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Shielded Day 6 Heart Armor

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 6:10-18
Romans 3
Proverbs 4:20-27
Romans 1:16-17

Shielded, Day 6

Our hearts work in incredible ways.

As you are reading this, your heart is beating with one steady, consistent beat after another, sending carbon dioxide-laden blood to your lungs for a quick clean and then pumping oxygenated blood to every inch of you. It mightily gives each part of the body what it needs to function properly.

Our hearts are also one of the few organs possessing the ability to completely stop the entire body from working in a split second. At any point, someone’s heart could stop beating and life would be over.  When the heart is weak or diseased or blocked, the rest of the body is affected and begins to break down and lose its function.

Because of its essential role in our physical bodies, humankind has taken to using the heart as a spiritual metaphor describing the essence of ourselves,
our feelings and emotions, and our relationships with others.

Our hearts are full, or they’ve been hurt.
Our hearts are given to others who touch our lives.
A special place in our hearts is made for those dear to us.

It’s no wonder God’s design for our bodies protects our hearts with a sturdy ribcage. Similarly, Solomon instructed his son to “guard his heart above all else,” and Paul encourages us to put on the body armor of righteousness over our hearts to thwart the enemy’s schemes.

The heart is vital.

The last part of Ephesians 6 is all about a battle plan, a plan leaning on the attributes of God to stand against the attacks of our enemy, Satan. Paul instructs us to put on various pieces of armor and associates each with characteristics of God. Victory doesn’t come from our own strength or ability, but from a developing, growing relationship with God.
He alone is the One who saves, protects, defends, and fights on our behalf. 

In Ephesians 6:14, we are told to don the armor of righteousness. Other translations commonly refer to this armor as the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is a piece of armor that covers a soldier from the neck to the waist, protecting the vital organs for life.

Namely, the heart.
We are to cover our hearts with God’s righteousness. 

Read that again.
We are to cover our hearts with God’s righteousness.

I am constantly trying to make things right. Perhaps you can relate? My immediate response to any problem is to solve it on my own. It’s a knee-jerk reaction.

I don’t just leave it at my own problems, either. Present me with an issue, and I’ll have 3 different solutions off the top of my head to offer up as advice. I’ve prided myself for years on this ability, championing myself a hero.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to understand how relying on my own right-making has been more of a hindrance to growth than a pathway to growth. I’ve isolated myself not only from the tender care of those around me, but more dismally, from my Savior’s.

More importantly, in trying to build my own armor of righteousness, I have left my heart, the well-spring of life, exposed to the enemy’s sinister plots.

Remembering the times I’ve allowed the devil to take a foothold in my heart wrenches my gut. I am reminded of harsh words spilling from my own mouth, of attitudes creating division, and of relationships left irreparable, all because I chose not to use the armor so readily available to me.

This sobering truth is echoed in Romans 3, which emphasizes we cannot be righteous on our own. Trying to make things right in our own way is fruitless.

However, Jesus is righteousness incarnate. He was the righteousness of God on earth for 33 years, showing us how to live.

Jesus made the way,
creating the connection from sin-filled us to an utterly holy God,
building a bridge to God’s righteousness through His own life, death, and resurrection.

By Jesus and through Jesus, we have access to His righteous armor.

When we are brought to faith in our precious Savior, Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God no longer sees us as unredeemable and wicked. Instead, He sees us covered in the righteousness of His Son. 

And now, our invitation is to pick up our armor and walk in righteousness, drawing ever closer to the One who saves us, the One who makes us righteous by His blood. We are called to dive ever deeper into His Word, letting it wash over our hearts until our lives reflect His promises.

So, let’s pick up our armor of righteousness, dear friends, and march into battle. The war is raging as we speak, but the victory has already been won.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Shielded Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
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Flourishing Day 10
Guarding The Gospel

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Timothy 1
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
John 14:25-27

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame
the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
for God gave us a spirit, not of fear,
but of power and love and self-control.” verses 6-7

Every time I see a ‘but’ written in Scripture, I tend to lean in a little closer. When a ‘but’ is referenced, look for the contrast so we can uncover more depth in the truth God is revealing to us.

Take this verse for example. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear and timidity, BUT of power, love, and self-discipline. The interjection shows us that the first part of the verse isn’t the absolute truth (no matter how we might feel sometimes); rather what God has given us is solid!

I’ve found myself reciting that verse quite frequently the last few months as I’ve been walking through a difficult season in my marriage. My husband and I have had some very hard, raw, and vulnerable conversations with one another and that is only by the grace of God. I’m not sure we would be here today if it weren’t for stepping out in His spirit and not holding onto the fear that could cripple our growth individually, and as a couple.

Memorizing Scripture to combat the enemy when he tries to weave his way into my life has been vital! I have verses taped all over my apartment, and it has made such a difference as I’ve been able to guard the truth in my heart, meditate on it, and then speak it aloud!
Never forget the power that is unleashed
when you speak things out of the dark into light.

Being afraid of something is a struggle we all face at various points in our lives. Whether it’s infertility, financial strain, job loss or failure, dying, marital strain, not being accepted into college, you name it, we’ve all had them. Those places in our hearts that are prone to fear is where the enemy tries to attack first, which is why we must learn to guard the truth that we’ve been given!

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord,
nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 
who saved us and called us to a holy calling,
not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace,
which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. verses 8-10

As a Christian, it can be really intimidating to tell others about the Good News. I was never ashamed of the Gospel per say, but I was nervous to share with my friends as I didn’t know what their response was going to be. It wasn’t cool to be a Christian growing up, so my “church life” and my “friend life” were very different.

With that being said, I do remember the first time I shared the Gospel message with someone as it completely changed my life forever. I was in Uganda, speaking through a local translator. I had no idea if what I was saying was translating well, but at the end of the conversation the sweet lady was crying, I was crying, and she desperately wanted Jesus in her heart.

I knew from that moment on,
I wasn’t going to stop telling those I came in contact with about the Gospel.

It was my job, as a daughter of the Most High God to guard the Gospel, and to walk forward in the power and authority that He has given His children.

You see, God broke, shattered, completely destroyed, the power of death by His sacrifice and lit the pathway to life with Him for all of eternity through the Good News. And He has appointed us go and share, not hide behind our own shame and fear.

It should be our goal to get everyone we know, and then some, with us to Heaven.

“While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse,
deceiving and being deceived. But as for you,
continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom you learned it.” verses 13-14

So, my sweet sister. may I urge you to cling tightly to His truth?
Guard it with all your might and let His truth wash over you,
breaking you free from lies and fears!
“God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Flourishing Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Flourishing!

The GT Weekend – Resting Week Two

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The GT Weekend

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer, rest your soul in reflective journaling, and spend time worshiping the Creator who longs for intimacy with each of us!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) Turning to the Lord to rest in Him can be scary and difficult to remember in the stresses of life, whether big or small. What has worked best for you to rest in Him? Scheduling your quiet time, prayer journaling, etc? Share below in the comments to encourage each other to step into obedience and find rest!

2) Review the places you are serving and spending your time. Compare that to what you feel through the Holy Spirit of where Father wants you to be serving. Is there a disparity? What do you need to cut out – even “good” things? What do you need to add in – even “rest-filled” things?

3) Write out Philippians 4:7 and post it on your bathroom mirror. Let this truth permeate your soul this next week.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Check out our printable below for a great reminder of the truth we have in Jesus!

Worship In Song

Music Video: Be Still My Soul by Kari Jobe

Pour Out Your Heart

Lord, I put my to-do list and never slowing schedule
In Your hands.
Lord, I put my self-imposed pressure to be all things to all people
In Your hands.
Lord, I put my pride
In Your hands.
Lord, I put life, my all
In Your hands.
Let me know more of You.
Amen

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In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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