, apathy, anger.
…the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.
Joshua 23:10b, NIV*
When I think back on these memories from three years ago, I see the hand of God—everywhere. Providing. Loving. Helping. Blessing. Comforting. Rescuing. Healing.
What a mighty, tender, compassionate God we serve.
I’m reading Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I’m about a third of the way into it so far. The subtitle is The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. If you’d like to explore the heart of Jesus Christ, I recommend it.
Coming next: In part 5, we’ll dig into the last three pieces of The Armor of God. Get ready for close combat, attacks, preemptive strikes and much more. Until then, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Healing through truth and music
Peaceful Readers, I’ve found great healing in my life through the beauty and truth of God’s word and through music. I hope the truths and songs that I share at the end of each post will bless you too.
Truth from The Word: Psalm 121
Song for Healing: “Keep My Eyes Up: Song Session” by Ryan Ellis
*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.