Put On the Armor of God

We are currently building a home.  It has been a fun, not too stressful, process so far!  My husband and I stood, held hands, and prayed from within the framework a few weeks ago, asking and thanking God for a few things.  We, of course, are extremely thankful for the doors that have been opened through this move and the guidance that he has provided in it all.  It is so easy to think that what we have is because of us and what we have done or accomplished.  Often times, I will say to Bumble, "Who got that for you?" and she'll say, "Well, ____ did."  I will say, "Yes, they bought it for you, but God gave them the ability to do so."  Probably a little over her head, but point is, it's not us, or our abilities by our own merit.  We hold on so tightly to the things of this world, things we think we have earned, when it really isn't ours at all.  It is all God's.  So through this process we have been continually trying to loosen our grasp and release our strongholds, handing them over to Him.

Things we prayed for when it comes to our new home (in no particular order):

1.  We prayed that we would be able to show the LOVE of God to others in our home.  We are not sure what that looks like yet, but I see future youth groups meeting, growth groups, family and friends gathering, sharing meals, and laughter.  It is not truly "ours", but instead a vessel to be used to serve the Lord.

2.  We prayed that our girls would grow up to know our creator intimately while living in this home.  We asked that they would have a pure joy for life and that they would desire God above all else.  We prayed that their desire to serve others would come before serving themselves.

3.  We prayed that we would be the kind of parents that God desires us to be.  We asked to be able to show them Christ's love through our marriage and our commitment to one another.  We want our hearts to be open to his Holy Spirit, showing us the doors to walk through as we guide our girls toward Him.  We asked for Him to show us how to be patient with them, love on them, and to create a home that will overflow with joy and laughter.

4.  We prayed that although we are thankful for the gifts He has given us we want our focus to be first and foremost on God.  Period.  Our perspective needs to be eternal, not purely earthly and on the temporal.

5.  We prayed that our trust always be in Him, no matter what this life brings.  We asked that God protect our home and our family, surrounding us with His angels.

It is so important that we pray for our family, our home, guidance, and direction.

In Ephesians 6 it talks about putting on the armor of God.  You wear armor in battle and I will tell you, marriage in general is a battlefield!  In my opinion, even more so in a Christian marriage at times. There is nothing more that Satan would want than to destroy a strong, Christ serving marriage.  It is important that we continually strap on the armor of God, not becoming complacent, and step into battle prepared and ready.

^"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.  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 6:11-18

 All of this being said, we decided to place "pieces" of the armor of God all over the framework of our new home.  We had many more scriptures picked out, but it was freezing and I couldn't handle it :)

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Matthew 24:35
"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5
There is nothing more powerful than the word of God.  Don't take it for granted. Lift it up. Surround yourself with it. Be battle ready.