Daily Spiritual Meditations - October 31

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Standing Firm - Clad in His Armor - Day 31

Clad in His Armor by SGLY Ministry

An Original Poem By Leona J. Atkinson ©2009

I am a soldier now, in the Army of God,
Committed for life to serve Him well.
I will stand firm and I will fight
The battle for heaven against hell.

I have the mind of Christ,
And the Helmet of Salvation is fixed upon my head.
It protects my thoughts both night and day,
I never remove it, even when I go to bed.

And because Christ dwells within my heart,
I know I am a child of God,
Therefore, I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness daily,
And my feet with the Gospel of Peace are shod.

I buckle the Belt of Truth firmly in place,
To keep me from believing what is untrue,
For it will show me the difference between true and truth,
And will always tell me what I can do.

The Shield of Faith is my protection,
Against whatever at me is hurled,
With it I can stand firm resisting the darts
Of the devil, self and the world.

Clad in God’s Armor, I can stand firm,
But using the Sword of the Spirit I can fight,
For it will bring me victory in all things,
Because God’s word is full of power and might.

So, run away satan, you’re a defeated foe,
And cares of this world, you can’t hold me back.
For I am an Armor clad child of God,
Always ready for any attack.

I abide with Christ and His words abide in me,
And in the Spirit I continually pray,
So I have His wisdom, boldness and strength
To live in His victory every day.

Based on Ephesians 6:10-18

Blessings to all of you daily as you: Stand firm–Stay alert–Stay focused--“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:4 KJV

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Has Your Get-Up-and-Go Got Up and Gone? by Joyce Meyer

I have times when I get tired of doing what I am doing. We all do. No matter what your position is in life, there will be days when you will not feel like doing it. You might even go through a longer season in which you feel listless and uninterested in almost everything.

There may be underlying reasons that you will need to prayerfully search out, but often we just need to stir ourselves up and get going again. We need to do it purposely instead of waiting for a feeling to show up and motivate us to action again.

Gratitude helps me do that. When I recount all of my blessings, I am amazed at the goodness of God in my life. It makes me thankful, and that always stirs me up and makes life look brighter. Having great expectations also energizes and motivates me.

We don’t have to wait and see if something good happens in our lives; we can aggressively expect something good to happen. David indicated that if he failed to believe he would see the Lord’s goodness, it would affect him in a detrimental way. He said, [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness... (Psalm 27:13 AMPC).

The third thing that energizes me is getting my mind off how I feel and on something I can do to be a blessing to someone else. When I do, it works every time. Before long, I find myself enthusiastic about life and excited to resume my service to the Lord.

Prayer Starter: Father, I want to live life to the fullest. I want to live with passion, zeal, and appreciation for every opportunity that You give me. Help me approach this day with enthusiasm and do everything as unto You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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God Is Still With Us

Psalm 31:22 In panic I cried out, 'I am cut off from the Lord!' But You heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

- We do have moments when we can think that even God has abandoned us.
- In those moments of desperation and despair, He is still there with us.
- He hears our every cry and He responds to our every call.
- He does not leave us as orphans, but He comes to us!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You that I am NEVER cut off from You and I am NEVER removed from Your sight. You hear and You will answer. Amen.

Kind Regards
Pastor Andrew & Vanessa Roebert

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What is it like to be a Christian?

A 10 year old little girl was asked by another classmate, “What is it like to be a Christian?” The 10 year old little girl replied, “It’s like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts open the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.” Author Unknown

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The Pumpkin Patch Parable

The farmer loved to grow pumpkins. Each year he planted his pumpkin seeds. The seeds disappeared into the ground in neat rows and grew there in the dark until tiny green shoots slowly poked its way out of the soil.

Soon, long green vines stretched across the ground. Their leaves opened wide to catch the sun. Those tiny buds sprouted into little pumpkins.

Day by day the pumpkins grew. How different they all looked! Some were tall and lean. Some were short and round. Some were smooth and shiny, others had lumps and bumps.

Harvest time came at last. The farmer loved all of his pumpkins but chose only one to display for his neighbors to see on Halloween.

He carved a happy face, put a small light inside the pumpkin that made it glow and placed it on his porch. When people walked by they saw the smiling pumpkin and smiled right back.

The farmer turned a simple pumpkin into a simply glorious sight. In the same way, God offers His children the chance to be made new, full of joy and full of light shining like stars in a dark night.

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Adapted from the Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs

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Safe and secure in the light of God

Protection

I am safe and secure in the light of God.

When we were children, we may have turned to the adults in our lives for safety and assurance. Trusted parents, grandparents, or teachers who loved and supported us were there to keep us safe and free from harm.

As a child of God, I know I can turn to God for that same assurance. As I walk the path of life, I am never alone. God is with me and within me as my guiding light—a light that never dims or fades.

If ever I feel anxious or worried, I turn within to the light of God and know that I am divinely guided and protected. I move forward in the assurance that the light of God illumines my path and keeps me safe and secure.
Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!—Daniel 10:19

Daily Word

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Move forward into greater good

Endings

I move forward into greater good.

When we stand at the end of one life experience—the conclusion of a job or relationship, moving away from home, graduating from school, or retiring from a career—we remember that every ending is also a beginning. Saying goodbye to what has been, we welcome what will be.

We may be tempted to keep looking back, but once we turn our eyes to the path ahead, we find new opportunities awaiting us. We are beginning a new phase of life, a new way of fulfilling our purpose, a new way of serving God and the world.

In truth, we don’t leave anything behind; we carry it with us. As we bless our past, we build on all we have learned and continue on our life’s unfolding journey.
Forgetting what lies behind … I press on toward the goal.—Philippians 3:13-14

Daily Word

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A Bible Devotion

Make Prayer A Habit

ROMANS 12:12 NRSV 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Prayer is a habit that, like every other good habit, must be developed.

You know you need to pray. You need God's help, His wisdom and His guidance. But you must persevere in prayer. The activities of life try to keep you from praying. So persevere!

LUKE 21:36 BBE 36 But keep watch at all times with prayer, that you may be strong enough to come through all these things and take your place before the Son of man.

In communing with God, you gain strength that comes in no other way. You find the wisdom and courage to face life and overcome.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:17-18 ICB 17 Never stop praying. 18 Give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.

Learn to always include God in your thoughts. Ask Him about everything. Cultivate your relationship by continual communication. And one of the most important things for you to communicate to God is your gratitude. Thank God for everything.

Don't relegate prayer to just when you're on your knees. As you go about your activities, include God by constant communion with Him.

Talk to God about everything!

SAY THIS: Lord, help me to develop the habit of continual communication with you.

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Today’s Scripture: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glorify to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

You are An Example

You are God’s representative in this earth. When you follow the Word of God and allow Him to work in your life, you are letting your light shine. When you are good to people and show them kindness, even when they don’t deserve it, you are shining your light. When you smile and keep a good attitude, even when things don’t go your way, you are setting an example so that people will glorify God in heaven.

Notice this Scripture says, “they will see your good works.” People aren’t impressed by our knowledge or what we say; people are drawn to God by our good works. Today, ask the Lord to show you ways to share His goodness with others. Look for opportunities to let your light shine everywhere you go—at home, at work, in the grocery store, at the gym. There’s always an opportunity to be an example of God’s goodness!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, thank You for choosing me to be Your representative. Show me how to let my light shine. Help me be an example of Your love and grace everywhere I go in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Joel Osteen

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Path To Peace by Seek Ye First the Kingdom

One of the things I look for in scripture is the answer to the question. What am I supposed to be doing? We know that through Jesus we are saved, but then what do we do?

I have found that Philippians 4:4-8 is a great scripture to answer this question.

Paul writes, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

My simple summary is “Be Happy, Be Nice, Don’t Worry, Pray, Ask for what you want, Be grateful for what you get, Focus on the Good.”

Dear Lord, you give us the path to peace even while here on earth. Help us follow Paul’s guidance that leads us to your “peace that exceeds anything we can understand.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.