Last week we talked about a certain mailbox that I have recently seen along a rural road near my home. This mailbox has a protective layer of reinforcement bar (a.k.a. "rebar") used to cover the outer shell of the box.
I can only imagine the owners of this mailbox and the steps and events that may have led them to taking such drastic action. How many times did some thoughtless teenagers (yes, I know I'm generalizing and profiling, but stay with me a minute..) drive by late some night and smash in these people's mailbox with a baseball bat. How many times did the homeowner drive to the store, purchase a new mailbox, perhaps even having to get concrete and set a new post, and spend the day rebuilding what had been torn down? As I have thought about this, I've begun to call this the "enough is enough" mailbox. I see it several times a week as I go by. Thank you Lord.
Isn't this much like our lives as followers of Christ? How many times do we think we are ready to stand firm, only to see Satan swing by and crush us when we least expect it? Seeing this mailbox led me straight to what Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians...Ephesians 6:10-20. Here we are given so much insight into how we can arm ourselves with the "Full Armor of God".
If you read this passage you will note there are several words/phrases where Paul indicates to us that we should take positive, proactive action to equip ourselves to stand against Satan in our lives.
Here are some: be strong, put on, take your stand, stand your ground, stand firm, take up...and, yes...pray.
We'll talk more about the "weapons" that Paul presents to us in this passage, but for now...I ask this:
How well do you equip yourself each day with the full armor of God? Do you face each day knowing you can "stand firm"?
Just like the homeowners of the "rebar mailbox"...when will we say "enough is enough"?
See you soon...
I can only imagine the owners of this mailbox and the steps and events that may have led them to taking such drastic action. How many times did some thoughtless teenagers (yes, I know I'm generalizing and profiling, but stay with me a minute..) drive by late some night and smash in these people's mailbox with a baseball bat. How many times did the homeowner drive to the store, purchase a new mailbox, perhaps even having to get concrete and set a new post, and spend the day rebuilding what had been torn down? As I have thought about this, I've begun to call this the "enough is enough" mailbox. I see it several times a week as I go by. Thank you Lord.
Isn't this much like our lives as followers of Christ? How many times do we think we are ready to stand firm, only to see Satan swing by and crush us when we least expect it? Seeing this mailbox led me straight to what Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians...Ephesians 6:10-20. Here we are given so much insight into how we can arm ourselves with the "Full Armor of God".
If you read this passage you will note there are several words/phrases where Paul indicates to us that we should take positive, proactive action to equip ourselves to stand against Satan in our lives.
Here are some: be strong, put on, take your stand, stand your ground, stand firm, take up...and, yes...pray.
We'll talk more about the "weapons" that Paul presents to us in this passage, but for now...I ask this:
How well do you equip yourself each day with the full armor of God? Do you face each day knowing you can "stand firm"?
Just like the homeowners of the "rebar mailbox"...when will we say "enough is enough"?
See you soon...
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