Archive for February 16th, 2008

Not to sound like a Shakespearean play, but every morning I wake up and say, “Devotion-To do or Not To do- that is the question”. As if it’s something I should debate.

I am a pretty routine kind of guy. I get up the same time every morning, I get showered, I get my coffee and I go to my office. I have conditioned myself to this type of routine for 5 days of the week and the other 2 days I do all the above except go to the office. But I have yet to consistently place a Daily devotion in that routine. And I don’t know why.

I am a firm believer that we should spend time with God daily. I preach about spending time with God daily. But I sometimes fail to practice what I preach. Many people as well as myself, struggle in this part of their Christian walk and it is hard to pinpoint the many reasons why. But I think the main reason is Satan.

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NASB95)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
¹⁵ and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
¹⁷ And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Paul tells us here in Ephesians the best way to defend against the attacks of Satan and world forces of his darkness, is to put on the Armor of God. The Armor of God begins with the belt of truth, God’s truth that we find in the bible. Without that belt we cannot defend ourselves from Satan. If you think of the Armor of God as getting ready in the morning, none of us leave home with getting dressed. We put on our under garment, then our pants and shirts, then our socks and shoes and we leave ready for the day. The Armor of God is the same thing, except with much more importance. If you don’t start with the belt of truth, you can’t use the rest of the armor that God gives you.

You and I need to start our day off with a daily reading of the truth. You should dress yourself spiritually before starting your day. Start a routine of 5 minutes a day. Just get in a few scriptures and pray on those scriptures. You will see that won’t be enough time as you begin a good habit of ready and devoting time to God. Don’t go out into the world without the FULL armor of God. Don’t let Satan get you to belive the truths of the world instead, read the truths of God before you enter the world.

God Bless and Read your Bible,

Pastor Jody Burkeen