Verse of the Day 10/27

Through the Bible - Jeremiah 21-23, 2 Timothy 4

 

Good morning,

This past weekend I saw a video where a pastor described how as a college student, he and a couple of friends volunteered to practice with the cities SWAT team.  They came to the meeting at the local courthouse dressed in jeans and sweats.  Suddenly the SWAT team van pulled up and men started piling out with automatic weapons and full SWAT team garb.  Before the "exercises" started the three realized that they were not prepared to face this opposition, even in practice.

 

As I watched, there were several things that jumped out at me.  One of them was, how many of us send or have sent our kids off to college unprepared to face the spiritual enemy.

 

What does SWAT stand for?  I believe that it is "special weapons and tactics".  These are the "good guys", and we should be glad to have them on our side.  But they need these special weapons and tactics to deal with the enemy who will use every weapon, every threat known  to man to accomplish evil and terror.

 

For today's verse we'll go to Psalm 18 where David calls upon God, his strength, rock, fortress and deliverer.

Psalm 18:2-3 (Amplified Bible)  The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower. 

 ³I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

For Him to be our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer we need to know Him, learn about Him, and trust Him.  How we go about doing so will have an impact in how we face our battles, our enemies.

 

We are to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

 

Yesterday's New Testament reading was in 2 Timothy 3 where Paul instructs Timothy and us as to how important it is to rely on God's Word,

 2 Timothy 3:16 (Amplified Bible)  Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),

 

Ephesians 6:17( NLT) Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Blessings,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New Living Translation)

The Whole Armor of God

 ¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

 ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.