If I had to describe this past week in a few short words, I would tell you it was “filled with worry”. I know I wasn’t alone. A recent nationwide Gallup poll found 60% of U.S. adults are plagued by daily stress and worry. My worry was based on many different changes in my life that are all happening at once. I have no control of them and really don’t know how things will turn out. Ironically, what really helped me through the worry was the scripture verse I had chosen to focus on BEFORE the week had even begun! Ephesians 6:10-18, which talks about the Armor of God. I ended up really honing in on one particular verse, but before I get to that I want to talk about what the “Armor of God” is about.
So, what was the specific verse that helped me this past week? It was verse 15, “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”. It truly hit home as I was sitting at my desk, struggling to stay focused on the work I needed to do for my job at a local hospital. I was so distracted, however, with uncertainties my family is currently facing which may impact our jobs, our home, our health and our finances all at the same time. And as my head was spinning with all these worries and I was literally jumping out of my seat every 2 minutes to pace, verse 15 came to mind and I reminded myself that everything is out of my control, God has a plan and it will be all right. I pictured my feet in soldiers shoes planted firmly on the ground, not needing to run away out of fear or anxiety but knowing that God’s peace was allowing me to let go of the worry. (Fun fact: Did you know that Roman soldiers, at the time Paul was writing to the Ephesians, wore boots called “caligae”? They had small nails protruding from the sole to give them sure footing in combat!) You know what? It worked! I practiced this several times throughout the week and was actually quite productive. I was not going to let worry lead me to depression and keep me under the bed covers!
Biblegateway.com says this about worry: Worry is “a sense of uneasiness and anxiety about the future. Scripture indicates that such anxiety is ultimately grounded in a lack of trust in God and his purposes.” This is what the Devil wants, for us to lose trust and turn from God. Let’s make sure we are equipped to fight off these evil attempts that are all around us and stand firm in the knowledge that God loves us and has great plans for us.
Ephesians 6:11 tells us why we need the armor. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Anything that distracts us from God and causes us to doubt Him, like worry, bitterness, greed, revenge, fear… is what the devil wants us to experience. Luckily, God gives us the weapons we need to fight these things off. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:18)”. As children of God, we all have access to these tools. But it’s not enough to just stand ready for battle and wait for the suit of armor to do it’s work. Like any good soldier we need to be prepared, ready and able to fight back! This means learning about God’s truths and promises, studying the Bible, understanding that Jesus died on the cross so that we would be saved and learning what it means to have a relationship with God.
Love, Melissa
P.S. – I realize my post is a day late. Normally, I write every Sunday evening. Last night, however, my husband and I were blessed to spend some much needed time with very good friends. I’m smiling now as I remember the laughs that went well into the night! After a rough week it felt so good to laugh! This leads me to the Bible verse for the coming week, Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”. The Message Bible translates it as “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.”
Melissa Pillone Speaks 