Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

It is very likely, that before you left home today, somewhere between drinking a coffee or tea, eating breakfast, maybe reading your bible and praying – you got dressed. 

You may have decided on what to wear before you even went to bed, maybe you picked up yesterday’s clothes from the floor and put them on again. Or most likely you are somewhere in between.

Getting Dressed For The Day

A part of our getting ready for the day, is being dressed appropriately for what we are heading out into the world, to do. Whether you are dressing for the office, or putting on clothes that are up to the challenge of a physical role. Today, you put on the clothes appropriate for the work, the tasks you needed to do, or how you would spend your time today.

Over the last little while, I have had many conversations with close friends, and people I know, and I have felt a strong prompt to give many of them a reminder about being properly ‘dressed’.

(Hear me out – I’m not actually referring to physical clothing.)

As I listened to them talk about things that had been happening, whether it was one sickness after another, things going wrong, or just other curious situations that just felt a bit off or coincidental.

What I recognised was something I found happening a few years ago with my own family.

The Battle We Cannot See 

It’s possible that you are reading this right now, because you need this reminder too.

The reminder is this:  As followers of Jesus, we are in a battle we can’t see with our eyes.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-12

If you think about some of the things happening in your life; where something has gone wrong, broken, gotten lost, there is a lot of illness or it seems to be one thing after another making life feel hard… Maybe it’s just that these things sometimes happen in life.

But maybe it feels more than that. Sometimes, do you get a sense that maybe there is a plan from the enemy against you?

We know that not every hard season or illness is an attack sent to derail you or bring you down, because sometimes that’s just life. But Scripture is clear that there is an unseen battle and opposition to the work of God that we partner in. And we are not called to be naïve about it.

Some battles the devil plots and schemes – come through people, but scripture reminds us that it’s the darkness of the enemy we are fighting against

These verses in Ephesians tell us what to do about it; Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power, and to put on the full armour.

Because this battle is something our human eyes can’t see we sometimes forget a war is being waged around us.

Clothed With Power From On High 

The Amplified Version of Ephesians 6:10 says it like this: 

“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.”

We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to stand, despite the circumstances. We draw strength from the Holy Spirit, by dwelling in his presence.

Jesus, in his instructions for the disciples before he ascended into heaven, said this to his them; ‘I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ (Luke 24:49) 

He is talking about the Holy Spirit.

If you have been baptised not just with water, but in the Holy Spirit, you, my friend, are clothed with strength from on high. 

Do you realise what this means as you walk around in your everyday life?

You have access to the power of the Holy Spirit, to fight against the powers of this world, to stand firm and endure the hard seasons, and enable us to love and forgive.

Putting On The Full Armour Of God

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted 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. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV

To ‘put on’ the armour of God, begins with knowing that you have it available to you, and what it is.

• The Belt of Truth protects us from the lies of the enemy that he uses to try and bring us down. 
• The Breastplate of Righteousness, protects our heart which is the wellspring of life – we are protected by God’s righteousness in us and over us.
• The Shoes of Peace, protect us from feeling hopeless about the enormous task of sharing Jesus and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven with the world, and give us motivation we need.
• The Shield of Faith protects us from the flaming arrows the enemy tries to hurt us with. Through faith, we can hold onto the truth that Jesus has already won the battle and victorious over the powers of darkness.
• The Helmet of Salvation protects us from the doubtful thoughts the evil one uses to make us question our salvation and the work the Lord has done in our lives.
• The Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in our armour, all the other parts defend us against attack. We can use this sword as a weapon when the lies and temptations of the enemy come at us, we have the truth of God’s word at hand. As Jesus did when the devil came to tempt him in the desert, ‘It is written…’. To wield the sword we must know it.

Jesus warned his disciples that there would be suffering, to expect difficult times as his followers. We can expect the same. When you begin to walk in obedience and step into the things the Lord calls you to, the enemy will want to stop you and retaliate. 

Our defence is being clothed in power from on high – the Holy Spirit.

And daily putting on the full armour of God. 

A Simple Morning Practice With A Big Impact

Every morning as a part of what my family and I do – is to pray and put on our armour before we begin our day. I pray the full armour of God, naming each part as I pray, over each of us. 

I began praying this prayer daily when certain things kept happening that felt like attack. So I committed to making this a part of getting ready for my day, just like getting dressed – and I noticed after a short while that these things happened a lot less.

I know that not everything that happens in life that affects us negatively is a form of attack, but if what you are doing is making an impact for the Lord, expect that there will be. 

The enemy uses our weaknesses, he knows what they are, and he tries to do the right amount of damage to hold you back, discourage you, or even stop you doing the work the Lord is calling you to.

Remember, you are a part of God’s work of sharing the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven and helping in bringing it near.

The darkness will try to stop you by any means possible.

The enemy is already defeated so we don’t need to fear him. The Lord has armed you with all you need to be fully covered, so that you can stand firm against it.

Dressing In The Character Of Jesus 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

I love the way this verse not only encourages the traits we need to walk around in, but it reminds us who we are; God’s chosen, holy and dearly loved. The Lord tells us not only to be ready for potential battle, but to be intentional in how we show up in the world on any given day.

To clothe ourselves, is to ‘put on’ or choose these things; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Does that sound like a tall order for you to choose for most days? Me too.

But the great news is that we don’t have to try and achieve this all on our own. Remember that we have free access to power from on high through the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 13:14 says it a simpler way: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

We choose to daily walk in this Holy Spirit power, to clothe ourselves in the full armour and put on the characteristics of a follower of Jesus

We are strengthened.

We are protected.

We are empowered.

We are becoming more like Jesus.

Each morning we choose what we will wear- not just physically, but spiritually. Will we walk into our day clothed in the strength of the Holy Spirit and covered by the Lord? Will we clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness and humility?

The Lord has already provided everything we need. 

Our part is to choose to put it on and walk in it.

Thoughts to leave you with before you go: 

• Am I drawing strength from the Holy Spirit today?
• Have I put on the armour the Lord has given me?
• What character of Christ do I need to clothe myself with today?

The Lord longs for you to succeed in His good plans for your life, walking faithfully, one day at time.

I hope this has been a timely encouragement and reminder you needed to hear.

Cheering you on, friend,

Carrie x

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