Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:17-18
Hopefully, after six weeks of starting Mondays with this passage, we have all become more familiar with the wisdom, truth, and help it offers us – so that we will not let down our guard. May we keep the armor of God on 24/7, 365 days of the year – ready to help us stand firm and resist the devil’s schemes.
Let’s not forget the necessity of suiting up daily with the whole armor of God. Let’s make it a daily practice to put on…
the Belt of Truth
the Breast Plate of Righteousness – and
the Shoes of Peace
May we faithfully…
Take up the Shield of Faith – and
Put on the Helmet of Salvation and
take the Sword of the of the Spirit
And don’t forget to …
pray at all times… for all believers everywhere
We will study the final piece of our armor this week, which is the sword of the Spirit – defined by Paul as the Word of God. Then, we will, at Paul’s suggestion, cover it all with prayer and an alertness. Remember this armor belongs to God and we will not be successful using any of it without first seeking His strength and power as Paul instructed us in the beginning of our study.
“Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”
Colossians 4:2
Did You Know?
I found a fascinating note about the Sword of the Spirit that helped me understand just how powerful this offensive weapon really is. When I picture a “sword” I pictured a long sheath like sword, however, according to BIbileref.com the sword Paul describes is a short-bladed sword, easy to carry and draw quickly in combat. It is meant to kill and defeat the enemy during attack.
God’s Word is able and meant to be used like this in our spiritual battles. Christ Himself sets the example for us as we read in Matthew 4:1-11, where we find three examples of Jesus using the Word of God to defeat the enemy. I encourage you to read how He did it and not to miss the ending when the devil left him alone. May we be quick to follow His lead by being prepared with the Word whenever the enemy strikes.
Our Secret Weapon
When Jesus told His disciples He would be leaving them He also told them about another that would come and be with them so that they could carry on the work of the Father. Here in our passage today, Paul tells them to “pray in the Spirit,” the One that Christ said would be their helper.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of everything [Christ] has told us. John 14:26
Reflecting on the Journey
What is the importance of praying at all times?
Response to God’s Word
Father, hide Your Word in our hearts that we might stand firm in the battles with temptation and all of the devil’s schemes. May we be sensitive to Your Spirit and powerful in Your might. Help us to remember that the battle belongs to You and You have empowered us with all that we need to stand firm. Remind us to stay devoted to prayer not only for ourselves but for the body of Christ and as the enemy wages war against Your people. May we not be detoured by his tactics and lose sight of the call to spread the Gospel. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
8 But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.9 For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thes 5:8-9
As he does in many of his letters, Paul teaches here – that, in light of the rapture we need to “live alert and self-controlled” unlike those who walk or live in darkness. In other words, believers are to be careful how they live. They must not live as those who are unsaved and walking in the darkness – but as children of God who walk in the Light. Paul makes a comparison between those of the night and those of the day. He emphasizes that those who are “children of the day,” or “sons of the light” as some translations render it, have been given the responsibility to stay alert and to wear God’s armor. Note that he specifically references the breastplate of faith and the helmet of salvation, which guard our hearts and minds. Yet when he speaks of those of the night he gives the example of those who are drunk or asleep, in other words not alert and vulnerable to the things of the earthy rather than the things of God.
Destined for Victory
In verse nine, Paul mentions that believers are not destined to experience the wrath of God that will come but rather to know salvation through Jesus, His son – whose name is Light, John 8:12.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NLT
It may seem odd to hear Paul – or anyone for that matter – encourage the believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, but Paul was teaching, as Bibleref.com explains, “as the Jewish people offered killed animals as sacrifices to God, Christians should instead offer ourselves, our bodies, to Him as living sacrifices.”
For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:36
Paul’s point is that God is worthy, or as he says – “It is your reasonable act of service” to know and live out the will of God. Paul understood as we saw in our journey yesterday, that when we keep on thinking about the things of God – all He is and has done or promised to do – then our minds will be transformed and our will aligned with God’s. His desires become ours and we will be able to better distinguish what is good and pleasing to Him.
When we keep our mind on earthly things we will be influenced by those things, or people, or cultural norms which is the natural bent of humans. The sinful nature leads us to follow after our own desires rather than God’s, however, we are told throughout the letters of Paul to “put on the new nature – and be renewed.”
The way to escape conformation to the world is through transformation by God, which is the renewing of your mind -🦋
Me🦋 FromtheNsideoutt
It is important to understand that we cannot transform ourselves. Paul says to, “Let Godtransform You into a new person by changing the way you think.” In other words, we do not – actually we cannot – transform ourselves. Notice with me, while in many of his writings Paul tells us that we need to put off the old and put on the new, he does not tell them here to change they way they live, look, or even act but instead he tells them to “Let God change the way they think.” Paul is teaching them the same thing he taught the Colossians, the mind greatly influences our decisions. When we allow God to transform our minds from the old nature to the new one we have been given in Christ we will live in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to Him.
One way I have found to let God change the way I think is through His Word. Whether it is reading it, listening to it in sermons, memorizing it, singing it, or discussing it with others, God’s Word will bring real and lasting transformation of our minds which will lead to a life-changing transformation from the inside-out 🦋 affecting not just us but all those around us.
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:14
Prayer of Response to the Word
Father, please help us to faithfully stay in Your Word and to live by it. Let us be women of faith who dwell in the Word so that Your Word may dwell in us – so that we may be forever changed – living lives that are pleasing and acceptable to You and igniting change in others! In Jesus’ Name I pray – Amen!
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth
Colossians 3:2
So what does mean to “keep thinking about something?” The bottom line is it means to continually choose to think about a certain thing, event, or person. When we do this we allow that thing, person, or situation to become what influences our choices – such as how we talk or what actions we take or who we spend time with. When we do this our thinking will ultimately influence what goals, priorities or standards we set.
Setting our minds on things above establishes Godly priorities and sets Godly standards.
me – from the inside out 🦋
Paul poses two courses of thought, things on earth or things above, and he guides the Church to set their thoughts on the things above. The NLT translates things above as the realities of Heaven, but both mean the same thing: Think about the things of God. Think about what He’s done for us through Christ. Think about His promise of eternity and anything else that turns our thinking toward God. Okay, you say, but we have families and jobs and responsibilities that also take thought, right? Yes, and we do have to give thought to those things during the day, and in times of crises that arise here on earth life can demand or require our attention; but Paul’s point is not to neglect thinking about the crisis situations nor even what you’ll fix for dinner or which job you’ll take or where your kids will go to school. Instead, his point is to “keep on” thinking about the things of God even while you are weighing out or dealing with the other issues of life. Basically, we are to have our minds so set on the things of God that those thoughts influence all the other aspects of our life.
How can we do this while living on earth? Paul gives us the answer in many of his letters, but perhaps no where more clearly than here in Colossians chapter three. He makes it clear to the church that they are no longer to live by the standards of their old life. In verse five he uses some very strong words to emphasize the importance of setting new standards by saying, “put to death” any part of their old “earthly” living – including everything from sexual immorality to greed. He makes the point that these things are not pleasing to God. Paul understands that this is the way they used to live and that some were still struggling with the ungodly issues he referenced – and just in case they might have been thinking – ‘good grief, I’m not that bad’, he also covered things like anger and malice, as well as slander and ungodly words. When we profess Jesus as our Lord with our mouth we are to profess Him with our lives as well.
What does It Look Like?
Paul gave us a pretty good snap shot of what we will look like when we “keep thinking about things above instead of things on the earth.” He described those who choose to think like this as ones ” who are filled with tenderhearted mercy, they are kind. gentle, and patient, and they live in humility rather haughtiness. They remember how the Lord has forgiven them and loved them despite their faults – so they make allowance for other’s faults and are forgiving of those who offend them. They are loving and live in harmony with others and are noted for the peace that rules in their hearts; it’s a peace that helps them to live in peace with others. Their’s is a peace so obviously from Christ that is a reflective light of our faith.
Prayer of Response to God’s Word
Father, I confess it isn’t always easy to keep my mind from getting weighed down with the cares of this world. Whether it is the day to day routines or events or people in my life or the seasons of crises and turmoil – if I’m not careful – my mind is easily captivated and I find myself struggling with fears and worries or a myriad of other emotions that rob me of the peace that I have known when my mind is fixed on the things of Heaven, instead of the world. Thank You for continually reviewing this truth with me, for using this passage to change my life in so many ways. Help me to keep my mind on things above, to know Your strength when I am weak, and to avail myself often of your loving invitation to cast all my cares on You – because You care for me –
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).
Ephesians 6:17
Over the past four weeks of our journey we have seen evidence from God’s Word that:
His truth supports us as we live out His calling on our lives.
His righteousness is a protective covering for our hearts and souls from the evil one.
His Shoes of Peace are to help us stand firm defensively and run swiftly offensively.
Defensively: when the enemy targets us (or others), we must press our ‘feet’ firmly into God’s Truth so that we are not easily shaken or knocked down.
Offensively, we must always be ready to ‘run’ with the message of His Peace so that others will know the hope of our salvation through Jesus Christ.
His Shield of Faith can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. These arrows of fear, doubt, temptations, and a myriad of others are part of the enemy’s strategy to steal, kill, and destroy God’s children. However, as we have seen, by faith, we are overcomers, and God’s Shield is a protective barrier for us to use against all the flaming arrows.
The Full Armor
When I consider the pieces of armor we’ve picked up in the first four weeks of our journey, I feel secure. However, I know I must not stop with the Shield of Faith. God’s instructions through Paul are to “Put on the full armor of God.” To do anything less is to be careless and put ourselves, and possibly others, in jeopardy.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground –
Ephesians 6:12-13
Remember with me for a minute the scene in the Garden. The serpent tempted Eve by messing with her mind, making her doubt what God had said or meant, and enticing her through her senses. Scripture says that Eve saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise; the serpent had captivated her mind, and Scripture says, she took the fruit and ate it, then she gave some to Adam and he also ate it. While we might want to say or think we will not do what Eve did, the reality is we all know that, but by the grace of God, we will. The enemy is still actively at work today, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy God’s people. He still messes with our minds, hoping we will fall for his cunning and deceitful words, just like Eve, which is why we must stay alert. It is why we must put on the Helmet of Salvation to protect our mind from the enemy and the lies and the games he plays with what we think and believe or perceive to be true.
If you want victory over the mind the helmet is not optional. It can save you from the enemy’s schemes and lies.
As I’m sure you’ve heard me say, my mind is a battlefield. I have been putting the Helmet of Salvation on since the first time I studied Ephesians six, close to thirty years ago, and yet even this week, I have seen how very vulnerable I am if I don’t wear it well. God has shown me it isn’t enough to go through the motions of “putting the armor on.” I must live as a warrior who understands what the pieces are and how to use them so that when they are needed, I’m not caught off guard. God faithfully and graciously continues to train me in protective procedures through studies like this and the practical application in the daily battles of this world. Being alert to the enemy is one defense I cannot afford to let down; I’ve seen what happens when I do. I must stay on guard, alert to the enemy’s schemes, as well as my weaknesses, and ready to stand firm.
Because of our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ we have the assurance of God’s forgiveness. We have the great privilege of knowing that we are no longer under the requirements of the law but instead we live in the freedom of God’s grace and the hope of eternity. This is the bottom-line of the helmet of salvation. Gotquestions.org writes that, “The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.”
Keep in Mind
Because of the power of the cross, our enemy no longer has any hold on us (Romans 6:10; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 1:18). He knows that, but he also knows that most of God’s children do not know that—or, at least, they do not live as if they know. We must learn to keep our helmets buckled so that his fiery missiles do not lodge in our thoughts and set us on fire. Through this helmet of salvation, we can “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
From the first day of this week’s journey, I have had the song “Faith is the Victory” playing daily in my head at some point. Today’s passage has amplified the song to full blast, and if I weren’t writing this late at night and worried about waking my daughter, I would be belting out the tune loud and clear – perhaps even marching around my room. For now, I must settle for the more timid celebration of marching and singing in my heart and head.
Reread our verses and read them out loud this time. Listen as John first proclaims that our faith is the conquering power that has overcome the world, and then as he clarifies that the person of faith is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.Surely, those hearing these words at the time would have broken out in loud cheers and shouts of victorious praise to their God that would have rivaled a Super Bowl crowd. After all, this is the final chapter of the First John letters. So far the church has received a series of four letters including: lessons about the fellowship of believers (1), instructions on being Followers of Christ(2), the requirement to love one another(3), instructions on the importance of testing the spirits to make sure they are from God(4), and then he wraps it all up, here in chapter 5, with this beautiful message of peace – that it is our faith, our believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that gives us the power to overcome the world! This is where our text focuses today. And I believe it is the crux of the demand to put on the whole armor of God and stand firm. For, without faith, there is no hope and there is no victory to celebrate – there is only fear and dread.
Our faith gives us power! ~~~~~ Because our faith places us in Christ and Christ in us ~ and thus, we are empowered to overcome the world.
Me – from the inside-out
We could stop here, but this is one of those scenic overlooks of a journey where you want to stop and take a picture of the majestic mountains or some other wonderful sight to remember. So, let’s stop for a minute before rushing on and look at the scenic overview to experience it and appreciate the beauty of what led up to John’s declaration of conquering the world.
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him.2 By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, 4 because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. -This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:1-5
Did you see the beauty? Verse one explains or at least sheds light on verse four’s comment about being “fathered by God.” Then verse three poses this statement: And his commandments do not weigh us down, but John addresses his statement as if it were a question: “Because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world.” For me, this is an ultimate photo op, one best captured by this quote from gotquestions.org – “The apostle is not implying that only certain “super-Christians” are overcomers; rather, every true believer is an overcomer because he has been born of God.” There it is, a great photo op and a truth that should ignite loud shouts of cheers of victory and thunderous praise for the conquering power of our faith!
The apostle is not implying that only certain “super-Christians” are overcomers; rather, every true believer is an overcomer because he has been born of God:
Gotquestions.org
Prayer of Response to God’s Word
Father, thank you for this message from John. May our application be to daily celebrate this beautiful knowledge of peace that we are overcomers by the conquering power of our faith in Christ Jesus, Your only begotten Son. Thank You for adopting us, who were once Your enemies, and fathering us as children naturally born to You. We are most blessed to have this faith – please help us to walk in it faithfully, claiming the victory that is ours in Christ and sharing the message of our faith so others may hear and believe in the One, whose name I pray, His name is Jesus and He is the author and perfecter of our victoriously powerful faith! And Father, if there is anyone, even one, who reads this but doesn’t share in our faith, will you open the eyes and the ears of their heart to understand and to claim the faith as their own by believing that Jesus is Your Son, the author, and perfecter of our faith – Amen and amen!
But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
Sometimes you can pull one verse out of a passage and SOAP it without the others, but sometimes it is made so much richer with the others. I find this to be true of these five verses. While each one has a distinct message, each one also highlights the next as well.
Paul starts off asking for prayer, “Finally,” he says, “pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you.”
It is an example that reminded me that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not only to pray for one another but we are to share our needs or the needs of the body with one another.
It is also a reminder that, like Paul, we are to understand and be concerned about the Lord’s message spreading quickly.
Paul continues with the prayer request in verse two with the concern for the dangers they faced in spreading the message. He continues,“and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people, for not all have faith.”As we know from Paul’s letters to the churches, his life and those he served with were often in great danger from those who opposed the message of the cross. Such danger led to countless imprisonments and beatings by those not of the faith.
His enemies were hardened unbelievers.
Bibleref.com
Now, our SOAP verse –
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. – 2 Thessalonians 3:3
I love this verse because it starts with the word “BUT.” The word ‘but’ in Scripture is an ‘alarm’ word. Not only does it mean looking back and seeing what came before, but it typically means something is coming we don’t want to miss. In this case, what follows is ” the Lord is faithful.” Can’t you hear the collective sigh of relief for Paul among the church as they read this part of the letter naming the urgency of spreading the Gospel and the danger that comes with it? Paul knew they would need to be reminded and encouraged that – “The Lord is faithful!He understood that remembering the truth of God’s character would help them to pray with hope, knowing the Lord would hear and answer their prayers. Paul added even more hope with the reminder, “The Lord will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
Paul had confidence from the Lord that their faith was strong and they were living it out well.
Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians continued in verse four, where he wrote “And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.” This had to bring them great encouragement to know that not only would they know the Lord’s protection from the evil one but Paul had confidence from the Lord that their faith was strong and they were living it out well.
Finally, verse five – which really stood out to me and is why I realized that the five verses were a package deal. For in order for them to continue to know the hope and encouragement and faithfulness to live the righteous life they would have to have their hearts directed toward God’s love and the endurance of Christ, or they would fail miserably.Their faith, had to be set firm in God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and not in Paul, his ministry, or anything, or anyone else; and so Paul prayed: “Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance of Christ.”
Note: Applications (underlined text) are laced throughout the observations of this SOAP
Prayer of Response to the Word
Father, thank You for Your teachings through men like Paul. His letters and examples of the faith encouraged those in his day and all the generations of believers to this day and beyond. They are living and active, and I pray for strength and faithfulness to apply them well. Grace me with the daily reminders of the truths of Your character, as we find in Paul’s words that You are faithful and will strengthen us and protect us from evil. We are now and forever more dependent on You, and these truths fill us with the hope we need to use the Shield of Faith well – to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I bless Your Name and the name of Jesus through whom I pray. Amen!
The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the Lord’s promise is reliable. He is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
Psalm 18:30
Last week, we read in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus is our peace, and in today’s SOAP passage, we read that God is a shield to all who take shelter in him. We see the evidence of David’s faith being firmly in the Lord throughout Scripture, but we also hear it in his descriptive words of God, as he declares Him to be the one true God who acts faithfully and who keeps His promises. Keep in mind that David learned these things both by observing God and from first hand experience. One of my favorite Old Testament passages is when David requests to stand up to the Philistine giant, Goliath, and declares to Saul: “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” To be clear, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,” and if we spend more than a minute in the Word of God we are bound to read the stories like David and Goliath or Noah and the ark, or of Rahab and the spies and Ruth and Naomi, or of Jesus’ life from the birth announcement to the cross to the empty grave and His ascension into Heaven. These stories bear witness to not only the Gospel but to the realness and the faithfulness of our God. They continue to bring people to faith every day and they strengthen the faith of those who have already believed, or such is my experience.
I made a profession of faith as a young child, but it was in my mid to late twenties, when my first child was born, that my faith began to grow and take deeper root. Looking both backward and forward from that point God has shown me the lions and the bears of my own life and how He has delivered me not only from them but from the giants I’ve had to face as well. It occurs to me as I’m writing this that David’s initial words about the lion and the bear are: “Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear.” He later acknowledges that it was the Lord who delivered him. This isn’t a discrepancy but the beauty of how God walks with us in our battles – fighting for us and through us to overcome the dangers and snares in our paths. We are wise to realize we cannot and should not attempt the battles, the storm tossed seas, or any other part of life without our faith firmly established in Him. After all, as David said – God is our shield.
“Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.” –
1 Samuel 17:36-67
Noteworthy Observations
Many things about Psalm 18 jumped off the page to me, starting with the fact that “David – sang to the LORD the words of the song.” I love this, partly because I do it too – as I drive to or from work or as I’m praying. However, I think what I love most is that it is like a love song to the Lord, expounding not only on his love for God but on the wonderful ways God has loved and cared for Him. David knew God was worthy of His praise, but he also wanted anyone who heard the song to see the greatness of God and what He had done for David, which is most likely why he didn’t just say God, You’re so good – but went into details of His goodness.
I also love that David didn’t mind admitting that he was vulnerable and needed help, and he knew his help came from the LORD. When he was feeling like he was being overwhelmed by the currents of chaos and feeling distressed, we find him calling out to God for help. We may not feel the waves of death like David did, but much of life can easily engulf us and leave us feeling trapped very quickly and needing “the One True God” to come to our defense and rescue us. I’m so thankful David, the “servant after God’s own heart,” has given us an example of how to respond in these situations.
One other observation I want to note is that while it may be easy to read some of David’s words as boastful or proud, however, we must keep in mind the opening words of the Psalm, which say “…by the LORD’S servant David, who sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul.”(1a) David’s song was specific to an event in which David had pleased God and how God proved to be loyal, trustworthy and reliable in return; but to Saul, who had acted contrary to the ways of God, the LORD showed sharp and powerful judgment.
How do I Apply this to my life?
I love you LORD, my source of strength! Psalm 18:6
I believe we start with Psalm 18:6, understanding and acknowledging who truly is our source of strength. Can we, like David, say that the LORD is our source of strength? Who do we seek when we are in trouble? Who do we trust more than any other? Who do we believe is truly able to do more than we ask or imagine? It is easy to answer these questions with the Christian answer of God, or Jesus, or His Spirit in us. However, we must not answer according to who we “know it should be” but rather by who we “Know it is.” Ask Him to show you any areas of your life where another is the source of your strength. Don’t be surprised if He shows you places where your faith needs to be rooted a little deeper in Him and less in the world or others. After all, we are works in progress – He’s not finished with us yet. *Note, if God has given you a wonderful friend or friends that are faithful to help you with anything, anytime, and anywhere – this is a blessing to be cherished – but we should be quick to acknowledge that they too, are a gift from God.
Be quick to see and then acknowledge the goodness and faithfulness of God. Count your blessings, name them one by one, as the old hymn says – it truly will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Be quick to ask Him for help, He knows you need it and He is poised and ready and desirous to help His children.
A Response of Prayer to God’s Word
Father, grace us with eyes to see and minds to recall all the ways You have acted on our behalf. Please help us to remember your goodness and faithfulness to rescue us from the power of our enemies and the struggles in this life. When the waves are crashing at our heads and distress is overtaking us, remind us to do as David did and call out to You, the One from whom we receive our help. Help us not lean on our understanding and power but to remember You are our only true and faithful source of strength. Thank You for being our shield! Thank You for being the One who is faithful and a keeper of His promises – May these truths help us to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, the shoes of peace on our feet, and the shield of faith ready to douse the flaming arrows of the evil one. And, when like David, we see the victory – help us to faithfully respond with songs of praise to You born of love and faith in who You are. – Amen!
Response of Worship
The words of the Psalm brought this song to mind, may it be a blessing to you as it always is to me –
Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
Mark 9:24-25
The Object of One’s Faith is Critical
In my studies of this passage I found a quote by Gotquestions.org that is helpful if not crucial to understanding the scene with the demon possessed boy and the father’s desire for Jesus to heal him.
The believing one has power only due to the one he believes in.
gotquestions.org
Why do I believe this is so important? Because the healing clearly hinged upon what or who the father placed his belief in. The father’s earlier statement that the disciples had failed to heal his son most likely had affected the man’s belief that Jesus would be able to heal the child; at the very least, it had caused him to doubt. So, Jesus repeats the man’s words – possibly to point out the doubt and emphasize that one must believe in Jesus and His ability to cast out the demon. Whatever the reason for Jesus’ words, the father then proclaims his belief, showing he understood the importance of believing by asking that Jesus would help him past any unbelief – and, at Jesus’ command, the boy was healed, highlighting the truth that the one who believes has power only due to the one he believes in.
Bibleref.com makes this statement concerning the passage: “True faith doesn’t presume that God will do what we want but that God can do what He wants.”
Prayer Response to the Word
Father, help me to continually center my belief on You. It is so easy to get caught up in situations or struggles and cry out with our eyes on the problem rather than on You the only one who can truly answer our requests – be it healing or provision or wisdom. Help me to remember that faith doesn’t mean that You can or will do what I want but that You can do what You want to. In those moments of life when I am desperate, do not allow my desperation to overshadow my belief in You. And, as this father prayed – so pray I – “help my unbelief”. – In Him who I have placed my Trust – Thank You and Amen!
Reflections from our Journey
What does the Bible teach about the nature and power of faith in relation to overcoming obstacles and receiving answers to prayer?
How can we apply this understanding to cultivate a deepr faith in Jesus Christ?
Me From the Inside Out 