Life Plan Devotion #68 [God's Armor--Breastplate of Righteousness, Part III]

Last time, we looked at how to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness by consciously being obedient to God and submitting to the leading and power of the Holy Spirit so that sin will have no dominion over you. Today, let's look at what to do if you get a kink/chink in your Breastplate of Righteousness.
When I awoke this morning, I asked God to bring to mind one verse that would sum up why/how we allow a kink in our Breastplate of Righteousness. Immediately, Jeremiah 2:32c came to mind. It is a verse that, the first time I read it, reduced me to tears. It says, "My people forget Me days without number." That's how we get a kink in our Breastplate of Righteousness, really in every part of our Armor. We forget God. We forget His Word. We forget to put into practice what we have learned.
On the battlefield of life, the enemy, the "accuser of the brethren," will try to bring up your past, but your Breastplate of Righteousness will be your defense. The Spirit of God dwells in you, as a believer, so God receives you as His son or daughter, no matter what Satan says. Forget that, and you will have a kink in your breastplate. An amazing thing about God, though, is that the moment you remember, the breech will be repaired.
Yes, you are "accepted in the Beloved," but that does not mean that your Heavenly Father is indifferent to your sin or regards it lightly. When you sin, a crack appears in your Breastplate of Righteousness, and, as a loving father corrects his child, so the Lord will correct you (Hebrews 12:5-11). Submit to and learn from the correction, and the crack in your breastplate will disappear.
Sometimes, a believer gets complacent and forgets their "first love," when he/she first met Jesus and desired to live a life of holiness, following hard after God. That believer still has on his/her Breastplate of Righteousness, but it's not completely strapped on, and, because of that, there are some areas exposed that need to be covered so the enemy doesn't get a firm hold. If this happens to you, "repent and do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:4-5), and your loose breastplate will be firm and tight on you once again.
Finally, remember that you do not stand on your own merits. You never did. You never had anything worthwhile in yourself to offer to God. When you came to Christ, you quit trying to be good enough to please God. What pleases God is simple obedience to His Word, and the righteousness we display when we're preoccupied with that obedience will overwhelm the enemy every time.

Galatians 3:6
"'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'" (Genesis 15:6)

What this has to do with weight loss: Just when we think we've got the battle of weight loss defeated, we suffer a setback. Perhaps we were complacent, perhaps we became prideful--thinking that we did it. No matter the reason for the problem, the answer, the solution is to go back to basics. Don't just believe in God, believe Him. Believe in, claim, and put into practice His Word. Do that, and you will see your weight issues line up with God's Word.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, my Breastplate of Righteousness is too important to allow it to become loose or develop a kink or chink. I desire holiness, and I ask You to make me aware the moment there's the tiniest crack in my armor. My prayer is that I will instantly allow You to heal me, so the enemy can't get to me. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, with your Breastplate of Righteousness firmly strapped on, showing the righteousness that comes from a changed life in Christ, and fulfilling the orders of your Heavenly Commander.

Life Plan Devotion #67 [God's Armor--Breastplate of Righteousness, Part II]

Last time we looked at the second piece of the Armor of God--the Breastplate of Righteousness. Today, we will look at how to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness, and tomorrow, we'll look at what to do if we get a kink in it.
Righteousness is imputed/given to us by God, at the moment of salvation, and it is imparted/worked in us by Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness is "right standing before God," and is a most powerful weapon when dealing with the enemy, because we can tell him who we are and what we have in Christ.
In order to put on or put in place our Breastplate of Righteousness, we must be truly saved. Those who have depended on mere religion (nominal beliefs, church attendance, traditions of men) without being born again (praying to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, for the forgiveness of sins, and experiencing a heart change) will find they are ill-equipped to handle the darts of the enemy. Frustration, even defeat, is the result. In order to be righteous, you must "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14). Otherwise, it's just self-righteousness.
Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness is not putting on your own good works, integrity, or honesty. It is not putting on Bible reading, church attendance, or prayer. All of those things are wonderful, and they will be the result of a heart truly changed by salvation, but in and of themselves, they do not make us righteous. At salvation, you become a new person, but it's your decision whether or not you will "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). In other words, you must daily make the decision to put in place what you know about who you are in Christ.
As you submit yourself to the leading and power of the Holy Spirit, sin (in all its forms) will no longer have dominion over you. The person who intends to live the Christian life must yield to the power of holiness and righteousness in his/her life and conduct.
Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness is something we do consciously. The key is knowing who you are in Christ Jesus. Once you truly know that, Satan can't get to you, because you know who he is and you know who you are and what you have in you and available to you. You will walk in the righteousness of God, and you will be protected. You will desire holiness, holy living, according to the Word of God. Nothing less will satisfy.
Obedience to God is what gives us success on the battlefield of life. The righteousness we display when we are preoccupied with obedience to God's Word will overwhelm the enemy every time, and every promise housed in the Word will be known by the believer, claimed, and evident in his/her life and walk.

Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

What this has to do with weight loss: For too long, we've been hungering and thirsting, trying to fill spiritual needs with physical food, but all that left us was a body with excess weight and a heart longing for something more. When we recognize that what we really long for is a relationship with our Creator, then we're ready to take that all-important step of accepting the gift freely given so long ago (John 3:16). That gift gives one the power to have their needs satisfied in ways that do not involve food and overeating.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, in order for me to be able to put on righteousness, I must believe in, accept, and know Your Son, Jesus. There is no other way to live a righteous, fulfilled, and victorious life. I ask You to show me if I even have a Breastplate to put on. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen."

Go forth today, putting in place that which you know yourself to be in Christ.

Life Plan Devotion #66 [God's Armor--Breastplate of Righteousness]

We have looked at the first piece of the Armor of God--the Belt of Truth, what it is, how to put it on, and what to do if we let it slip. Today, let's take a look at the second piece of armor--the Breastplate of Righteousness, which we are to put "in place" so we can "stand firm" (Ephesians 6:14).
The breastplate covered the body of the Roman soldier from his neck to his thighs. It was used to protect all the vital organs, especially the heart. The Breastplate of Righteousness is meant to protect the heart of the believer, as that believer focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness.
When one gives one's heart to Jesus, immediately God counts the believer as righteous (Galatians 2:16). "Righteousness" is the right standing before God that is the status of the Christian, out of which moral conduct and character emerges. It is not our own righteousness that counts, for "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags"(Isaiah 64:6). No one is good enough to stand before God, yet since "God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us,...in Him we become the righteousness of God" (II Corinthians 5:21). When you become a believer, God sees you through the Cross, cleansed and righteous.
Righteousness is both imputed and imparted. Righteousness is imputed, put on us, by God (Romans 3:22). Righteousness is also imparted, worked in us by Christ, with our cooperation and the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:10-11). True righteousness is something we are, not something we do. Righteousness within us affects what we do, but what we do does not make us righteous.
Satan is called "the accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10), and that is his favorite method of attack on a believer. He will try to bring up the past, to accuse you, but the breastplate of righteousness, along with the Belt of Truth, knowing who you are in Christ and what you have as His child, is your trusty defense. Without them, the enemy could knock you down with one word of condemnation.

Romans 8:1,11 [NIV]
"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, [God] who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you." [Note: Masculine pronoun changed to specific proper noun and placed in brackets by author, for clarity.]

What this has to do with weight loss: It is a fact that only a small percentage of dieters is able to lose weight and keep it off. That proves we can't do this on our own. Believers, however, have the added, supernatural help of the Holy Spirit within us, to give us the power and strength to walk the weight-loss journey with victory. The question is, will you yield to Him daily?

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me the truth about myself--that on my own I could never be good enough to live in Your presence. Thank You for taking my sins to the cross and offering me Your righteous life. Lord, show me any sin I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with Your Spirit and so the enemy has nothing with which to accuse me. [Take time for confession.] Thank You for forgiving me, clothing me in Your Righteousness, and filling me with Your Spirit. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, armed with the Breastplate of Righteousness.