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| It is a state of mind |
C. S. Lewis, arguably the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century said "We are what we believe we are." Now THAT is a revelation! The concept behind that quote empowers us, re-imagines us, and enables us to grow and improve far beyond what we would think we can even beyond the image we learn from others. If those you look up to and respect (or fear) repeatedly tell you that you are stupid, you will come to believe it and that makes it true. You become what you believe.
Try something: stand in front of the bathroom mirror, head held high, fists on hips, elbows out, legs slightly apart for two whole minutes. Go on, I'll wait. Oh, are you back so soon? Wait a minute, did you even go? Go on and do it, two minutes mind you. I'm timing it...
Did you notice a change in your state of mind? Social psychologist, Amy Cuddy points out in this Ted Talk that our self image is reflected in our posture. A poor, weak, or timid self image is demonstrated by shrinking in on ourselves, folding our arms, crossing legs, lowering our eyes, etc. Funny thing though, the reverse is also true: our body posture can influence our self image! Standing tall, arms out, hands stretched, head held high. A bold posture affects our brain chemistry. It increases confidence, and reduces stress. Interestingly enough this is not unique to Humanity, but can be seen throughout the entire animal kingdom. It carrys such potential benefit that God built it to His entire creation.
By now you're probably thinking, "Great. but how does this benefit me? I'm not dressing up as a superhero, I'm a Christian!" I believe there may be advantages for Christians to play "dress-up" every day, and I think I'm in good company. Consider what Paul says in Ephesians:
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:13-18I don't think any one would disagree that Paul is not talking of a real suit of armor, but a figurative one, a strong self-image. How might our lives be different if we were to "dress" ourselves like this every morning before stepping out our front door? Would our day be different if we had confidence that His protection was between us and the fiery darts of the enemy? Would we be more inclined to wield the Sword of the Spirit, if we knew that the Shield of Faith would keep us safe? This Scripture is a rather complete picture of more than just protection, but the weapons to assault the kingdom of darkness as well."...having done all, to stand." Paul has just told you to put on the whole Armor of God, to dress for the battlefield and to stand firm on the spiritual ground we've taken and the souls we have liberated from the grip of the enemy. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;" 2 Corinthians 10:4. "Strong holds" in this verse refers to a strong castle or fortress. Is there a fortress or strong hold in your way? Something seemingly insurmountable keeping you from what God has called you to do? Has God got a weapon for you! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Ever seen castle gates attack anything? Gates are stationary; gates are defensive; gates are stormed. Here Jesus told us to attack the gates, fully protected by His armor."Loins gird about with truth..." Not to put too indelicate a point on it, but our "loins" are where our reproductive organs are. I believe this refers to your integrity and reputation. If your integrity isn't enough to earn the respect of those you are trying to reach, you're out of luck (or grace, as the case may be). No one will listen or take what you have to say seriously if they don't respect you. Girding your loins with truth, speaking the truth, living God's love to others protects your integrity, protects your reputation, protects your witness."...having the breastplate of righteousness..." The breast is where our heart is. In western culture the heart is not just source of natural life, it is the seat of our emotions as well. In spirit terms it is our intimacy with the Holy Spirit. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." 2 Corinthians 3:3. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. Hide God's word in your heart, and His righteousness will shelter it and it will grow into a breastplate. "...feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..." Boots on the ground. "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. The first century church endured persecution in the first 300 years. Sounds like it was a rough time, but God used the time of persecution to spread the Gospel across much of the known world. The boots of the Gospel were made for walking, apparently. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7. Are your feet properly booted?"Above all" (must be exceptionally important!) "taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts..." A shield is the most versatile of all God's armor. It can be moved to protect the head, the heart, the loins, the feet, anywhere it is needed. It can even protect the back. Anyone that has seen the captain America movies will understand. Faith is essential to us, because the "proofs" we rely on as Christians are somewhat subjective because many can't be proven from a second source. In the absence of hard evidence/facts due to a lack of technology able to measure and record them, some aspects of truth (or Truth if you prefer) must rely on a certain measure of faith. This is not only true for the Christian, but for honest atheists as well. Our shield of faith allows us to withstand arguments such as "all things unproven are untrue." This argument feels devastating, but just because something can't be proven doesn't mean it isn't true. A mere 100 years ago the most educated people in our society did not believe that bacteria, passed from patient to patient by their doctor's unwashed hands. The presence of bacteria could not be proven because it was beyond the level of technology at that time. Truth sometimes exists just outside the realm of facts.Did you notice that all of this armor is on the front? Nothing is covering our backsides. Unless..."Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward."Isaiah 58:8The glory of the Lord!?!? Wow! What could possibly approach us from behind? Unless we're not facing forward, where the enemy is, and the gates. If we're running away from the enemy, we are running without protection. Face the enemy and "God has your six" (as in the 6 o'clock on a clock face or in other words behind you) wouldn't that be a great tee shirt? Right along with "God is my copilot" and "WWJD".
So, here's a challenge for you. Tomorrow morning, go through each protective covering and visualize donning each in your mind's eye. Cover what you think and say with the helmet, your hearts and affections with the breast plate, protect your reputation so you may birth others into the Kingdom by girding your loins, and go into the world prepared to share the Gospel. Pick up your sword (the Word) by reading a verse, a chapter, or even a book, and the shield (Faith) by repeating out loud what you believe. Then spend a few minutes standing before the Lord, arms akimbo, feet spread apart for two minutes, thanking God for everything. Do this and expect God to "cover yor six."I hope that you will respond here by leaving a comment about how your day unfolded. Let me know what you liked, or did not. Let me know if I've wandered too far from your good opinion.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:13-18I don't think any one would disagree that Paul is not talking of a real suit of armor, but a figurative one, a strong self-image. How might our lives be different if we were to "dress" ourselves like this every morning before stepping out our front door? Would our day be different if we had confidence that His protection was between us and the fiery darts of the enemy? Would we be more inclined to wield the Sword of the Spirit, if we knew that the Shield of Faith would keep us safe? This Scripture is a rather complete picture of more than just protection, but the weapons to assault the kingdom of darkness as well."...having done all, to stand." Paul has just told you to put on the whole Armor of God, to dress for the battlefield and to stand firm on the spiritual ground we've taken and the souls we have liberated from the grip of the enemy. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;" 2 Corinthians 10:4. "Strong holds" in this verse refers to a strong castle or fortress. Is there a fortress or strong hold in your way? Something seemingly insurmountable keeping you from what God has called you to do? Has God got a weapon for you! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Ever seen castle gates attack anything? Gates are stationary; gates are defensive; gates are stormed. Here Jesus told us to attack the gates, fully protected by His armor."Loins gird about with truth..." Not to put too indelicate a point on it, but our "loins" are where our reproductive organs are. I believe this refers to your integrity and reputation. If your integrity isn't enough to earn the respect of those you are trying to reach, you're out of luck (or grace, as the case may be). No one will listen or take what you have to say seriously if they don't respect you. Girding your loins with truth, speaking the truth, living God's love to others protects your integrity, protects your reputation, protects your witness."...having the breastplate of righteousness..." The breast is where our heart is. In western culture the heart is not just source of natural life, it is the seat of our emotions as well. In spirit terms it is our intimacy with the Holy Spirit. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." 2 Corinthians 3:3. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. Hide God's word in your heart, and His righteousness will shelter it and it will grow into a breastplate. "...feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..." Boots on the ground. "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. The first century church endured persecution in the first 300 years. Sounds like it was a rough time, but God used the time of persecution to spread the Gospel across much of the known world. The boots of the Gospel were made for walking, apparently. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7. Are your feet properly booted?"Above all" (must be exceptionally important!) "taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts..." A shield is the most versatile of all God's armor. It can be moved to protect the head, the heart, the loins, the feet, anywhere it is needed. It can even protect the back. Anyone that has seen the captain America movies will understand. Faith is essential to us, because the "proofs" we rely on as Christians are somewhat subjective because many can't be proven from a second source. In the absence of hard evidence/facts due to a lack of technology able to measure and record them, some aspects of truth (or Truth if you prefer) must rely on a certain measure of faith. This is not only true for the Christian, but for honest atheists as well. Our shield of faith allows us to withstand arguments such as "all things unproven are untrue." This argument feels devastating, but just because something can't be proven doesn't mean it isn't true. A mere 100 years ago the most educated people in our society did not believe that bacteria, passed from patient to patient by their doctor's unwashed hands. The presence of bacteria could not be proven because it was beyond the level of technology at that time. Truth sometimes exists just outside the realm of facts.Did you notice that all of this armor is on the front? Nothing is covering our backsides. Unless..."Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward."Isaiah 58:8The glory of the Lord!?!? Wow! What could possibly approach us from behind? Unless we're not facing forward, where the enemy is, and the gates. If we're running away from the enemy, we are running without protection. Face the enemy and "God has your six" (as in the 6 o'clock on a clock face or in other words behind you) wouldn't that be a great tee shirt? Right along with "God is my copilot" and "WWJD".
So, here's a challenge for you. Tomorrow morning, go through each protective covering and visualize donning each in your mind's eye. Cover what you think and say with the helmet, your hearts and affections with the breast plate, protect your reputation so you may birth others into the Kingdom by girding your loins, and go into the world prepared to share the Gospel. Pick up your sword (the Word) by reading a verse, a chapter, or even a book, and the shield (Faith) by repeating out loud what you believe. Then spend a few minutes standing before the Lord, arms akimbo, feet spread apart for two minutes, thanking God for everything. Do this and expect God to "cover yor six."I hope that you will respond here by leaving a comment about how your day unfolded. Let me know what you liked, or did not. Let me know if I've wandered too far from your good opinion.