Archives For holiness

Around the Web (5/6)

May 6, 2013 — Leave a comment

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Two HUGE LIES in Modern Culture and Why We Can’t Afford to Believe Them

April 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

Our culture and its dialogue are absolutely immersed in two enormous lies.

  1. If you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must either hate them, fear them, or be intolerantly and irrationally prejudiced against them.
  2. If you love someone, you must agree with or silently tolerate everything they believe and do.

These are lies that disciples of Christ simply cannot afford to believe. Why?

  1. These lies fail to acknowledge the objective standard given by our Creator.
  2. These lies elevate our definition of happiness above God’s prescription for holiness.
  3. These lies distort the nature of God’s written revelation to mankind.

This sermon seeks to hold these increasingly common lies under the microscope of divine revelation.

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Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus [Lesson 2]

January 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

1-2 Peter Jude - Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus

In January-March 2013 we’re engaged in a textual study of 1-2 Peter and Jude at Laurel Canyon called Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus. Lesson 2—”Called to be Holy” (1/13/13)—of that 13-week study can be viewed below. Click here to download the interactive class material.

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Honesty When I'm Out of Harmony With Holiness

February 3, 2012 — Leave a comment

This article originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of Pressing On, a new e-magazine for growing Christians. If you haven’t already subscribed, you’re missing out on some great monthly content.

The gospel contains good news. The best news. Jesus Christ has given himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This is news that all unbelievers everywhere need to hear.

But the gospel also contains news for believers. Good news. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1a). Our heavenly Father has not left his children without a clear revelation of his expectations. And the good news continues, especially for those sons and daughters of God who are struggling. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1b).

Christians struggle. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8a). Christians make mistakes. “If we say we have no sin… the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8b). Christians continue to need the interceding work of Jesus Christ. “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). At times, Christians need to confess to their heavenly Father about some word, thought or deed that is out of harmony with holiness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That is good news. Great news! But it is news that must be personally applied. And it will only be applied by those who are honest.

I must be honest with myself. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psa 51:3). I am breathing God’s air. I am functioning within a body provided by God. I am exercising talents that are God-given. I am living on God-created (and God-limited) time. “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). When wayward children of God are honest with themselves, the gravity of sin against a gracious God can drive them to “come to themselves” (Luke 15:17) and “grieve” them into repenting. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Cor 7:9-10).

Listen to this vital part of David’s prayer of confession:

____________ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
__________________ Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
____________ Let me hear joy and gladness;
__________________ let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
____________ Hide your face from my sins,
__________________ and blot out all my iniquities.
____________ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
__________________ and renew a right spirit within me.
____________ Cast me not away from your presence,
__________________ and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
____________ Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
__________________ and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psa 51:7-12)

What does it take to be willing to pray such a prayer of confession? Honesty. My heart is not clean. My spirit is not right. Whatever joy I feel will not last. My gladness has been uprooted from the only abiding Source. I have been willing once again to trade the greatest of blessings for the most fleeting of foolish pleasures.

Men who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not pray such prayers. Women who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not be grieved into repenting. And without repentance, we run the eternally weighty risk of standing before God without an advocate.

I must be honest with God. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psa 51:4). Isn’t it interesting what isn’t in Psalm 51? David had committed adultery, lied, manipulated and murdered. And yet, in his classic psalm of confession, not one of those sins is specifically identified. Neither Bathsheba nor Uriah are named. Why is that? Because David’s transgressions were serious symptoms of the greatest ailment of all—the failure to treasure God above every other person, pleasure and thing.

David’s sins didn’t stem from ignorance. His shortcomings weren’t the result of a long-held, deep-seeded disagreement with the laws of God. He was a man after God’s own heart! But on that night, David wanted illicit sexual gratification more than he wanted God. In the days that followed, David guarded his sinful secrets more than he guarded his covenant with God. When the situation grew desperate, David feared the awful truth being revealed more than he feared God. When backed into a corner, David demonstrated more of a willingness to shed innocent blood than to be honest and penitently cast himself before the feet of the God who already knew what David had done. David was exactly right when he confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam 12:13). Step 1: David had to be honest with himself. Step 2: David had to be honest with God.

Men who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not make such confessions. Women who are unwilling to be honest with God will not humble themselves in his sight. And without humble confession, we run the eternally dangerous risk of standing before the God of ultimate holiness and purity without an advocate.

There’s a time to confess about the tangled web of sin, and there’s a time to kill the spider. Warren Wiersbe tells the story of a man who would consistently end the prayers he led before others with, “And Lord, clean the cobwebs out of my life! Clean the cobwebs out of my life!” One of the members of the church became weary of hearing this same insincere request week after week because he saw no change in the petitioner’s life. So, the next time he heard the man pray, “Lord, clean the cobwebs out of my life!” he interrupted with, “And while you’re at it, Lord, kill the spider!”

It’s commendable to offer the Lord a passionate prayer of confession. But let us be men and women who are honest enough to live transforming, maturing, obedient lives for the glory of our Father after we say “Amen.” As Proverbs 28:13 warns, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

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Hazards on the Highway of Life

December 8, 2011 — Leave a comment

Millions will be traveling long distances by car during this busy holiday season. Highways will be full and schedules will be packed. Unfortunately, some will learn important lessons about vehicular maintenance and safety the hard way.

Did you that God’s spokesman Isaiah prophetically spoke of another “highway”? “It shall be called the Way of Holiness” (Isa 35:8). Were you aware that Solomon described “the highway of the upright” (Prov 16:17)?

Using those Biblical metaphors, what sort of hazards do we run into on the highway of life and why do they matter?

Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph 5:14-17)
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Must God Take a Hammer to My Heart? If So, He Is Willing

March 23, 2011 — 2 Comments

Prime grilling season is nearly here! The Hardin household enjoys just about anything prepared on a Summertime grill. Hamburgers, hot dogs, potatoes, chicken, steak, vegetables… you get the idea. We give our grill a workout in warm weather.

Meat Tenderizer

Most everyone agrees that meat tastes better when it’s tender, but getting it to that point can take some extra preparatory work. Meat that is taken out of the package and immediately thrown onto the fiery grill ends up tough and not as flavorful. But taking your time and using one of two basic methods can make a big difference:

  • Marination – the process of soaking foods in a seasoned liquid before cooking.
  • A meat tenderizer – a pointed hammer-like tool used to pound and soften the meat.

Do you see where this is going?

In 1 Peter 3:8, the Spirit tells disciples of Jesus to have “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” In Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Men and women who belong to Christ are to be tender in heart, sensitive to the dictates of God and eager to be molded by their heavenly Father.

Why is this important? In 1 Peter 4:12-13, we run across a promise.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Whether I am tender in heart or not, times of fiery trial are going to come. But those who are Christ’s are blessed with a higher and holier perspective.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Bottom line: We will spend time on the grill of life. But maturing to the point of “counting” that time “with all joy” takes some extra preparatory work. If I bring complete self-centeredness to the fiery grill of life, I will end up calloused and bitter. Therefore, self-centeredness must be tenderized, crucified and transformed into God-centeredness if pure, enduring joy is to be realized and holiness is to be brought to perfection (2 Cor 7:1).

How does this happen? Via one of two basic methods that God has used for thousands of years.

  • The marination of meditation — the process of joyfully soaking the soul in the wisdom, encouragement and training of God as revealed in his Word (Psa 119:97-104).
  • The hammer of holiness — the painful process of God’s holy will colliding with our stubbornness, pride and self-will in an effort to soften, mature and prepare us to be used as instruments for righteousness (Rom 6:13).

In what ways does the hammer of holiness manifest itself today? God uses his living and active Word to reprove us (Heb 4:12), the courageous words of others to rebuke us (2 Sam 12:7), the encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ to redirect us (James 5:19-20), and the corrective discipline of the church to save our spirits in the day of the Lord (1 Cor 5:4-5). Our responsibility is to be receptive, responsive and repentant to the holy pounding of God’s tenderizing hammer (2 Cor 7:8-10).

Which leads us to this question: just how tender is my heart today? For my own good, must God take his holy hammer to my heart in order to remind me that he is God and I am not? And when (not if) he does, how will I respond? Will I heed the warnings preserved for a purpose in the examples of the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Exo 5:2), Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Dan 5:20-21) and Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:20-23)?

When God uses his holy hammer, it is for my good. He is treating me as a son. “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Heb 12:7-11). If the hammer blows are to have their full effect, I must be receptive, responsive and repentant.

But how much more pleasant to slowly, methodically, purposefully marinate in meditation on God’s holy precepts and allow them to have their intended effect (Isa 55:11). Take time today to soak your soul in the seasoning of God’s revelation. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) and does good (Psa 119:68). Savor and relish the fact that the steadfast love of God is better than life (Psa 63:3)!

You will spend time on the grill of life. What are you doing to prepare yourself?

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"The Hannah Montana Show Destroyed My Family"

February 16, 2011 — 1 Comment

At an exceedingly dark period in Israel’s history, God rebuked his chosen people for “the blood” that was “on their hands.”

With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me… they slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols. (Ezekiel 23:37-39)

While we may not be physically slaughtering our children before literal blocks of stone or wood, doesn’t idolatry continue to plague us?  Who among us could deny that if the apostle Paul was looking over the average American city, his spirit would be “provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16)?  Though we live thousands of years after Ezekiel and Paul, our sons and daughters continue to be sacrificed on the altars of modern society.

Millions of unborn babies are slaughtered every year on the abortive altar of Selfishness. Sons are offered at the altar of Sports. Daughters are placed on the altar of Sexuality. The Temple of Materialism overflows with adherents. Shrines to Pride and Ego stand prominently in every neighborhood. Fulfillment is sought at the altar of Busyness and Celebrity is worshiped at the altar of Fame.

The time, geography and culture has changed, but the sinful tragedy marches on.  With our idols we are guilty of unfaithfulness to our Creator. And we even offer our own God-given children in sacrifice to people and things that are not gods.

Dads, what do you want most for your children? Moms, what is your greatest aspiration for your sons and daughters?  We know how we ought to answer that question, but what are we communicating to our heritage day after day, TV-show after TV-show, weekend after weekend? How are the priorities of our children being shaped as they follow the lead of our own living?  Who or what is shown to be worthy of worship in our homes? Are we teaching our children that Almighty God is to be held as reverently ultimate and consistently worthy of the highest place in every single aspect of daily life?

Dads, the day is coming when your daughters will leave your home. Moms, the day will come when your sons are out on their own. What are you doing to prepare them for that day?    What should you be doing to equip them that is consistently being left undone?

Here’s some food for thought from the February 15, 2011 edition USA Today:

Billy Ray Cyrus says his daughter Miley Cyrus’ massive success as Disney darling  Hannah Montana led to the destruction of his personal life.

“I’ll tell you right now — the **** show destroyed my family,” Cyrus, who filed for divorce from wife Tish,  tells the March issue of  GQ magazine. “I should have been a better parent. I should have said, ‘Enough is enough — it’s getting dangerous and somebody’s going to get hurt.’ I should have, but I didn’t. Honestly, I didn’t know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere.”

He says he’s worried about the path his daughter is taking, and worries she’ll end up like other Hollywood tragedies. “Kurt (Cobain) was one of those guys. That’s why I’m concerned about Miley. I think that his world was just spinning so fast and he had so many people around him that didn’t help him. Like Anna Nicole Smith — you could see that train wreck coming.”

Let’s pray for Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus. They are sinners in need of redemption, just like you and me.  And let’s not be so naive as to think that the same destruction can’t ravage our own homes.  Moms and Dads, let’s not waste this precious time. When “enough is enough,” let’s have the courage to say so.  As unrighteous danger and moral decay continues to creep into our homes, let’s have the fortitude to tune out, log off and fight back. Let’s take the time, not only to say “No” to our children, but to explain why. Let’s lovingly and consistently teach our children what is “out of bounds.” Let’s model for our children that the God of heaven alone is worthy of our worship.

“Train wrecks” litter the landscape in every direction. Our children have been born into a world ravaged by sin. Our task—by God’s grace, with his wisdom, and in his strength—is to help them get to heaven.

May our heavenly Father help us to keep our eyes on the goal and our lives on his track.

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Arming Ourselves in Prayer

September 20, 2010 — Leave a comment

Excerpted from Chapter 13 of Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare:

The Spirit’s instructions concerning the armor of God conclude with the expectation that disciples of Christ would be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph 6.18). What better way to reinforce heaven’s intentions in our minds and dedicate ourselves to the goal of serving as faithful soldiers than to ask our Father’s help and blessing as we reflect on each piece of armor?

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your sovereign rule extend into our hearts and lives. May your will be done in us and through us as it is in heaven. We thank you, Father, for the strength of your might that has been made available to us. We are unworthy even to address you as our Father. We have turned our backs on you in the past. We have rejected the message of your Messiah. But you have not forgotten or given up on us. Even when we were your enemies, you worked to provide a plan for our redemption. We thank you for the blessed privilege of calling on you as redeemed sons.

Blessed Father, we seek your help and blessing as we do our best to recognize the present conflict. Help us to realize the stakes. Grant us the wisdom to feel the weight of the struggle. Guide us in acknowledging our desperate need for your power and patience in our lives. Direct us as we strive to remember who we have been called to struggle against. Guard us from selfish deception that would tempt us to turn unnecessarily on other image-bearers. Lead us to clarity and focus so that you and you alone are glorified in all of our efforts.

Holy Father, we thank you for the belt of truth. We praise you as the Author of reality and the Rock of faithfulness. Send forth your light into our lives. Help us to acknowledge and joyfully respond to your direction. Use whatever you must to guide us to your holy mountain, to the pleasure of your presence. We pray for sanctification through your word and for strength as we strive to be men of truth in your service. Help us to wrap integrity around every aspect of our lives and allow your truth to bind every element of our existence together. We pray that you would help us to stay dressed for holy action, with minds prepared and hearts that are eagerly awaiting the return of your Son.

Righteous Father, we thank you for the breastplate of righteousness. We ask for your guidance as we wage war against sin in our mortal bodies. Help us to cultivate a holy hatred for abusing our members as instruments of unrighteousness. Lead us and be patient with us as we dedicate ourselves as soldiers who have been brought from death to life. Help us to discern your will, delight in your leading, and live as clear representations of your expectations. Guide us as we seek to clothe ourselves with humility. Mold us, Father, to your glory. Purge from our lives whatever you must by whatever means is necessary so that we might glorify you in honesty, uprightness, and integrity.

Merciful Father, we thank you for the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace. We magnify you as the great peacemaker in all of history. We praise you for the gift of your Son through whom we can come boldly to the throne of your grace. Help us, Father, to appreciate our freedom. May we avoid using it as an opportunity for the flesh. Guide us that we might be always ready for every good work. Shape us into peacemakers and proclaimers of your good news. Use us in the cause of overcoming evil with good.

Almighty Father, we thank you for the shield of faith. We glorify you for your word which continues to serve as the foundation of our faith. Help us to cling to the promise of victory in the faith that overcomes the world. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Guard us as we endure the assaults of the evil one. Establish us in steadfastness of faith. In all circumstances, empower us to carry the shield of absolute trust.

Gracious Father, we thank you for the helmet of salvation. We exalt you for your amazing grace. We praise you for the assurance of our relationship with you. We ask for your help as we fight against the urges to submit once again to our former yokes of slavery. Preserve us, Father, deliver us with your mighty right hand. Fulfill your purposes for us and in us. Do not forsake the work of your hands. May your steadfast love, O Lord, endure forever.

Finally, Most High Father, we thank you for the sword of the Spirit, the revelation of your mind and will. May we always appreciate your providence which has made your revelation so freely available. We stand in awe of its living power. Do whatever you must to keep us open to its teaching, sensitive to its reproof, honest with its correction, and receptive of its instructions so that we might be trained in righteousness. Bless our efforts to present ourselves to you as men approved, workers who do not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the sword of your Spirit.

We will follow you, Father, wherever you lead. Whom have we in heaven but you? There is nothing and no one on earth that we desire more than you. Our bodies and our hearts may fail, but you are the strength of our hearts and our refuge forever.

With all our hearts, souls, and minds, we pledge our allegiance to your Son and our King. Come, Lord Jesus! It is through him that we pray.

Amen.

(Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare, pg. 229-231)

Other posts in this series on the armor of God:

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Study Jesus

August 18, 2010 — Leave a comment

“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, D.A. Carson

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The Belt of Truth

August 9, 2010 — 4 Comments

Excerpted from Chapter 13 of Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare:

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth” (Eph 6.14).   The typical Roman soldier of the first century wore a loose, flowing tunic that was cinched around the waist by a wide leather belt.   A soldier’s belt served as the foundational piece of his entire panoply, holding his sword in place, supporting him in battle, and binding the rest of his armor together.   A leather apron hung from the belt to protect the soldier’s abdomen and groin.   No soldier would ever willingly press the battle without this piece of armor.   To enter into conflict without a belt was to be unarmed, and therefore vulnerable.

So also, no soldier of the cross can successfully engage the present darkness without being supported by and tied together with truth—truth as defined by the Creator.   Truth serves as our Field Manual in the battle for the destiny of our souls.   Whenever we have lost our way, it is truth that leads us back to the slopes of spiritual Currahee.

__________Send out your light and your truth;
_______________let them guide me.
__________Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
_______________to the place where you live. (Psa 43.3, NLT)

What is truth?   Truth is reality as revealed by the God who made us.   Truth is irrefutable and irreproachable consecrated fact.   It is the truth of Jesus that makes us free to fight in the first place (John 8.32).   Truth is powerful.   It is solid and impenetrable.   “Sanctify them in the truth,” was Jesus’ prayer for his disciples.   “Your word is truth” (John 17.17).

Truth is what ties all of the aspects of spiritual success together.   Like the soldier’s belt, it is the foundational piece of our armor.   God has fashioned, defined, and unveiled truth; our responsibility is to recognize it and fasten it around ourselves so that we might always be reminded to act, talk, and live as men of truth.

Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. (Eph 4.15)

Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Eph 4.25)

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Eph 5.6)

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.   Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Eph 5.8-11)

The King James Version of the Scriptures translates the Spirit’s instructions in Ephesians 6.14 as “having your loins girt about with truth.”   Historically, such literally had to do with protecting the pelvic region.   To “gird the loins” during the Roman Era meant to draw-up and tie the lower garments between one’s legs in order to increase mobility and agility.   It prevented the loose ends of the tunic from becoming snagged on something or entangled with one’s feet.   As a soldier, anything that would prevent stumbling or falling down completely was worth the effort.

With those cultural notes in mind, the Spirit’s timeless message is plain.   Make the effort now to tie up any loose ends that could cause you to stumble or fall in the daily spiritual battle!   Be sharp, alert, and ready to respond to temptation with mobility and agility.   As Peter instructed, “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Pet 1.13, KJV).   Literally, prepare your mind for action.

Think about it.   When and where does all sin begin?   Is it when a sinful thought or image first enters our minds, or when we choose to continue thinking on, fantasizing about, and entertaining the sin?   The answer lies with the difference between temptation and transgression.   Generally speaking, we have little, if any control over the temptations we run across on the battlefield.   But we are in complete control of our responses to temptation.   We can choose to indulge the sinful passions of the flesh, or we can redirect our minds to the revealed truth of God, just as our King demonstrated.   Think back to the devil’s temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”   But he answered, “It is written….” (Matt 4.4)

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” …Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written….” (Matt 4.6-7)

“All these (the kingdoms of the world and their glory) I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.”   Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!   For it is written….” (Matt 4.8-10)

Jesus’ strategy isn’t hard to pick out, is it?   The fiery darts of the wicked one were met and defeated with the words of truth.   The recorded instructions of God and a ready mind of compliance were Jesus’ first line of defense.

Now those instructions have been passed on to you and me.   War is upon us whether we would risk it or not.   Temptations will come whether we seek them or not.   When they do, the only question is whether the Scriptures will have been wrapped around our hearts to the point that our knowledge of the Creator’s intentions will shape our first responses.   Or, will we allow the tempter’s seductions to lead us away from the ranks of the redeemed?   Satan cannot take God’s truth away from you, but you can decide to remove it from your thinking.

“Stay dressed for action [literally, Let your loins stay girded] and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.   Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” (Luke 12.35-37)

Truth has been made available.   What a blessing that we can so freely hold it in our hands!   Our entire lives can be built upon its foundations.   But truth will aid us in the eternal conflict only when it is known.   We must study it.   We must meditate upon it.   We must constantly challenge and evaluable ourselves in its light.   We must candidly and transparently apply it.   The more time we spend in honest reflection on the truth, the better equipped we will be to fight the battles ahead.

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers” (1 Thes 4.13), because being uninformed can cost us everything.   At the dawn of every day, prepare yourself to guard and defend the most vulnerable areas of your life.   Don’t wait for the Enemy’s strike in order to prepare for battle.   Surround yourself, wrap your mind in God’s truth while there is still time!

(Boot Camp: Equipping Men with Integrity for Spiritual Warfare, pg. 217-220)

Other posts in this series on the armor of God:

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