Excerpted from Chapter 13 of Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare:
In the heat of hand-to-hand combat when soldiers fought with clubs, pieces of chain, swords, and axes, helmets that gave secure protection to the head were invaluable. Made of thick leather or brass and capped with plates of metal to cover the temples and forehead, ancient helmets were often ornately decorated with engravings and crowned with a plume or a crest that clearly identified who a soldier who and to whom his allegiance had been pledged.
The soldier who fights for the King of kings is instructed to “take the helmet of salvation” (Eph 6.17). Just as a helmet was accepted by a soldier from the hands of the officer in charge of supply and distribution, salvation is a gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2.8-9).
As citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we’ve been reconciled to God through the gift of his Son. We “who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2.13). The time has come, therefore, to take up the helmet of salvation and unashamedly declare our allegiance to the King. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5.1). Turn your back on selfishness. Run away from the darkness of sexual immorality. Renounce idolatry. Reject jealousy and anger. Bridle your tongue and cast off hypocrisy. Hold your head high as you receive your helmet of salvation and advance the cause of holiness with courage. Refuse to remove your helmet! What reason is there to give up when the victory of our God has already been assured?
______________________Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
_________________________you preserve my life;
______________________you stretch out your hand against
_________________________the wrath of my enemies,
_________________________and your right hand delivers me.
______________________The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
_________________________your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
_________________________Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psa 138.7-8)
(Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare, pg. 226-227)
Come back next Monday as this series of posts on the armor of God continues:
- The Armor of Holiness (1)
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Shoes of Readiness
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
- Arming Ourselves in Prayer
Days of trouble come. To all of us. Maybe you’ve experienced a day of trouble or a night of restlessness recently and can painfully relate to Asaph’s personal anguish in Psalm 77. Here’s a sampling:
- In the night my hand is stretched out without wearying (77.2)
- My soul refuses to be comforted (77.2)
- I moan (77.3)
- My spirit faints (77.3)
- My eyelids are open (77.4)
- I am so troubled that I cannot speak (77.4)
- “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?” (77.7)
- “Has God’s steadfast love forever ceased?” (77.8)
- “Are his promises at an end for all time?” (77.8)
- “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” (77.9)
- “Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” (77.9)
Days of trouble come. To all of us. But here’s the question: where do you turn in days of trouble? On what do you meditate during nights of extreme restlessness? Asaph encourages us to remember. Listen to his battle plan when he found himself in the grip of doubt and despair:
_______________Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
____________________to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
_______________I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
____________________yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
_______________I will ponder all your work,
____________________and meditate on your mighty deeds.
_______________Your way, O God, is holy.
____________________What god is great like our God?
_______________You are the God who works wonders;
____________________you have made known your might among the peoples.
_______________You with your arm redeemed your people,
____________________the children of Jacob and Joseph.
_______________When the waters saw you, O God,
____________________when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
____________________indeed, the deep trembled.
_______________The clouds poured out water;
____________________the skies gave forth thunder;
____________________your arrows flashed on every side.
_______________The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
____________________your lightnings lighted up the world;
____________________the earth trembled and shook.
_______________Your way was through the sea,
____________________your path through the great waters;
____________________yet your footprints were unseen.
_______________You led your people like a flock
____________________by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Days of trouble come. To all of us. The next time you experience a day of trouble or a night of weary restlessness, think of Asaph. Read Psalm 77. And remember. The God who worked wonders in the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Samuel, David, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel continues to reign. His right hand is still mighty. He is everlastingly faithful and holy.
In the day of trouble and night of restlessness, turn off the television, log off of the Internet, and use your Old Testament to appeal to the years of the right hand of the Most High. Remember his wonders of old. Meditate on his mighty deeds. He can use those ancient accounts of deliverance, conquest and victory to break the grip of doubt and despair in your life, if you will remember, meditate and appeal.
Excerpted from Chapter 13 of Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare:
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Eph 6.16). There were two types of Roman shields in the ancient world. One was small and round, designed especially for hand-to-hand combat. The other was much larger, measuring four by two and a half feet, and described in terms more similar to a “door” than a shield. The Spirit commissions the soldier of the cross to take up this latter shield in the defense of his soul.
This shield is solid, designed to protect the whole body. Usually made of light wood, such shields were frequently lined with brass and covered with several folds of thick leather. They could be drenched with water so that as enemy arrows dipped in pitch and set on fire collided with them, the points were blunted and the flames were extinguished. An ancient soldier needed only to kneel down and hold his shield above him, and he would be protected from the flaming barrages of the opposition.
The Spirit tells us that the Christian’s shield is forged in the fires of faith. If truth is rock-solid, undeniable fact as revealed by the Creator, faith is unshakeable trust in the Revealer and his revelation. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10.17). God’s assurances of things hoped for form our shields. The conviction of things not seen can quench the hottest flames (Heb 11.1).
From a distance we’ve studied many of the evil one’s “flaming darts”—temptations to operate in selfishness, to give in to sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, or anger, to lose control of our tongues or to hide behind the masks of hypocrisy. Our Adversary is intent upon our destruction. His own defeat is already certain, but he will use whatever he can to cause fear in our hearts, doubt in our minds, worry during our nights, and rebellion throughout our days. If he can drag us down to the pits of destruction along with him, he will.
But even when this great red dragon blows the hottest fire of his fiercest wrath in our direction, as we stand firm behind the shield of our faith, we have nothing to fear, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5.4-5).
Temptations will continue to come. Trials will continue to arise. Just because you hold the shield of faith in your hands does not mean that the dragon will give up in his efforts. If anything, his attention is enhanced and his hatred is all the more incensed by those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Like a prowling, roaring lion he continues to seek those whom he can devour. But you can “resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Pet 5.8-9).
Remember, the devil cannot force you to lay down the shield of your faith. As long as a soldier has his shield, he feels secure. As long as a Christian has his faith, he will overcome. God will deliver him, defend him, vindicate him, provide for him, and ultimately reward him for his faithfulness. But as soon as you choose to lay your shield down, you invite your own devouring.
Don’t lay it down! “In all circumstances”—at home, at work, at school, at play, in busyness and in rest, in times of rejoicing and in times of sorrow—hold on to the shield of your faith. You will find nothing else that can extinguish the Evil One’s flaming arrows.
(Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare, pg. 225-226)
Come back next Monday as this series of posts on the armor of God continues:
- The Armor of Holiness (1)
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Shoes of Readiness
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
- Arming Ourselves in Prayer
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:20-21)
In order to keep ourselves from idols, we must develop the ability to identify idolatry in our hearts. As a practical aid, consider these 13 questions from Kenny Stokes:
- What do you most highly value?
- What do you think about by default?
- What is your highest goal?
- To what or whom are you most committed?
- Who or what do you love the most?
- Who or what do you trust or depend upon the most?
- Who or what do you fear the most?
- Who or what do you hope in and hope for most?
- Who or what do you desire the most? Or, what desire makes you most angry or makes you despair when it is not satisfied?
- Who or what do you most delight in or hold as your greatest joy and treasure?
- Who or what captures your greatest zeal?
- To whom or for what are you most thankful?
- For whom or what great purpose do you work?
“The heavens proclaim [God's] righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!” (Psalm 97:6-7)
ht: God’s Way Works
Guys, on the brink of another football season, what sort of hedges are you building around your greatest responsibilities and privileges? Husband. Father. Brother. Sower. Salt. Light. Servant.
Nothing wrong with football. Let’s just remember on Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday nights that life is more. There is an epic reality that must overshadow and define sports as nothing more than meaningless games. Let’s raise our children with that sort of framework. To search for lasting happiness and true fulfillment in the outcome of a game is vanity and a striving after wind.
Imagine if all Christians, as a part of their discipleship, were caught up in a web of regular Bible reading—not only digging into the Word privately, but reading it with their children before bed, with their spouse over breakfast, with a non-Christian colleague at work once a week over lunch, with a new Christian for follow-up once a fortnight for mutual encouragement, with a mature Christian friend once a month for mutual encouragement.
It would be a chaotic web of personal relationships, prayer and Bible reading—more of a movement than a program—but at another level it would be profoundly simple and within reach of all.
– Colin Marshall & Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine
“No one has ever seen God,” John reminds us (John 1:18). Isn’t that what God said in Exodus 33? “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exo 33:20).
Now John adds an exception: “But the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18).
Do you hear what this text is saying? Do you want to know what God looks like? Look at Jesus.
“No one has ever seen God,” and God in all of his transcendent splendor we still cannot see until the last day. But the Word became flesh; God became a human being with the name of Jesus; and we can see him…
- Do you want to know what the character of God is like? Study Jesus.
- Do you want to know what the holiness of God is like? Study Jesus.
- Do you want to know what the wrath of God is like? Study Jesus.
- Do you want to know what the forgiveness of God is like? Study Jesus.
- Do you want to know what the glory of God is like? Study Jesus all the way to the wretched cross.
Study Jesus.
The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story
Are you struggling with what and how to pray? Have you been in a ritualistic rut for a while? How about using these six “D’s” from Jon Bloom to fertilize your communication with God?
Whatever it takes, Lord, give me…
Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Desperation, because when I stop feeling my need for you, I tend to wander.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalm 119:67)
Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Diligence to do your will with all my heart.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
On Tuesday, September 7, my plan is to post some thoughts on the first two chapters of Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations
If you are a teenager or plan to be someday, if you have children or grandchildren who are teenagers or plan to be someday, if you know a teenager, if you used to be a teenager, this book is for you. One warning to the post-teenagers: if you wasted your teen years, this book will produce a bit of shame and guilt. However, for me, it did it in a positive way that hasn’t made me linger in shame but rather encouraged me to get moving right now.
So here’s your invitation. Pick up Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations
Excerpted from Chapter 13 of Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare:
The soldier’s breastplate protects the upper half of his body, from the neck to the thighs. In the times of Roman rule, breastplates were usually made of rings or plates of brass. Like the scales of a fish, the brass pieces were fastened together so that the armor was flexible in battle, while still guarding the soldier’s vital organs from swords, spears, and arrows.
It’s no mistake that the Spirit’s instruction to “fasten on the belt of truth” is followed by the encouragement to “put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph 6.14). In the word of his truth, our Creator has defined that which is right and that which is wrong. He has established the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable for his creation. He has provided wisdom so that his image-bearers might “walk in the way of the good and keep the path of the righteous” (Prov 2.20). Those paths have been traveled for thousands of years by men of integrity, moral uprightness, holiness, and character. The way of the good is the way of virtue—in quality and in practice.
Remember that our Creator desires to stamp his own image deep on our hearts. His intention is that godliness and integrity would become a natural part of who we are. When we, in humility, allow God to define the standard by which every thing will be measured as “right,” we arm ourselves with holy vests that cannot be penetrated by even the strongest of the Enemy’s weapons. Once again, Satan cannot rip the breastplate of righteousness from you, but you can decide to rebelliously lay it down and willfully walk into the camp of darkness.
To put on the breastplate of righteousness, therefore, is to dedicate yourself to a life of self-control. Like the soldier who accepts the weight and constraints of bulky armor, the disciple of Christ consents to live within the boundaries of self-denial and submission to God’s standard of righteousness. The soldiers of this world do so to protect themselves from the outward dangers of battle. The Christian does so protect himself from himself.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Rom 6.12-13)
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. (1 John 3.7-10)
Just as wicked King Ahab was killed by an arrow that struck him “between the scale armor and the breastplate” (1 Kings 22.34), a lack of honesty and integrity leaves soldiers of Christ critically exposed to the assaults of Satan. There is no earthly substitute for humble obedience in the sight of God. He expects practical, daily righteousness on the part of the redeemed. He calls us to live in harmony with what is right in his sight. Each image-bearer is summoned to mold his own beliefs, opinions, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors into a living imitation of the Creator’s expectations.
If we are to successfully survive the attacks of the wicked one, we must recognize and address the breaches of personal weakness and compromise. We don’t stand a chance against the cosmic powers of darkness while selfishly clinging to the lusts of the flesh. As long as sin reigns in our mortal bodies, there are gaps in our panoply. We may describe ourselves as fully-devoted followers, but we have been deceived. We are continuing to tolerate sin in our lives and the devil has us right where he wants us.
Remember the call! It is time to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Leave no unguarded place! Recognize and address the weaknesses of your character. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5.5). Seek our the strength which only he can supply. Reform your standards of living so that they reflect his. And having done all, washed in the atoning blood of the Lamb and clothed in accordance with his righteousness, you can resist the advances of Satan, standing firm in your faith.
(Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare, pg. 220-222)
Come back next Monday as this series of posts on the armor of God continues:
- The Armor of Holiness (1)
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Shoes of Readiness
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
- Arming Ourselves in Prayer
