HE MADE IT ~~ AND WE NEED TO SUIT UP!

Obama was elected the 44th President of these United States yesterday. I held out hope with prayer until it was apparent that he had won and then gave it to the Lord. It bothers me that Americans are so blind to Obama's ways and what he truly is. Do they not know WHAT they have put into this most important office in the entire world?

The thought that immediately came to me as I was watching the returns was that we as Christians are going to have to "kick it up a notch." We have had it far too easy for far too long and we are, for the most part, a bunch of lazy and complacent believers. It's time to regroup (individually with the Lord and then corporately as Christians~~ in His church.)

We have NOT been flying below Obama's radar screen. Instead, we are dead center in his sights. Our rights and freedoms of worship are going to be challenged. We had best be putting on our ARMOR and getting ready for the days/weeks/years that lie ahead. Our key? God's Word~~ His love letter to us; His book of instruction for us; His road map for our journey. Here is God's instruction to us for putting on our armor. It's not a one-time-and-it's-forever-done thing. We must put it on daily:

Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

A friend sent an email to me this morning which addresses one piece of the spiritual armor that is available to us and I share it here:

Armed with the Truth

Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.

— Ephesians 6:14

In his description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6, Paul doesn't start with the high-profile objects like the sword or the shield. Instead, he begins his list by telling us to put on "the sturdy belt of truth."

What was Paul speaking of? We need to think "Roman soldier" here for a moment.

The Romans didn't wear pants like we do today. They wore robes or togas—generally short togas on the battlefield. So to move quickly on the battlefield, the Roman soldier would need to pull the toga up above his knees.

Having the belt tightened simply meant that he would pull up his toga and tighten his belt a couple of notches, which gave him the freedom of movement he needed.

Now the belt is not a dramatic piece of armor, but it was essential to everything else. The breastplate was attached to the belt, as well as the sheath for the sword. If your belt fell off, your breastplate would fall off, and your robe would come loose. You may have the sharpest sword on the block, but you're destined to trip over your own toga and look quite foolish in the process.

So, the belt was important. That is why Paul put it at the top of the list.

To have your belt tightened means you are ready for battle and ready to move. We need to be on duty at all times. We cannot afford to take a couple of days off spiritually. We must keep our armor on at all times, because the moment we take it off is the moment the devil will be there to hit us with full force.

Do you need to suit up for today's battles? We never know what awaits us, but may we be faithful to "suit up" and be spiritually prepared for any eventuality!!