Young People’s Blog

“Besides all these having taken the shield of faith with which ye will be able to quench all the inflamed darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16 JND).

Next the soldier must have a shield. The helmet and the breastplate stay in one place, but the shield must be moved around by the arm, for the fiery darts of Satan can come from any direction. Satan will try to discourage us by telling us that the Christian pathway is not worth it, and that we should not be so careful to honor the Lord in everything. He will tell us that we should relax and enjoy the things of this world sometimes. Satan will try to persuade us that the Lord is not going to keep His Word and bring us all the way home safely.

The shield of faith reminds us that God is always for us, and that the battle is His, not ours. We are always on the winning side with the Lord, and with all the armor on, Satan cannot attack us successfully. We must always remember this, and remember that while the Lord may test our faith, He will never disappoint our faith.

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).

 Although it is always a good thing to preach the gospel, this part of the armor does not really mean that. It is connected with what we had yesterday—the breastplate of righteousness. If we have done something wrong, then we have a bad conscience, and cannot really go out boldly before this world. We are afraid that someone will expose our bad conduct.

However, if we have a good conscience, then we are at peace—at peace before the Lord, and at peace before others too. Then we can walk in peace. Yes, we are still soldiers, with defensive armor and an offensive weapon. But we are not, like some people in this world, “looking for a fight.” Rather, we walk in peace in this world, because we are above all the things that this world goes after. We live here in this world as ambassadors for Christ, but our home is in heaven.

“Having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).

The word “righteousness” always involves more than one person, for in order to be righteous, it means that I must be right and honest in my dealings with another person.

It is most important that we, as Christians, be righteous in our relationships with other people in this world. If we have told lies, or cheated someone, or been guilty of anything to do with others that is not right, the world around us will be quick to recognize it. Then our testimony is spoiled.

An older brother once told us how he worked in a machine shop as a young man. It was a rough place, yet he tried to act as a Christian should. But one day his boss was unreasonable with him, accusing him of misplacing a particular big wrench. The young brother found the wrench and when he gave it to his boss, said, “There’s your old wrench!” Immediately the boss said to him, “Oh, you’re supposed to be a Christian! Is that the way a Christian should talk?” Needless to say, the young brother was ashamed of himself, and apologized.

To be righteous in all our ways in this world is an important part of the Christian’s armor.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God…stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:13-14).

In this day of long-range missiles, rockets, and bombs of various kinds, wearing armor does not really offer much protection. However, in the days of hand-to-hand fighting with bows and arrows, swords, and spears, armor was quite important. It offered protection to various parts of the body, and often kept the soldier from serious injury.

It is the same in the Christian life. There is spiritual warfare in the Christian life, and we must be prepared for it. In the list of various kinds of armor, the first item mentioned is having our loins girt about with truth. The loins are that part of body between the lowest ribs and the hip bones, and are associated with strength. In eastern lands in the Bible they often wore loose clothing when they were relaxing, but when they went to work, they tightened that clothing so that they could work better.

In the same way the truth from God’s Word strengthens us, and keeps us being “carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). We need the truth of God’s Word in order to work for the Lord, and to resist the lies that Satan is always trying to persuade us to believe. This is one good reason to read God’s Word every day!

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).

On Saturday we wrote about the Lord’s all-seeing eyes. Today we read that His ears are open as well. They are always ready to listen to our cries and prayers.

Just as Mr. Pinkerton in the 19th century became known as “the eye,” detective Burns in the early 20th century became known as “the ear.” He had primitive listening devices that could be planted in a light fixture or even in a pocket and could pick up, although perhaps with a lot of static, private conversations he wanted to hear.

How wonderful that we can have a direct line 24/7 to the ear of the God of the universe! He made us, He knows us, and He loves us. There is no static in His almighty ear! Don’t forget to talk to the Lord Jesus, not just when you might be in trouble or worried, but as friend to friend. It is an immense privilege.

“Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me” (Lamentations 3:19-20).

Although the prophet Jeremiah wrote this many centuries before the Lord Jesus lived on this earth, these words were spoken prophetically about the Lord Jesus. It has now been many centuries since the Lord Jesus suffered on Calvary’s cross, but He has not forgotten. He remembers what happened there, and wants us to remember too.

Gall was a bitter poison that was offered to the Lord Jesus by the Roman soldiers, while wormwood is a bitter herb sometimes used as a medicine. Both gall and wormwood are mentioned in Scripture as being something bitter that is endured.

It is a privilege to come together and remember what the Lord Jesus went through that we might be saved.

“Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13).

“Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).

Have any of you heard the phrase “private eye”? It is the term that began to be used in the 1800s in the USA to describe detectives. In 1850 Allan Pinkerton founded the first private detective agency in the USA, and the company’s motto was, “We never sleep.” Underneath this motto was the drawing of a large unblinking eye, and thus the detectives began to be referred to as “private eyes.”

We have a God who never sleeps. He is always there to protect and care for us, but He is also always looking at what we are doing. He does not need to hunt for wrong doers by collecting evidence, looking for clues, etc. He sees them commit the acts of wrong! There is no escaping His all-seeing eyes. This is comforting, but also alarming if we are doing things that we know to be sin. Let’s look up each morning and ask for the grace to please our Savior that day.

“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust” (Psalm 91:4).

Saved by a cup of tea! Well, we know it was much more than that. We were driving through upper New York state last week and my wife suggested that it was time for a break. Entering a small city, we spotted a McDonalds and pulled in for a cup of tea. It had begun to rain, and we ran for the door. Tea in hand we sat down at a table. The storm worsened and the power went off. Eventually the manager had forcibly to hold the door shut as the storm was now raging and blowing the door open to torrents of rain. We were thankful to have shelter.

A short while later as the rain lessened, we decided to go on our way. But the going was not as we had expected. A mile beyond our stop, a tornado had touched down. Trees were uprooted, signage ripped off buildings and power lines were dangling. But for the tea break, we would likely have been right in the middle of the damage. It was more than the wish for a cup of tea. We know it was the Lord’s direction and loving care of us.

As we go through our day-to-day experiences we often do not know how the Lord’s hand is directing and protecting us from danger. He has His eye on us, and His arms about us. Each day, let’s not forget to thank Him for His protection—protection that we may not even realize has been there.

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

This verse gives us another aspect of our new life in Christ. We cannot work to obtain that new life in Christ, for it is a free gift through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. All that was necessary to obtain that free gift of eternal life has already been done.

However, once we have that new life, the Lord wants us to display that new life in our walk down here. Since we have the life of Christ, we are to walk as Christ did in this world. None of us does it perfectly, for we still have our old sinful fallen nature, and sometimes that old nature comes out in our behavior.

The Apostle Paul could say, “For me to live is Christ.” Christ was before him, and he used all his energy and time to live for Christ. Paul was not perfect, and we know that even he made mistakes, but he had as his one goal to live for Christ. Are you and I doing this?

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

This verse contains a wonderful truth that all of us need to understand and enjoy. It tells us that Christ is our life. What does that mean? It means that when we are saved, we have the same life as the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have new life independent of Him, but rather, our life is hid with Christ in God. The Lord Jesus has given us His life—a life that can never end.

That means that we can never be lost, and that we are united to Christ forever. When He appears in glory in a coming day, we will appear with Him, for we are forever associated with Him. Whenever God the Father looks at you and me, He sees us as being “in Christ,” and sees us in all the perfection of Christ Himself.

With all the stresses and strains of everyday life, it is easy to forget about our wonderful position in Christ. We all need to remind ourselves of it, and enjoy it!