Day 35 – Fit For Life Challenge

Day 35!😀 I hope you all are leaning on the Lord and following His lead to continue to grow in Him! I pray that you all have decided to make the positive changes in your life where you feel He is leading you! I know this.. He has big plans for each and every one of us! I don’t want to miss a thing! I want to lay down all the stuff that is weighing me down from having the close, intimate relationship with Christ that I was designed to have! I want to run this race with freedom!

Anytime we decide to step up and follow Christ in an area of our life where maybe we hadn’t before, we are going to experience opposition from the enemy. Anytime we decide to lay down our old self-centered ways and pick up and follow Christ, the devil will notice! I always say, if I don’t feel Satan messing with me, I must not be doing a whole lot to upset him! I know from experience and from other people’s testimonies that conquering a trial or tribulation, making a decision for change in my life for good, being obedient to the Lord in any area, or resisting a temptation may send the devil fleeing … but he will return after a “season” when an “opportune time” comes along ( see James 4:7 and Luke 4:13). When’s that opportune time? When we are weak! He has his favorite darts he likes to use against you time after time. He knows your weaknesses when you have your guard down. But we have a defense! Let’s look at Ephesians 6:10-11,16. “Finally my brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may he able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

We could look at all the individual pieces of armor listed in Ephesians 6 that we have, but I want to concentrate on the shield of Faith right now. A soldier doesn’t carry a shield on his back or hanging by his side when he’s in battle. He has it out in front, protecting him. God wants us to take up our shield of faith and keep it in front of us to protect us from those whizzing arrows that the devil loves to shoot at us. The devil doesn’t want you to live a victorious life! He doesn’t want you to have freedom in Christ! He doesn’t want you to be serving with joy. No! He wants you to be discouraged, self-absorbed, feeling worthless and defeated! We can never, never, never lay the shield down! We have to have it and know and how to use it! When we are faithful to get up everyday and pick up that shield of faith, God is faithful to empower us to use it!

So how do we pick up our shield? It’s not a one time thing! It’s a daily, sometimes hourly act of our will, to put our trust and faith in Christ. Like Peter as he was walking on the water toward Jesus, we have to keep our eyes on Him! We need to put our trust in Him and His authority in our life to thwart all the attacks of the enemy. Isaiah 54:17 says “No weapon formed against you will prosper..”. It doesn’t say no weapon will be formed against you! It says they won’t prosper…but we have to be equipped! We have His Word! Use it against the enemy! We have to be STRONG in the Lord! This is a battle! As a Christian, the devil wants to destroy you and render you useless for the Kingdom! Pick up your shield of faith everyday! Move forward and follow Christ doing the things He’s calling you to do with your shield in the forefront of your life!

Satan has his favorite darts with your name on them! He knows what tempts you, discourages you or takes you back to a dark place in your life. But his weapons cannot prosper with the shield of faith being held firmly covering you! God has already won the battle! Claim it and hold it up in front of you!

Action Step 35👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Read all of Ephesians chapter 6 to see all of the armor we have available to us as believers! Claim each piece of it in Jesus name today!