Life Plan Devotion #85 [God's Armor--Helmet of Salvation, Part III]

We have begun to look at the Helmet of Salvation, which we are to take (Ephesians 6:17) and which is given to us by God the moment we are saved through grace, by faith. We see that, just like the Roman soldier's critical piece of armor, the Helmet of Salvation is meant to protect our mind from Satan's mind games. The Helmet of Salvation is knowing who you are and what you have in Jesus Christ. Let us now enter the battle, with confidence.
There's a big difference between wearing a helmet and just owning one. You can be saved, but if you aren't actively in the Word and allowing it to be used in your daily spiritual battles, you will experience much defeat, as well as frustration, as a Christian. The Helmet of Salvation is absolutely crucial, if you want to be protected from the schemes of the devil, but you have to make the daily decision to wear it, to yield to it, to actively put into place that which you know about your salvation.
Each day, realize that you have been redeemed, bought with a great price, all because of love (John 3:16). Put on your Helmet. Protect your thoughts by realizing who you are in the One who shed His blood for you. As a true believer, you have eternal life to look forward to, and no one can take that away from you. Satan's fiercest dart of destruction (eternal damnation) cannot pierce you. No, you are an overcomer! [Romans 8:35, 37]
Read God's Word daily. Get it into your eyes and ears, and down into your heart and spirit. It lines your Helmet. The protection of your Helmet of Salvation grows, as you take God's Word and apply it to your life, as you use it to combat the enemy in every spiritual battle. The more you believe in the promises of God, the more you claim them [speak them and line yourself up with the requirements of each one, and believe they apply to you], the greater your faith will be to believe that God will bring the promised provision to that area of your life. That is a tangible expression of your "hope of salvation" (I Thessalonians 5:8).
Understanding and applying God's Word to every spiritual battle gives you hope, defined as unfailing expectation (not wishful thinking) in the ability of your God to fulfill His Word. With it, "nothing shall by any means harm you" (Luke 10:19).

I Corinthians 6:20 [Amplified]
"You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body."

What this has to do with weight loss: Your body was created to be a vessel of honor. Have you, like all who are or have been obese, forgotten that or acted like it wasn't true? Do you see your body as a vessel of honor, bought by the precious blood of Jesus? Do you "honor God and bring glory to Him in your body"? Have you reclaimed your body as the temple it was created to be, a holy, fit house for the Holy Spirit? If not, make the decision right now (and then the moment-by-moment decision) to live honorably, with your body in motion toward health and fitness.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I praise You that I not only own but wear the Helmet of Salvation provided for me at the moment of salvation. May I wear it in such a way that it protects my mind; indeed, my whole body. May my Helmet be so lined by Your Word, that I stand tall and confident in its power. I pray in the Name of the One who bought me...Jesus. Amen."

Go forth today, with God's Word lining your Helmet of Salvation and protecting your mind and body.

Life Plan Devotion #81 [God's Armor--Shield of Faith, Part IX]

We have looked at 2 of 4 practical ways to guarantee that you can extinguish every flaming weapon of Satan: 1) Think faith, and 2) Speak faith. Today, let's look at the third way to "hold up the shield of faith, to stop the fiery arrows of the devil" (Ephesians 6:16).
To extinguish every dart, you must pray faith. Prayer is powerful, so powerful that when coupled with faith and a true relationship with Jesus, we have the promise of John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you."
If you want to be able to stop the enemy's fiery darts of doubt, discouragement, and depression, you must pray in faith, for strength and to call upon the power of Almighty God. The prayer of faith can heal the sick (James 5:15), raise the dead (Acts 9:40), and open prison doors (Acts 16:25-26). When you pray God's Word and pray in the Name of Jesus, there is nothing Satan can do to harm you (I Peter 3:12-13; Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19).
In my quiet time, I was reading through the Book of Exodus. One day, I read Exodus chapter 20, and as I read about the 10 Commandments, I paused at verse 7, "You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain." Now, I know that means that we should not use God's Name in a flippant manner (i.e., say, "Oh, my God") or in a derogatory manner (i.e., say His Name as a swear word), but I just felt there was something more to taking His Name "in vain."
I went to Him in prayer, to ask God what He meant. I prayed, "Father, what do You mean when You say we should not take Your Name in vain?" As I got quiet before Him, to listen for that "still, small voice," I "heard" Him say, "When my children pray in My Name but do not believe I will answer, they take My Name in vain."
Whether you're praying for help in any area of life or praying for power to tackle the enemy, if you do not believe that God will come through for you, your prayer will fall on deaf ears. Oh, but when you pray in faith, God says, "When [you] call on Me, I will answer; I will be with [you] in trouble. I will rescue and honor [you]" (Psalm 91:15).

Matthew 21:22 [Amplified]
"And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive."

What this has to do with weight loss: When the enemy comes at you, throwing darts of doubt, discouragement, and depression about your ability to release excess weight and keep it off, you can pray for a different outcome. However, you must pray in faith, believing, to receive.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I thank You for the power of prayer. I thank You that when I call upon You in faith that You hear me and will answer me. May I never pray in Your Name but doubt that You will come through for me. May my prayers be strengthened by the power of Your Word, as I pray a promise or a precedence from Your Word, and may every dart of the devil be deflected by my prayers of faith. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, praying powerful prayers of faith, to defeat the enemy's intentional darts of doubt, discouragement, and depression.