What are you wearing today?
Leah Darrow suggests we try the 7 articles of clothing challenge. This means, you limit what you wear to just 7 articles of clothing for 30 days, teaching us that we truly have more than we need, and that our time should not be spent on our outer appearance. Or something like that. It is early and I am going by memory from what I heard in her podcast months ago. But here is the thing. Personally? This is no challenge for me, considering that I wear the same three articles of clothing every day. In fact, to do this challenge...I would have to go shopping.
This morning I am not thinking about the actual clothes I will wear; about what I will dress myself in to feel good, or to look good for others. This morning, I am thinking about how I will dress for battle.
Battle?
Yes.
Battle.
Specifically, the battle of the temptation to live by my emotions.
Have you ever been in a fine mood, and suddenly, a comment from a stranger, a text from a friend, a call from a family member, a status on Facebook, an image on Instagram, a remark from the media, a grade on powerschool....something you see or hear, takes beautiful you, in your fine and good mood, and shoots an arrow straight into your heart, destroying everything, turning you into a miserable, complaining, fearful, sobbing, yelling, stupid, grumpy, mess? And now you are stuck there? You can not get out? And you know you should pray but your prayer sounds like, "Thanks for ruining my day, Lord."????
Living by emotions is probably my greatest temptation. And the enemy knows this. That is why he uses this tactic on me. He knows just which arrow to shoot at exactly the right time. He especially loves to put this scheme into place when I am feeling really great, super confident, and pretty secure. It is precisely in that moment, that he takes aim, and shoots the arrow...the arrow of fear, the arrow of dissatisfaction, the arrow of fear, the arrow of anger, the arrow of failure, the arrow of "I will never measure up", the arrow of fear, the arrow of "there must be more to my life than this", the arrow of fear, and did I mention.... that arrow of FEAR?
Ephesians 6:10-20 are scripture verses that this morning, God has reminded me of, and I believe has asked me to memorize. Because enough is enough. Right? I don't know about you, but I am tired of being tempted to live by my emotions...by the schemes of the devil. And right here in Ephesians, God gives us step by step instructions on how to dress for this battle, and how to win it. We would be wise to read this passage today. We would be even more wise to do as it says.
Do you struggle in believing you are God's beloved? Do you battle with your self worth and identity? Put on the belt of truth.
Do you struggle with your emotions, allowing them to steal your joy and dictate your entire day, turning you into a crazy person? Put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Do you struggle in standing on solid, peaceful ground, when the world around you appears to be falling apart? Put on the sandals of peace.
Do you struggle with feeling overwhelmed by the attacks and the demands and the to-do lists, do you feel like you are drowning? Put on the shield of faith.
Do you struggle with knowing what is best, which decision to make, which road to take? Do you struggle with constant confusion? Put on the helmet of salvation.
I think at the core of every one of us, we want to do God's will, and we want peace in our lives, and we want to make the best decisions, and we want to...be believers. But it dawned on me this morning that if I am going to be a true believer...if I am going to choose to get up this morning, and follow Christ...well then, quitting on this belief and running in the opposite direction as soon as an arrow flies my way is NOT going to get me to the end result I am hoping for. The only way we can get up and get out and live out our faith in a BOLD and radical way (and come on, who doesn't want to be bold and radical?) is by first identifying the battles we most often face...the battles that pull us out of God's loving arms and throw us head first into the sea of chaos,lies and darkness. And when we are able to name it---when we are able to name and call out that tender and vulnerable spot of temptation that the enemy has his arrow pointed at....THEN, we can dress ourselves appropriately for the days battle.
Choose your battle, today.
Identify it.
Name it.
Then, dress for it.
I have no idea what clothing I will wear today...most likely, it will be what I wore on Tuesday, or quite possibly what I slept in. But rest assured, under that same stupid shirt I wear every other day, will be the breastplate of righteousness. Because enough is enough. Today, I am declaring who I am in Christ, and that no scheme of the devil, no wicked spiritual warfare, no power of the world forces, will change this truth. Today, I may look like I am wearing just another stupid, cheap outfit from the TJ Maxx junior section, but make no mistake, people....I am dressed for battle.
