Ephesians 6:13
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own”
We prepare ourselves for a lot of things daily. Even on the days we choose to not prepare, we still do it subconsciously. Let me give you a few examples:
- When you wake up in the morning, you most likely ALWAYS check your cell phone. Why? So you can prepare yourself for the day. You check your Instagram to see what you missed while asleep (to make sure you’re up to date when you see your friends). Some of you might check your calendar, I know I do. I gotta know what I’ve got going on for the day so I can be PREPARED. Some check the news, some check their grades, and some even check the weather.
- When you are crawling out of bed you prepare an outfit for the day. Whether its athletic clothes so you can exercise, sweat pants because you want to make sure you’re comfortable, or a cute outfit because you know you’ll be running into that cutie at the coffee shop or school; either way, you prepare your outfit for the day.
- Food. We always make sure we have something to eat before we leave the house. Or at least we make sure we have our wallets to buy something while we’re out.
These are just a few examples of how we prepare ourselves daily. Not to mention the thousands of other things like studying to get good grades or going to practice so we beat the opposing team in the next game.
So, if we are so intent on making sure we are prepared for every circumstance we can think up… then shouldn’t we also be preparing our hearts and minds as well?
In Ephesians 6, the author Paul writes a little about this topic actually. Take a moment & read this part of the chapter:
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out” (Eph. 6:13-18).
Paul strongly advises that we prepare ourselves. He reminds us that every day the enemy will oppose us and we need to prepare our hearts and minds against him. We are familiar with the hardships that we face in this life. Every day we battle with things that draw our attention away from Jesus. Knowing our lives will be filled with trouble, and that the enemy’s mission is to steal, kill, and destroy, Paul urges us to put on the full armor of God.
We aren’t meant to fight these daily battles alone. Our Enemy is powerless compared to our God and our God loves us so deeply that He gave us exactly what we would need to continue on in this world. God is who He says He is. He is a good Father who only gives good gifts to His children. When we equip ourselves with the knowledge and memory of His Word, we can fight against the lies our enemy throws our way.
How do you need to prepare your heart and mind daily? Take time with Jesus today to sit in the question and answer it honestly.