Week Twenty-Five, 2026

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” – Ephesians 6:11

The speaker was halfway through the presentation when it happened. Suddenly, lights were flashing and a voice said, “A fire has been detected in the hotel; evacuate immediately.” We obeyed, and suddenly there was a large crowd outside, mixed with lots of bright red fire trucks. It turned out that the cause of the alarm was a smoke machine in an adjacent ballroom.

I watched as the firemen entered, each adorned with his assigned tools. One had an axe, one a crowbar, and many had oxygen bottles—each equipped with what he needed in the event of a real fire.

As I watched, I thought of Ephesians 6, which instructs us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against the devil’s schemes.

The armor of God consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

We’re in a battle, and our enemy is on the attack. Spiritual warfare is real, but we do not have to engage in it unprotected. As Christians, we have been given a wonderful gift—the armor of God.

It emphasizes relying on God’s strength—not human strength—for protection against spiritual, invisible, and deceptive attacks. The “armor” represents using truth, righteousness, faith, and Scripture to remain steadfast.

The detailed teaching of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 presents two essential components. First, you must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Then, you must put on the whole armor of God. The two are essential, and much teaching on Christian combat neglects the first. If you take a weak man who can barely stand and put the best armor on him, he will still be an ineffective soldier. He will be easily beaten. So, equipping for Christian combat must begin with the principle: be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Are you prepared for the fires in your life?

Sometimes True Stories

Every parent who has a little child who comes to them crying will comfort that child and wipe away their tears. That child may have just stubbed its toe, or been belittled by another, or been unable to solve a problem. What seemed tear-worthy to the little one was easily fixed by a loving parent. We parents want our children to come to us for comfort.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He wants us to come to Him with our tear-worthy issues. Adult needs for comfort seem to be so much bigger and more consequential than the needs of children. But to our Father, they are as small as our child’s are to us. So, climb up into His figurative lap and let Him wipe away those tears.

Good news: Our Heavenly Father has prepared a heavenly home for us in which there will be no more tears, only an eternity with Jesus on the brand-new, sinless earth.

You can count on it. – Rich Jensen

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What do we need to do on earth to get to Heaven when we die? That is a question in the minds of most of mankind. This question was asked by a Sunday school teacher to a fifth-grade class. The teacher asked, “If I clean the church each week, will that get me into Heaven?” “No!” answered the class.

“What if I sell all of my possessions and give the money to the church—will that get me into Heaven?” “No!” answered the class. “What if I am kind to people and sin as little as possible?” Again, the class answered no. Finally, a little boy raised his hand and shouted, “You gotta be dead!”

Well, that part is true, but it is only part of the answer. It is not simply enough to believe in God; even the demons believe in God, and they shudder because they know they are not going to Heaven.

First, we must believe and then accept the gift of God’s grace. Placing our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior makes us Christians. Trusting Jesus gets us to Heaven. – Tony Ferguson

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The only rational thing to do when one encounters the beauty of a rose is to breathe in its fragrance and say, “That is a creation of my God.” (And the same is true for the gardenia bush by our side door!)

Quotes You Can Use

Total devotion, total love—that’s what God requires.

Ignoring the truth of God and believing in the sovereignty of man is insane. There is only one place to find real truth, and it is not found in the media. Take refuge in the one and only Son of God! Then, and only then, will we find real truth. – Tony Ferguson

It is love that causes God to be so patient and long-suffering with the wicked, giving opportunity after opportunity for them to turn, to repent, to change.

Temporal excitements never last long.

God leads in very simple, natural ways.

Leave this world a little better than you found it.

There is nothing random about God’s order.

What could we possibly give to God that is of any value to Him? There’s only one thing He really wants from you. Just one thing! He wants your heart.

To contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].

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