Completing the Armor of God

This will be the last entry in the Armor of God series.

Lets look at the scripture once again.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Ephesians 6:10-18

Watch Your Head! 

We have to protect our minds from the enemy. The childhood song lyrics "O be careful little eyes what you see..." come to mind. I know how easy it is to get sucked into what passes for entertainment these days. I have an obsession with reality TV. I used to watch housewives, stars in rehab, and the "un"real world. Though I drew the line on all things jersey. 

I understand how easy it is to veg out in front of a TV and do nothing for a while. But too much of anything can be a bad thing, and when we are not paying attention because we are 'Vegging Out", the enemy can be laying the groundwork for his next attack. 

Our minds are battlegrounds in and of themselves. When we are under attack it is difficult to win unless we have the mind of Christ. 

2 Timothy 1:7 says this: 

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"

Anyone who rides horses can tell you this: where the head goes, the horse follows. We are no different. If Satan can win the battle for your mind, then your life will follow. Guard yourself. Put on the helmet of Salvation.

That Thing is Sharp! 

Brain surgery requires a sharp cutting tool. As Christians, we often need to allow God to perform surgery on our minds. We must cut away our old way of thinking and allow Him to teach us a new way to think.

How do we do this? By the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword.

Romans 12:2 says this: 

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

By reading and memorizing the Word of God it gets in us. It begins the work of renewing us from the inside out. It begins to correct us, instruct us, and show us the goodness of God. It tells us how God operated and helps us learn to recognize His Spirit at work in our lives.

The Christian Soldier is a Duel Sword Warrior

Okay, so I got a little video-game-geeky when I wrote that subtitle, but it is true nonetheless. We must be able to wield not only the Word of God, but also the Sword of the Spirit.

We have all met those Christians that can fire off in rapid succession scriptures to back up their point of view. This quick-fire method may be good going up against the enemy, but deadly when pointed in the direction of people.

This is why listening to the Spirit is so important. Sometimes, what we see as an opportunity to show how much scripture we know, is really an opportunity to just shut up and listen to someone. This gentle response allows the Spirit of God to work in the situation rather than us stumbling around randomly swinging hoping we do not cut too deeply.

This does not only apply to how we treat others, but also how we respond to ourselves. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in "being our best" that we forget to rest in the Grace of God. There is no condemnation (accusatory attitudes and prosecution of sin) in Christ: He paid the price for you already. The Spirit of God will correct you, but be careful you are not allowing your ideas of what God expects to begin to bludgeon you into  an emotional and spiritual basket case.

There will be times when God gets right to the meat of a matter, and then there are times when He woos us with His grace. We must learn to yield to both the Sword of God (BIBLE) and the Sword of the Spirit (Holy Spirit). Both are vital, and both can be mishandled.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

In any battle scenario, the lines of communication must remain open between the front lines and the command center. If these are interrupted, the battle will go sideways very quickly. It may still be won because training kicks in, but casualties will be high, and the overall objective of the battle may not be won.

Our relationships with God are no different. He is in Command. We are on the front lines. We must pray and have open communication as we face our enemy. We cannot see the whole battlefield. He can. He can direct us, and help us guard one another's flank to keep us from defeat!

Prayer allows for instantaneous change of heart and directions. Prayer allows for God to speak directly to us and give us the edge we need when we square off toe to toe with out enemy.

Post Battle Report and RNR

Do not forget, that after battles, soldiers need some Rest-n-relaxation (RNR). Get with God and get the download on how the battle went. Ask about what you could have done differently and then, just rest in His presence. Get some RNR. This time will help fuel you and prepare you for the next battlefield, and help you to train other soldiers that are watching your example. 

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What part of the armor of God do you still have questions or comments on? Share with us, and join the conversation. 

The (in)Significant Other- Part 5 in the Prioritize Your Life Series

So somewhere in your list of priorities may or may not be your spouse. 

Biblically spouses should rank pretty high on the list. 

This is not always the case and that has lead to unhappy marriages, disenfranchised children and even divorce. 

As Christians we should have a leg up on the secular world when it comes to marriage, but some how we look the exact same. 

I believe it is because there is a fundamental lack of understanding of what a Godly marriage looks like and where our spouses should rank as priorities. 

Ephesians 5:21-31says: 

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." 

 There is so much to cover on this topic, but I want to concentrate on just a few things for this series. 

Mutual Submission

So many people read this passage and concentrate only on the "wives submit to your husbands" part. That is important, but do not forget the verse before it. 

"Submitting yourselves to one another in the fear (respectful submission) of the Lord." 

The man is the head in all things spiritual, and the wife should submit to his lead and guidance. (When the husband is unsaved and the wife is, the woman should submit in all other areas with Christ as her spiritual head until her husband is won for Christ and matured in his faith.)

But the responsibility of the man is so much higher than that of the woman. He is called to love his wife like Christ loves the church. 

What does that look like? 

• Christ laid down his life for the church. 
• Christ prays for the church
• Christ provides for the church

Body Check

Have you ever seen a person who bathed every part of their body except for their arm? Or only eat every other day? 

No? Why not? 

Because bathing everything but an arm would  not make sense would it? Eating every other day would lead to malnutrition. 

In  marriage we are one before God. In the passage above Paul says  "

men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it"

When we place a priority on our spouses we let them know that first they are important and secondly they are worth our focus. 


Ignoring our spouses can lead to relational malnutrition and eventually to relationship starvation. 

The Check List

For every couple this may be a little different, but generally there are three areas that need to be healthy to maintain a fruitful and loving relationship. These may not be in the order you prefer, but then again this is about priorities, so feel free to prioritize them for yourself. 

1. Time. Spend time with one another. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes it easier for the heart to wander. Go on dates. Close yourself off in a room on a Saturday morning and just enjoy laughing together. Rent a $1 movie from one of those machines on a Tuesday and snuggle up after the kids are down and have some popcorn. Time together is crucial. 
2. Communication. Talk about  more than the bills, or what happened at work. Talk about dreams, talk about Jesus, talk about your mutual priorities and then support one another in those things. Most importantly, pray together and pray for one another! 
3. Sex. Give to one another generously. Honor each other with your bodies. Keep your body JUST FOR YOUR SPOUSE and remember that God made sex to bond us together in love and respect. Sex that denigrates should not have a place in a Godly marriage. 

Paying attention to these things (placing a priority means focusing on something and then following through with actions) will help you  relationship thrive. 


The significance we place on one another is so important. Do not make your spouse feel less than because you forgot to make them a priority in your life. They deserve more than being relegated to the (in)Significant other. 


How do you make your spouse feel special? 

A Walk in the Park....

My view under a shade tree in Herman Park

Yesterday I walked through a beautiful city park, sat under shade trees, cracked jokes with my 13 year old daughter, rode a kiddy train, battled the metro, saw dinosaur bones, and took lots of pictures. You know why this was a wonderful day? Because it was a gift of time with my child. 

The whole reason we were out and about was because she had a doctor’s appointment, but we took the rest of the day just enjoying each other’s company and the things about each other that give us joy. Connie-Lyn can always make me laugh, and her unique way of looking at things makes me sit back and wonder at God’s grace and plans. Just when I thought, how can I possibly love this kid any more than I do right now, she delights me and I fall a little harder for her. 

Do you know, God feels so much more for his children? His love is constant. It never waivers and it never changes, and just like I wanted to carve out time to spend with my child, God wants to have one on one time with you. 

How, you ask? 

There are two ways we spend time with God: Prayer, and Bible reading. 

Prayer is effective communication with God. Without it there is no relationship. Think about this: if you never talked to your spouse, or your children, what kind of relationship would you have? Relationships are vital, growing beings. They are like sharks: they should always be moving forward. 

Learning and discovering new ways to please one another, to delight each other, to surprise one another: these are some of the ways a relationship shows growth, but without talking to one another, a relationship will begin to shut down and die. 

Why do we think our relationship with God is any different? 

If you just thought, as you read this, “Well, God knows my heart, and He knows everything anyway, why do I need to talk with Him?” then I have something to say to you: This is not about what God can do, it is about what God wants to have. 

Connie-Lyn  13 

He wants to have relationship with you. He wants times like I had with my daughter, where you spend time together just talking about anything and everything, delighting in one another and falling for each other in new and refreshing ways. God wants your prayers because if you will just talk to Him you will begin to see His love for you and understand the enormity of all He has done for you. 

But prayer isn’t the only way to know God. 

God left a love letter for us to read. It is long, and it has moments that you may not understand in it right away, but it is proof of God’s consistent love throughout time for us. This letter is called The Bible. King James, The Message, The Living Bible, The Amplified, and more are all wonderful translations. The Bible says meditate on God’s words day and night and write them upon your heart. As we read, we get to see God’s character. Yes, He is love, but He is also Holy and Jealous, and Faithful and so much more. 

When we pray and read God’s word, we grow as people yes, but we grow in relationship with God foremost. This has been His desire from the beginning: to walk in the cool of the evening with you, delighting in you, and you delighting in Him. 

Just one of the many apps for Bibles

Recently a friend said to me that reading was difficult for her. My husband has the same issue. That is why he listens to the word via an APP for his smartphone. There are several you can choose from and with mp3 players, smartphones, laptops, and tablets, there are so many ways to carry the word with you no matter where you are. GoBible, (which allows you to listen as well as read) Olive Tree Bible Reader, YouVersion and Bible Gateway are just a few. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So if reading is not your strong suit, then listen, but get the word in you somehow! 

Praying and reading will take you from just knowing about God, to knowing Him intimately. So crawl up in the Father’s lap, rest in Him as you pray and go to His word to get to know Him more. He is waiting on you.

Motivational Speech? Nope! What Fasting my Words Taught Me.

Fasting for two days is difficult- for me anyway! I love food, and a fast never goes by fast. 

But God did not tell me to fast my favorite foods, or even coffee; which might have killed me, I am just sayin’.

Nope. He told me to fast my words.

As a woman, I talk an average amount, maybe more than average… and not talking for two days was much more difficult than I thought. Playing a perpetual game of charades for 48 hours is not as fun as it sounds.

There were very funny moments trying to mime certain things to my girls and them asking me “What is it Lassie? Did Timmy fall down the well?”

The funniest thing was people’s reaction in public. Knowing just a little bit of ASL (American Sign Language) and typing out requests or questions on my cell phone for store clerks to read caused quite a stir. People’s faces and body language changed. Some people got louder. Some people looked at me like I had three heads. I wasn’t handicapped in any way, just communicating in a different way.

So here are three things I learned from fasting my words.

First: My body language is communicating so much more than I thought.

My husband took a wrong turn coming home from the beach. Since I usually give the directions, he got very upset when I was “telling” him he had made a mistake, because he said I was acting like it was a bigger deal than it was. My body language was all he had to go by, so what he “heard” was me yelling, even though I had not said a word.

Even when you don’t talk, you mind is still trucking along at full speed. 

Being quiet in the physical did not slow me down mentally; it actually did the opposite for me: my thoughts seemed to race. Stuck in my own head, I had paid very close attention to what I was thinking, how I was thinking. It made me realize that I gave too much focus to unfruitful and sometimes even harmful- thoughts: much more than I should.

So the second thing I learned is that I must pay attention!

48 hours of silence made me realize that there is a battlefield I am not even fully engaged on: the battlefield of my thought life. Taking every thought captive that exalts itself against God is a battle. When we allow our thoughts to encroach into God territory, coming in direct conflict with what He says about an issue, then we lose. Often, we are not even aware the trespassing is going on, because we are not paying attention.

The third thing I learned is this: Our words have power. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.

With our words we can insight riots or inspire change. With our words we can tear down, or we can build up. With our words we can plant seeds or we can pluck them up. Our words can and do set the course of our lives.

So now, as I reflect back on my two days of silence I know I will remember these lessons and I am sure there will be more lessons to come.

Questions: Have you ever had an unusual fast? Can you share a story about a time when you know words moved you to either a positive or a negative action? Please comment below.

God's Verb-age

Ok- read the word today and took notes about what I read, looked up the meanings of words in Strong’s Concordance and tried to be “studious’ and I did learn stuff, but it all seemed so cerebral, and stifled. 


Has reading the Bible ever felt like this to you? Sometimes we just don’t get it, so we have to stop and read the word in a new way. This is where learning, knowing, and understanding parts of speech help me.

O I hope I haven’t lost all of you now. Bear with me. Here is a quick chart to help….hopefully.

Parts of Speech	What it does/means in a sentence
NOUN	PERSON, PLACE, OR THING
PRONOUN	TAKES PLACE OF A NOUN IN A SENTENCE Example: I, me, we, they, us…etc.
VERB	A WORD THAT DESCRIBES AN ACTION, (run)  or A STATE, (freeze)
ADVERB	WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OTHER WORDS Some end with 'ly', and they can modify or change the emphasis of the action words in a sentence.
ADJECTIVE	WORDS THAT  DESCRIBE OTHER WORDS These words modify or change the emphasis of nouns in a sentence. Example: the good Shepard, the wise men

 Once you learn how every one of these types of words work, you can read the verse with renewed insight, seeing how it flows and what it says. What is God’s main point of this verse/ how does it apply to me?  I will show you what I mean with a few verses from my reading today.

Ephesians 1- KJV       

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Now take those bold words and condense what you read. It looks like this:

God hath blessed us before the foundation of the world; we should be holy- without blame- in love.  Having predestinated us unto the adoption by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will: praise – glory! His grace hath made us accepted beloved.

I am not advocating this all the time, but sometimes this brings a new perspective to the verse, honing the focus and zeroing in on the heart of the matter more quickly.

 Stay on Target!

Now we can look up these words in Strong’s Concordance and get a better understanding of the original Greek. Then we can begin to ask what does this mean to me? What is the Father saying to me here? Sometimes I also write down other scriptures or stories from the Bible that this passage reminds me of. This helps me decide if what I am seeing is bearing out (in agreement with) the rest of the word. We are supposed to ‘rightly divide the word of truth’ and one scripture by itself can never be the only basis for a doctrine.

So this is what I got out of these verses.

 First, God opened up heaven and poured out his love freely (John 3:16) to us through Jesus and what He gave on the cross. Secondly, God did this because he chose me to be in relationship with Him before the foundations of the earth (2 Thes 2:13). He has called us to live separate, (Romans 12:2) holy, without blame, constantly before his presence (Ps 95:6) and serving the body of Christ. (Galatians 5:13) He knew that he would claim us as HIS! (If you have no family, or are estranged from them you know how miraculous this is!) This adoption was legally binding and irreversible. And He did it because it made him happy to do so. (Romans 8:29-30)

Because we are now HIS, with the promise now in our hearts, we praise (promise with our lips) and glorify God. And God is faithful to bring us joy, sweetness, charm, loveliness, and goodwill by HIS GRACE. (Phil 4:8, Galatians 5:22-23) He makes us ACCEPTED (redesigns us to be graceful, loving, charming, and honors us with blessings) (Romans 12:1-3, Ps 16:9) so we can minister to other people God loves (John 3:16) (the ones we welcome, entertain, and have fond affection for) so HE can take pleasure in us as we are content in him. (Duet 10:15)

Wow! That is just a few verses from Ephesians, but it speaks whole volumes. In fact, it shows God’s love for us so perfectly that if that were the only gospel you were ever to hear; it would be enough to cling to forever!

Be blessed and be a blessing. Remember that focus is both a noun and a verb; it all depends on how you use it. 

Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!

Prayer is communication. It is talking and then listening to God. Jesus gave an example of prayer in Matthew 6:7- 13 says: (KJV)




But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen




There are plenty of bible studies out there that dissect this prayer, and I am sure any number of them will be better at explaining this, but I want to share with you what I see here.




First, don’t use vain repetitions. A prayer for rain, or a prayer for a good birth, or a prayer to blight your enemy, these were all common types of prayers among other religions. But today I see this in the body of Christ too. I have done it. Prayed a generic prayer to appease the requirements I must meet as a Christian. ‘Lord, bless this food to our bodies, and our bodies to your service’ before every meal… the Lord’s Prayer said as it is written because people don’t understand that it is a template, not the be all and end all in prayers. Hail Marys’ because that is what you are taught and you have no idea why, it just is…




If every conversation with your husband, wife, parents, or children repeated the same words every time, could you call that real communication? Think about it.




The second thing is that God already knows what you need to talk about. What you need to ask Him for. He just wants to hear it from you. John 14:13 says “and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” God sees the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) Talking builds relationship. Between us and God, communication should be an intimate thing: open, honest, and frequent.




Next, we should praise who God is. The psalmists had it right. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and enter into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name.” (Ps 100:4) Really look at that scripture. Now think of a palace. The gates go around the palace. Before we even enter into God’s presence we should be thanking Him for who He is and what He has done. The courts are His personal space. Throughout modern history, a citizen must be invited to court before coming to see the king. Thank God, we have a personal invitation, sealed by the blood of Jesus to come and go freely! We also have an intercessor. An advocate leading our case before the throne of God: Jesus. (I John 2:1)




In addition, we should ask that God’s will be brought to earth. Since God works through men and women that means we need to ask Our Father to make us malleable and obedient. It means we need strength and discipline, so those are things we should ask for too. Hard to do, because, when your heart really lines up with what you ask for, we don’t always receive the answers the way we think we should.




That is why relationship and trust is so important. When you truly trust, you can take anything that gets thrown your way. If you are having issues dealing with the curveballs of life it means you must stop leaning on your own understanding, and lean more on His. (Proverbs 3:5)




Now that we have 1) dispensed with convention and 2) actually come to God in prayer instead of vainly wishing for what we need, and 3) really worshiped who God is, and what He has done and 4) Asked God to prepare us for His will in our lives; NOW we can ask for our needs. Now we can beseech the Lord for our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs; i.e. Bread, forgiveness, and the ability to forgive others…. protection from evil and from ourselves, and so much more. This is when we can crawl up into Daddy’s lap and let our hearts hang open… He can deal with the blubbering and snot… so let it out.




Finally, listen to what He has to say back, and realize He is the ultimate authority on what is best for you. When we leave that prayer time, and life starts happening around us, remember that the will of God is at work and all of this life is opportunity for His glory.


Be blessed and be a blessing, and remember, ASK is a VERB! 


What are you asking God for?