Who knew what a bunch of healthy food could do to one person! I have actually been so sick this whole week as my body detox's and tries to get all of those bad things out of me... and boy has that been fun! Not only physically have I been attacked but emotionally and spiritually and in just about everything else I can think of. On day 4, God spoke to me clearly out of 1 Samuel 17. As many of you know, this chapter recounts the story of David and Goliath. I started reading the story like I have many times, expecting to journal about overcoming my fears or getting rid of some giant in my life... but God had something else in mine, thank goodness. As I started reading it, I immediately noticed the role that Armor had in the chapter.
17:4-7
"And a champion went out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span (about 10 feet). And he had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of mail, and the coat weighed 5,000 shekels of bronze. He had bronze shin armor on his legs and a bronze javelin across his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weavers beam; his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron. And a sheild bearer went before him."
17:38-40
"Then Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword over his armor. Then he tried to go, but could not, for he was not used to it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these for I am not used to them."
Jesus simply asked me whose armor I was trying to wear. The enemies armor looks big and secure. Have I been hiding behind and protecting myself with the ways of the world? Things like valuing money, friends, "me time", and my own pride more than I value God. I have found it so easy to go and hide behind these things or even use them as an excuse to avoid what I know God is wanting me to do. These things aren't bad! It only becomes dangerous when I place more worth into them than I do my relationship with God. The armor Saul tried to give David probably wasn't bad at all, either. Imagine, it was from the king! It was probably top-notch stuff! The most expensive, protective and reliable armor ever... but it wasn't David's armor. God revealed to me that even if the armor I'm wearing isn't necessarily bad, if it's not the armor HE's given me to wear, then I will not live the full life He promised for me.
17:40
"And David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherds bag (a whole kids skin slung from his shoulder) in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near the philistine."
Ephesians 6:14-17
"Stand therefore (hold your ground), having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and moral rectitude and right standing with God, and having shod your feet in preperation to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news of the Gospel of Peace. Lift up over all the covering shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the word of God"
6:12
"For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents), but against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
17:45-47
"Then said David to the philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."
So where do all these scriptures leave me? They lead me to and keep me in victory! It is really easy to live in a victim's mentality. "There's nothing I can do to help, I'm hopeless and God can't use me, I'm too young, old, small, big, shy, clumsy, dumb, sinful" and the list goes on and on. But the fact of the matter is, if I will just get off my high horse, kill my pride, skip the funeral, and just do what God tells me to (the right way!), I would LIVE in victory 24/7.
Romans 12:1-3
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial, customs) but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may proove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you. For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought (not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance), but to rate his ability with sober judgement, each according to the degree of faith apportioned of God to him."
Well, I have no idea how to wrap this up, or if this all even ties in together... but God gave it to me so I will take it for what it's worth and just apply it to me life.
Wearing the right armor,
Elyxis
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