Week Forty-Six, 2018
BE PREPARED
By John Grant, Florida State Senator (Ret.)
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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” (Ephesians 6:11).
Perhaps the greatest help I received as a child was my involvement in scouting. It helped me to grow up and face the realities and challenges I would face as an adult. The Scout motto was: Be Prepared.
I was brought up in a church that had a lot of activities, however, Bible study was not one of them. One Sunday was designated as youth Sunday when the young people would lead the church service. I was asked to preach the sermon. This was the first time I ever stood in a pulpit. As I thought about what to do, I was lost, but the priest helped me by suggesting that I speak on Ephesians 6. He helped me to prepare an outline.
As I studied that scripture it was probably the first time I had looked at a Bible, but that passage resonated with me and has continued to do so throughout my life. It gave a whole new of looking at how to be prepared.
Ephesians provided a spiritual checklist by listing all the steps to be prepared for war with Satan, since all of us will fight against him until our dying day. He tempts us all.
In this book, Paul tells the church at Ephesus that to be prepared, we need to put on the full armor of God, not just partially, but all. He then precedes to list the specific parts of getting spiritually dressed…. the belt of truth buckled around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
God has chosen us to go on this spiritual journey of developing Christ’s character. We don’t need to be overwhelmed at the thought of how much we need to grow as a person to develop holy virtues to wear, because God knows exactly what kind of help you need. He will empower us every step of the way. Fitting into spiritual clothes doesn’t happen just by trying to manage our behavior; it becomes possible when we invite God to transform us from the inside out, making us holy. Are you prepared and spiritually dressed?
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
FOCUS:
William Hinson explains why animal trainers carry a stool when they go into a cage of lions. They have their whips, of course, and their pistols are at their sides. But invariably they also carry a stool.
Hinson says it’s the most important tool of the trainer. He holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. He maintains that the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, and it becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented
When I heard that story I thought it describes our society today that has lost focus on what is really important in life. Things like virtue. Honor. Integrity. Spiritual values. And because we are all influenced by our culture, it impacts the Christian community. Instead of seeking to transform culture through Christ, it is often easy to become conformed. The Preacher Man
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TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN; YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS
” Do Not Regret Growing Older. It is a Privilege Denied to Many. ”
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
He who controls the media controls the culture. Dr. Ted Baehr
We are able to be generous because our God has been so abundantly generous with us. John Campbell
Don’t treasure your treasure. You can exchange earthly treasure for heavenly treasure.
Are you drowning in your own prosperity?
If it’s not fun, you shouldn’t be doing it. When it ceases to be fun, it’s time to go home. Shelley Treadway
When you give yourself 100% to God ask what He wants you to do. You can be assured that the resources of the universe will be available to you to carry out His mission.
If God is God, then what God says must be absolute—man must have moral boundaries. He cannot devise his own morals to fit his own situation. The Bible tells us that with what judgment we judge we shall be judged. So we must avoid hypocritical and self-righteous glee at the evil that has been done.
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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618