An officer of the law would never go on duty without their bulletproof vest snugly fastened onto their torso. Why? It is an essential shield to protect their vital organs.
Our spiritual vital organs are faith, love, and hope. Without faith, we cannot please God. Without love, even our words of truth will sound like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. Without hope, we will be tossed about with doubt, fear, and unbelief.
We are in God’s army. We are called to endure as a good soldier in Christ. We are required to be alert and watchful. We must remain standing no matter what type of weapon the enemy of our soul uses against us. The Lord has given us his gifts of love, faith, and hope as armor to empower us and equip us so that we can endure all trials, hardships, and adversities.
Faith comes by hearing God’s word. His love indwells us when we read his Word and obey it, guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is imperative that we hide his Word in our hearts. Since our hearts are our belief center, what we put into them influences every thought. Our breastplate of love and faith will protect our thought processes, and thus guide our actions.
Our hope is in the Lord of our salvation. We wear that hope like a helmet over our minds to ward off the lies of the enemy.
Our faith, love, and hope are God’s redeeming love protecting us as we soldier on.
Father, thank you for your unconditional love for us. Help us today to be alert and watchful. We do not want to be caught off guard by Satan, the deceiver and accuser of our soul. Help us to hide your Word in our heart, to love others as you love us, and to anchor our soul through the hope of our salvation. Amen.
Go Deeper — Print or draw a picture of a Roman soldier with the breastplate and helmet. Write “faith” and “love” on the breastplate and “hope” on the helmet. Place it where you keep your clothes to remind yourself to put on the things of God.
Photo Credit: Ricardo Arce