Stand Firm

I was proof reading a theology term paper for Stephen yesterday and this passage of Scripture from Ephesians 6 was included: (I think I've posted this before but I wanted to again. I needed to meditate on these verses yesterday!)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

These verses encourage me. Maybe that sounds funny, but they remind me of the real battle that we face. Do you have days like that? Days when you are struggling in certain areas and you've chalked it up to a million things all related to your circumstances and made a million excuses for your fears, or anxiety, or the heaviness that you feel? I'm so guilty of saying "If only things were this way, then I wouldn't feel this...or do this...or act like this..." I'm so thankful for God's Word and for the ability to stand firm in this battle for our time, our minds, our hearts, etc.