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 #60 [Mountains, Part V]

We've been looking at how to make Jesus' words from Matthew 17:20 ("If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move," NIV) come alive for you. You've decided which mountain needs to be moved. You've written it down. You've spoken to your mountain, in Jesus' Name, and you've put pure, potent faith behind your words.
Now, you're ready for the trying of your faith to work some patience (James 1:3). Your mountain might move right away, and how wonderful when that happens. However, if God, who knows you better than you know yourself, sees that you would benefit by a time of testing (what I like to call "faith opportunity"), your mountain will not move right away. It is during that time where you will see if your faith is pure or not, if you'll give in to doubt and unbelief or stand on God's Word. Your spiritual character is tested. If you pass the faith test, your mountain will move, just as Jesus said.
A few years ago, a missionary shared Matthew 21:18-22 with the children of an Asian orphanage. It's the story of when Jesus curses the fig tree, and the disciples are amazed when it withers. Jesus explains that it's having faith, without doubting, that one must have, and speaking to a mountain, that causes it to be thrown into the sea.
The children in the orphanage were astounded by that story, and because they lived in the shadow of a mountain, which meant little sunshine, cold temperatures, and clothes that took forever to dry on the line, they decided to command their mountain to move, in Jesus' Name.
The missionary was horrified. He almost told them that Jesus really didn't mean it literally, but he saw that they were acting in faith, rather than tempting God, so he decided to just see what God would do with the situation. This was the missionary's test of faith, as well as the children's.
The children exhibited childlike faith, and each day, they thanked God that their mountain was moving, in Jesus' Name. Could they see that it was moving? No, but they believed that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). They just seemed to know that instead of believing something when you see it, you will see it when you believe it. Until the manifestation of the moved mountain, they'd be patient and trust God and His Word.
It wasn't long before heavy equipment began to roll nearby, bulldozing the mountain in a redevelopment effort. The government knew nothing about the declaration the children had made. The missionary was shocked but realized he shouldn't have been. Others may call it a coincidence, but believers call it a Godincidence.

Matthew 21:22 [NIV]
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

What this has to do with weight loss: If the mountain you have commanded to move is weight-related, couple your pure faith with faith-filled prayer. If you do that, God will move mountains to move your mountain.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I pray for childlike faith today, the faith that rests in You and takes You at Your Word. Help me to be patient, to rely on Your timing to move my mountain. I believe my mountain has already been moved in Your Kingdom, and I know that if I 'let patience have her perfect work in me' that I will see the mountain be moved in my natural world. I thank You, in advance, for moving my mountain. I pray in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, who calls me to move mountains. Amen. "

Go forth today, patiently watching for your mountain to move.