BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Alright, my armored up sister – we have a battle all around us – what are we going to do about it?

Well, here’s what we’re NOT called to do – we’re not called to run head first into battles with the enemy.  We’re not told to sneak into enemy territory and plan an attack.  We’re told to put on our armor and STAND FIRM.  Do not waver.  Do not back down.  Don’t give an inch of territory.  Don’t settle.  STAND FIRM.

Our job is to stand with our armor, eyes fixed on Jesus.  Hey Rambo, settle down!  Lone Ranger, you’re not supposed to do this alone.  God has a resounding message for us throughout scripture:

Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Deuteronomy 1:30 – “The LORD your God… will fight for you.”

Deuteronomy 3:22 – “The LORD your God himself will fight for you.”

Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies.”

Joshua 23:10 – “The LORD your God fights for you.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 – “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Nehemiah 4:20 – “Our God will fight for us.”

God is fighting – you are to be standing firm.  If you’re in the middle of a battle, you keep standing and trust God to fight for you as he promises.  But make sure you have all your armor on!

Let me tell you what is NOT part of God’s armor:

• Worrying

• Whining

• Wallowing

Paul tells us there’s one final thing we must do in the spiritual battle in the unseen … After all this armor, we MUST STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMANDER.  All the armor in the world will do you no good if you’re out Rambo-ing alone.  God isn’t looking for a Lone Ranger.

Ephesians 6:18, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Oh if we truly had any idea of the power of our prayers, we would never fail to pray about anything ever again.  We just don’t see how our prayers move Heaven.  We don’t see how our prayers allocate God’s divine power.  We don’t see how an army of angels are dispatched for the battle with our prayers.

Prayer is your communication with your commander.  The one who holds the battle plan, the one who sees every detail, the one who promises the victory – you have a direct line of communication with Him!  And yet here we are, God’s girls with divine armor, trying to fight our battles without talking to God first.

Remember when Paul writes the book of Ephesians and tells us about this Armor of God in chapter 6, he’s likely chained to a literal Roman soldier, keeping him in prison.  He’s looking at this soldier, recognizing piece by piece how his armor relates to everything God has given us for the battle we’re against Satan and his demons.  And he’s witnessing this soldier receiving orders from his commander.  The soldier is there doing what he’s been told to do.  He’s not alone, he’s on assignment. He’s seeking his commander for his next move.  He’s on the orders of a higher power than himself.

Girl, you’re on the orders of a higher power than yourself.  You can’t afford to be running off into battles, trying things your own way, hoping to fix and save everyone, without constant communication with your Commander.  PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION.

The Greek word translated “Pray in”  means “in connection to” and “with the help of”.  This isn’t about the words we are saying.  This is about HOW we are praying.  This is a connection with God through the Holy Spirit to receive divine orders.

Now we can make this complicated and messy and really awkward if we want, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Some say this means you have to be speaking in tongues, but scripture tells me that praying in a language you cannot personally understand is a GIFT.  Some have that spiritual gift, while others have different spiritual gifts.  Praying in an unknown language is not a badge of spiritual superiority.  Don’t make this weird.  Don’t make what God has given as a gift to some as a reason to be divided or turned away.

Praying in the spirit is a heart posture.  It is a yearning for God’s will above your own.  It is a surrender, a submission.  It is a connection void of boxes to check and vain words to repeat.  This isn’t habit or custom.  Praying in the Spirit is a connection with God through conversation.

If I’m praying for you in the Spirit, it means more than just speaking your name in prayer.  It means I’m allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my prayer.  When the Holy Spirit is directing, you begin praying over things you may not even know about.  Chains to be broken that you don’t even see.  Healing to happen from within.  This is an unrushed, unscripted prayer directed by the Spirit.  THAT IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO.

Praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion is a continual connection with your commander.  It’s seeking his plan and receiving his plan.

“Pray in the Spirit”: This means praying under the influence, guidance, and power of the Holy Spirit. It involves aligning your desires with God’s will rather than just listing personal wants.

“At all times”: This calls for a constant posture of awareness and communication with God. It means maintaining an open, internal dialogue with God throughout the day, not just during formal prayer times.

“On every occasion”: This tells us to bring everything—both joys and crises, routine tasks and major decisions—to God. No event is too small or too large for prayer.

A few weeks ago, I found myself on my knees with a woman on the busy walkways in Venice.  This was a hurting soul.  Aching as thousands of people walked by her day after day.  There she lay on her face continually in prayer, begging God for the healing of her 12 year old daughter and the rescuing of her family.  My BIG Life sister Jessica and I wrapped our arms around her, cried with her and connected with our Commander.  We prayed for her in the Spirit, meaning, we let the Holy Spirit guide us in what to pray because we didn’t know how to fix her situation.

Now keep in mind, there was a massive language barrier.  Yet somehow (and I know how) we were able to understand her and she was able to understand us.  Jessica prayed aloud in English, not knowing what to pray, but allowing the Spirit to guide her.  The words flowed.  Words she couldn’t have orchestrated on her own.  Requests she didn’t even know to make.

We returned to find her the next morning in the same place, kneeling, on her face, literally begging God.  And that day, we sat with her and shared a picnic breakfast.  We treated her like a friend.  We laughed.  We connected.  We shared.  We loved.  It didn’t matter who saw us.  It didn’t matter what a single other soul thought.  And then we once again sought our Commander in this battle.  We prayed as the Spirit instructed.

Every day since I’ve been on my knees for Maria and her family.  I don’t need to be a Lone Ranger out fixing her situation.  My money isn’t needed.  I have a direct line of communication with the Commander of Heaven’s Armies, and I’m calling on him for his will, his move, his power, his healing.

No Lone Ranger.  No Rambo.  Just a girl in communication with the Commander through the Holy Spirit.  And as he prompts me to pray for her, I do.  Not to check a box.  Not out of habit or routine.  But out of relationship with the One who can truly battle for her.

Ephesians 6:18 in the Amplified Bible says, “With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.”

The Message translation says, “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.”

This prayer is a continuous, divinely guided LIFESTYLE rather than an occasional activity.  God really isn’t interested in what you do once in a while or even what you do out of routine, he’s interested in true relationship and connection with YOU!  Isn’t it wild to think the Creator of the entire Universe desires a real relationship with you, and the way you have it is through continual conversation with him?!

Prayer is the ultimate weapon that activates all the other pieces of spiritual armor.  Without communication with our Commander, we’re just girls with all the armor, running in the wrong direction, fighting battles we have no business fighting.

Let’s shift from routine to lifestyle.  Move from treating prayer as a morning or evening chore to practicing it as an ongoing conversation.

Let’s rely on spiritual guidance.  When you don’t know what to pray, pause and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words.  You don’t have to make it weird.

Let’s cover all situation.  Bring your daily work, your stress, your relationships and your gratitude to God instantly as they happen.

Talk to your Commander!  Don’t be the Lone Ranger out trying to do this alone!

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Now that we have all 5 pieces of our armor, the belt of truth around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness covering our heart, the shoes of peace for our ready feet, the shield of faith in one hand to protect us from the fiery arrows, and the helmet of salvation protecting our mind, we have one last thing to do …

Ephesians 6:17, “Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”

We have been given a sword to fight this battle. That sword is the very word of God. That word is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Notice Paul says, “Take the sword of THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.”

This is more than just having the Bible app on your phone. More than posting a few scriptures on your social when you’re having a bad day. This is the Holy Spirit giving you a literal weapon to use in the spiritual battle raging all around you. That weapon is a sword in the word of God.

The Bible isn’t a book of magic words to repeat to get what we want. Speed reading it isn’t going to arm you, that’s just going to check a box. The ol’ “let me crack this puppy open and just see what scripture jumps out at me” isn’t a real sword for the battle against evil.

Here’s what the Bible really is, it is GOD-BREATHED. God breathed his very word into the writers of scripture. Our Bibles are HOLY and DIVINE, unlike any other book ever written. We attribute books to Moses, David, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and others … but the foundation of our belief is that it’s ALL from God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “ALL Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

When you understand the sheer miracle it is to be able to hold God’s actual word in your hands and read it with your own eyes – wow!!!!

Before modern day, God’s word was reserved for a select few. It was all handwritten on scrolls of parchment or animal skin, stored away somewhere sacred. To hear his word read, you would have to go to the temple. For this reason, people would literally seek to memorize God’s word fully so they could carry it with them.

Did you know Kings of Israel were require to transcribe the Bible for themselves to have while they ruled their country? To lead well, they had to let God’s word get within them and know it personally, so they wrote it word for word themselves.

Hey, I don’t know what you’re leading – if it’s a family or a business, a circle of friends or a mission of some sort, but it’s very clear what you need to lead that well – YOU NEED GOD’S WORD. It’s not enough to just have someone read it to you. You need to know it for yourself.

If you’re wondering what’s wrong with your life, God’s word will reveal it to you. If you’re seeking the right thing to do, God’s word will reveal it to you. Your answers are all here.

And of course, that’s why in this spiritual battle the enemy has tried everything to keep you OUT OF GOD’S WORD. No, he doesn’t want that sword in your hand!

Some of us finally have that sword in our hand, but we don’t know how to use it. We’re just randomly pulling out scriptures, twisting them to fit our situation. We’re throwing around God’s word, hoping something sticks and makes a magical change. No, girl – you need Sword School. You have to know how to hold the sword of God’s word. How to swing it. How to stand with it. How to fight with it.

I once had a little stalker incident that scared the bejesus right out of me. Someone had broken into our home and stolen all our photo albums and a few of my very personal items – nothing of monetary value. The next day, my husband bought me a pistol and he took me out to the desert to teach me how to shoot it. Just having the gun didn’t give me any safety – in fact, it just made me dangerous.

I had to know where to find it for quick access. I had to learn how to handle it. I had to know how to load it. How to take the safety off. How to aim and pull the trigger. No amount of instruction could give me the confidence to handle this weapon – I had to use it for myself. I had to get familiar with it. I had to practice using it until I could do it in the dark. What good is a weapon if in the middle of the night the bad guy comes and I’m like, “Ahhh, wait a second, let me turn on the light so I can find my weapon and figure out how to get it ready to point at you.”

Isn’t that the way we are with our Bibles? We don’t know how to use them. We don’t know it’s power. We’re not trained up for this battle. And honestly, with our habit of just pulling out random scriptures and trying to apply what feels good at the moment, we are dangerous.

Just a few years ago, I didn’t even own a Bible. I just looked up random scriptures online to pull them out when needed. And yes, it got me through a few battles, but I wasn’t trained up. I didn’t know how to hold that sword. I didn’t know how to swing that sword. I had no confidence fighting in the dark. I was more of an imposter than a swordsman.

In February 2024, I bought a bible and a pack of bible highlighters. I began my Sword School. This training has given me confidence unlike anything before. I’ve trained for and run several full marathons.- they never gave me this kind of confidence. I’ve put on a fancy dress, worn the good jewelry, and had my hair and makeup done by a professional – I learned to walk with purpose and power – all of that never gave me the confidence of my Sword School!

True confidence comes from knowing the God-breathed word of our Bible. Knowing God’s ways, knowing his promises, understanding how to use his power. It’s in his word we begin to understand what his voice sounds like. And once you know what his voice sounds like, you can know when it’s God speaking to you and when it’s not.

We all want to hear from God. We all want that divine direction and clear path. It’s available to each one of us if we will study his word with the intention of letting it shape and form us. If the intention is to check a box, then a checked box will be our only reward. If the intention is to impress someone with highlights on pages or a memorized scripture, then that will be our only reward. But if you are studying God’s word as Sword School so you know how to hold it, how to swing it, how to stand with it, and how to fight with it … then girl, your life is about to change.

There’s only one problem with my Sword Sessions and Sword School. I never seem to graduate. I can read the same scripture I did a year ago and there’s something more for me to learn. Isn’t it bizarre how God’s word can fit your specific situation so absolutely perfectly, and yet it was written thousands of years ago? Or how crazy it is that his word will speak to you so divinely in this moment, but it was there all along?

So, because I’m still learning so much, I must always carry my sword with me. And that’s a problem for me – you see, I travel full time. And I travel light. I’ve been traveling internationally for the past 3.5 months and I have only a carry on and backpack. Everything – all my outfits, all my shoes, my hiking clothes, my mountain clothes, my beach clothes, my retreat clothes, my tolitires – all of it has to fit into a carry on and small backpack. BUT MY SWORD COMES FIRST.

My sword is a worn out, falling apart, turquoise Bible filled with notes, stickers and letters. It’s heavy, it’s bulky, and totally NOT travel friendly. BUT I’M GOING NOWHERE WITHOUT IT! It’s an absolute requirement!

You know why? Because I’m in a battle and I know this is my weapon. These are God-breathed words I carry. Holy instructions for life. Battle plans for victory. I must be ready at all times!

Now here’s the truly beautiful thing – with Sword School (my fancy little name for personal Bible study), something divine happens … You begin depositing God’s word IN YOU. And Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The world of God is ALIVE and POWERFUL. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword …” Reading God’s word to actually deposit it into your life and receive it, puts something LIVING inside of you. Then you have his word growing because it is alive. And yes, it is powerful.

With God’s living word in you, you begin seeing things differently. You begin responding differently. Your heart’s desires begin to change. Your will becomes meshed with his will. Your life changes because the living word is alive in you, unleashing its power. And girl – that’s how you show up for battle!

Every time you sit down and study God’s living word, you are preparing yourself for the battle. You are learning how to hold this sword. You’re learning how to swing this sword. You’re learning how to stand with this sword. You’re learning how to fight with this sword, his living word. And the more your practice, the more confidence you have. You’re becoming a real life swordsman!

God-breathed words. Words that are alive. Words that have the power to radically change your life. Words that will win this spiritual battle.

So my sister, take up your sword given to you by the Holy Spirit, God’s breathed words, his divine instructions, his eternal promises and truths. Practice using it every day. Let it take hold of you. Take it with you everywhere you go. Get serious about your Sword School.

Then let’s stand together with our swords and take down the devil!

I challenge you to study Matthew 4: 1-11. This is the account of Jesus himself fighting the devil with the sword of God’s word. You gotta know how to handle it in this fight! Jesus shows us how.

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In the halls of our Venice, Italy retreat house are priceless paintings and works of art. Clearly, the owner is a serious collector. But one piece stopped me.

It hangs in a second-story hallway—gold-framed, almost sculpted into the canvas itself. It’s not just a painting; it has depth, dimension, movement. Figures seem to step forward out of the frame and cast real shadows on the wall. And it tells a story.

A man is kneeling in prayer, hands lifted, eyes fixed on a crucifix of Jesus on the wall before him. His posture is steady. His focus is anchored. But beside him stands another figure—dark, winged, intent. Not attacking violently, but persistently present. Watching. Pressing. Distracting.

And yet the man does not turn. He stays fixed on Jesus.

That image is not just art—it is a spiritual reality. We live in that scene. There is always a battle for the mind. Not always loud. Not always dramatic. Often subtle. Persistent. Relentless.

The enemy does not need to destroy you if he can distract you. Because where your attention goes, your life follows.

My friends, this is a real picture of what is continually going on around us. The spiritual battle of Satan’s demons forever against us, flying around, shooting flaming arrows, throwing threats and insults – all while Jesus is strong and steady above it all. The question is, where are we looking? What are we focusing on? What gets our mind?

If your mind isn’t saved by Jesus, then it is completely vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. If you’re not focused on Jesus, you are continually distracted by the forces of darkness, acts of evil, and threats of terror.

Your mind is the battlefield of this spiritual war. If the enemy captures your thoughts, he doesn’t just influence your mood—he distorts your vision. If he gets your thoughts, you spiral in fear. If he gets your focus, you lose peace. If he gets your attention, you forget truth.

This is why Scripture is so direct: The battle is not first in your circumstances—it is in your mind.

For this battle, God offers a very specific piece of armor over your mind – the helmet of salvation.

Ephesians 6:17, “Put on salvation as your helmet.”

It’s the final piece of your defensive armor. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and finally the helmet of salvation.

“Put on salvation as your helmet.” This is not decorative language. It is defensive language. A helmet exists for one reason: to protect what cannot afford to be struck. Your head. Your mind. Your thoughts.

In Roman warfare, the helmet marked identity and provided protection. It told others who you belonged to—and it guarded what could end the fight instantly. Because a blow to the head ends everything. So Paul is saying something deeply practical and deeply spiritual: God is not only saving your soul—He is guarding your mind.

The phrase translated “take” or “put on” carries the idea of receiving what is being handed to you. This matters. Because salvation is not self-produced. It is not achieved through willpower or positive thinking.

It is received.

You don’t fabricate salvation. You accept it. You don’t defend yourself from the enemy by willpower alone. You stand under what God has already given.

The word “salvation” here is not abstract. It means rescue. Deliverance. Being pulled out of danger you could not escape on your own.

So the “helmet of salvation” is not just: “I am forgiven.” It is also: “My mind belongs to the One who rescued me.” It is the assurance that “I am saved, I am held, I am not defenseless in my mind.”



The enemy rarely begins with destruction. He begins with intrusion. The crafty enemy of our is soul doing everything he can to distract us, torment us, fill us with doubts and fears. He says, “take off that helmet and let me get in your head!”

That’s the battle. If he can saturate your thoughts, he doesn’t need to change your circumstances. He simply convinces you that darkness is all there is. But the helmet of salvation interrupts that lie.

Girl, did you take off your helmet? Did you let the devil get in your head? Are you filled with doubts, worries and fears? Oh, my sister, your eyes aren’t on Jesus because your head isn’t protected. God is offering you a helmet to protect your mind, but it’s always up to you to accept it and put it on.

The helmet of salvation reminds us of this: WE ARE SAVED, WE ARE REDEEMED and WE ARE PROMISED A FUTURE. When your mind knows that full well, it changes the way you live. You’re no longer distracted by the wispers of Hell. You’re no longer fearful of the pokes of Satan. You’re locked in to Jesus.

There is an old story often told of two wolves—one feeding darkness, one feeding life. It goes like this:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside of me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between 2 wolves. One wolf is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, jealousy, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.” He continued, “The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you – and inside of every other person too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Whatever you feed grows stronger. And the truth is simple: Your thoughts are your daily feeding ground. What are you feeding?

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose THOUGHTS ARE FIXED ON YOU.” This is not for those who are partially focused. Not for those who are occasionally focused. This is for those who have a FIXED FOCUS on God. That’s what the helmet does. It fixes our focus.

The helmet of salvation is not just protection from attack—it is alignment of attention. It brings your mind back into place. Back to truth. Back to Christ. Back to peace.

Not shallow peace. Not temporary peace. But perfect peace. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose THOUGHTS ARE FIXED ON YOU.”

Remember the art work in the Venice retreat house – the man kneeling in prayer with his eyes fixed on Jesus even while Satan’s demon is present and making his attack. The protected mind that knows it is saved by Jesus is unbothered, held in perfect peace. And so the works of God grows in his life while the works of Satan diminish.

Have you been giving the enemy daily food with your thoughts? Has he been growing stronger and stronger in your life because you’ve allowed your mind to be attacked by him? Girl, put on your helmet.

Your helmet reminds you who God is and who you are in him. You are saved. You are redeemed. You are promised a future with him.

A soldier’s helmet includes a marking identifying who they are fighting with and for. A crest or emblem on their helmet would signify their allegiance. When you put on the helmet of salvation, you’re taking a stand in this spiritual battle of whose side you’re on.

But when your identity is unclear, your thoughts become vulnerable. You gotta know your identity in Jesus – then you know who you are saved, redeemed, held, secured, and the accusations from Hell lose their power.

The enemy cannot easily dominate a mind anchored in identity. You’re standing with Jesus in victory. Your enemy has already been defeated – he fights from a place of defeat, settling for the spoils of your wandering thoughts and dark corners of your mind left unprotected.

Give him NOTHING. The bad wolf gets NOTHING from you. Starve him out! Satan doesn’t even get the crumbs of your thoughts today. Nothing. Give him no space in your mind.

Billy Graham said this, “If you get your mind off Christ and you get it on some things you shouldn’t be thinking about, then you pray, ‘Lord, forgive me and help me to get my mind back on Christ.’ I do many times.”

This is the action of putting the helmet of salvation on. The moment you recognize your mind is wandering, you get it back under the protection of your salvation offered in Jesus!

This is the discipline of the helmet. Not striving. Not panic. Just returning. Again and again. To Jesus.

That painting in Venice shows it clearly: A man kneeling in prayer. Darkness present—but not dominant. Eyes fixed on Christ. That is the helmet of salvation.

A protected mind is not a mind that never sees darkness. It is a mind that refuses to be ruled by it.

So keep your focus. Keep your identity. Keep your helmet on.

Because you are not fighting for victory. You are standing in it.

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Here we are, God’s daughters, under attack. Every day the enemy attacks with the hopes of distracting us or distancing us from God. That’s why we must put on the full armor God has offered us. He doesn’t want his girls vulnerable to the devil, he wants us victorious.

Last week we studied the first 3 pieces of our God given armor for the spiritual battle:

The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The Shoes of Peace

Now, it’s time for us to pick up our shield. Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Okay girls, let’s learn about this shield and about those fiery arrows coming our way.

Roman soldiers had 2 kinds of shields. One was a small, handheld shield. This is not the shield Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about the other type of shield – the one almost as big as a door. This shield was called the scutum (pronounced sk-U-tum). This shield, the sputum was about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide, made of layers of laminated wood, then covered with leather and bound with iron. The shield was big enough for a soldier to crouch behind and be completely protected.

You’ve likely seen the movies where soldiers are carrying these large rectangular shields and when the enemy forces shoot their arrows, the soldiers stand together in formation with their door like shields held tightly ,forming a barrier all around them, in front of them and above them. That’s the precise image of our faith as a shield. We are protected, but not only protected, we are enabled to move forward even while under attack.

In this formation with their shields fully protecting them on all sides, the army wouldn’t just crouch and endure the attack, they would MOVE FORWARD. Forward towards the objective. Forward towards the goal. Forward towards their mission. Forward, even while the enemy attacked.

This is the power of our shield of faith.

Now, what bout those arrows? Paul says the devil shoots “fiery arrows” at us. Soldiers in these days would often dip their arrows into a flammable liquid, then light them on fire before launching them at their enemy like a missile. AND THAT IS SATAN’S STRATEGY AGAINST US. Fiery, blazing arrows. His objective is to destroy you and he’ll use every single thing at his disposal to do so. Don’t be so naive to think he won’t come after you. Scripture says he’s “like a roaring lion”, and honey, lions don’t care if you’re cute, they don’t care if you’re happy, they don’t care if you’re rich, they don’t care if you’ve got a whole family depending on you … lions want to kill you. Period.

You have been under attack. No doubt, it’s been happening. Even just this past week, fiery arrows were flying at you. Let me help you identify them:

Arrow 1: Tempt you to sin

Arrow 2: Get you to ignore the things that would help you

Arrow 3: Make you miserable

Arrow 4: Make you doubt

Arrow 5: Make you settle

Remember when you just ignored praying about it? Yip – that was an arrow.

Remember when you didn’t make time to open your Bible? Yip – that was an arrow.

Remember when you thought it wasn’t a big deal and you could hide it? Yip – that was an arrow.

Remember when you felt so tired, so defeated and so discouraged that you just sat there? Yip – that was an arrow.

Remember when you checked the box but didn’t really give it your best? Yip – that was an arrow.

Remember when you knew you should, but you didn’t – Yip that was an arrow.

Remember when you felt guilt and shame over it – Yip that was an arrow.

Not to mention all the things you’ve been dealing with that make you scared, make you hurt, and make you question – All arrows.

Now do you see the attacks you are continually facing? This is your every day reality. Girl, you are always under attack. That’s why you need this shield of faith.

To put it quite simply, the way you defend yourself from Satan’s attacks is on a very practical level TRUST WHAT’S TRUE ABOUT GOD. Faith isn’t just hearing about God – Faith isn’t even just knowing about God – Faith is actively positioning God’s promises between your vulnerability and the enemy’s fiery assaults.

The devil is going to shoot his fiery arrows to tempt you, distract you, discourage you, detour you and defeat you, but that big ol’ shield of faith in God’s promises is what you actively pick up and hold up to protect you.

I know my God. I know his ways. I feel his presence. I receive his strength. I believe his promises. I trust my God.

My sister, that is your defense!

Faith is what will protect you when the fiery arrows are coming at you. Faith is what will help you advance even when you’re under attack. Faith is not optional for this battle, it is essential!

So really, what is faith? What a really hard thing to describe. If we’re not careful, faith becomes nothing more than hoping or wishing. You know when you apply for a job and you’r pretty sure you’re not going to get it because you’re not even remotely qualified for it and someone says, “Well, you’ve got to have faith.” No, that’s not faith. That’s not what our Bible is talking about. That kind of faith is not a defense. When you’re under attack, just wishing that something is true will never give you the defense you need.

Let’s give faith a real definition. I read about a missionary named John Paton – someone you’ve likely never heard of before. He was a Scottish missionary who went to the islands of the South Pacific in the 1800’s to tell these remote people about Jesus for the first time. He wasn’t welcome there. His wife and child died. Yet, he continued. He learned their language, then he set out to translate the entire Bible into their language so they could know about Jesus.

While translating scripture, he got to Ephesians chapter 6 and he was stuck on verse 16, “Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Their language had no word for faith. Faith was non-existent in their world, without even a word for it.

As John sat in his island hut, stuck on translating this word “faith”, a local man came running and and flopped himself in a chair. He said to John, “It’s just so good to rest my whole weight in this chair.” And that’s when John knew – that’s what faith is. This is how he could explain faith to the islanders. Faith is resting your whole weight on God.

With that translation, the islanders understood faith and they came to put their whole weight on God through Jesus.

Faith is putting your whole weight on God. If God said it, then it’s true, and I believe it. That is faith.

Faith is believing what Jesus has done for us, believing what God says about us, and living it out because it’s THE truth. That’s a shield of faith. Protected from the attacks of the enemy and able to advance!

Through the Bible, we know:

• God has chosen us. Before this world even began, he predestined that we would be his girls. He chose us first, gave us the family name, and bestowed upon us all the privileges of being his daughters.

• God has blessed us. In everything that God has done for us, his intention is to bless us and give us what we don’t deserve.

• God has sealed us. He put his mark on us saying we belong to him and we’re protected by him.

• God has promised us an inheritance. We are in line to inherit the kingdom of God and eternal life. Through Jesus, it’s our guaranteed destiny. Girl, that’s where you’re heading and today you’re one day closer!

God has held absolutely nothing back from you. He’s given his all, he’s given his best. He’s actively taking everything in your life and making it work together for eternally good purposes. And when you put your whole weight on that, you will be able to survive the attacks of the evil one. Not only survive, but advance!

When the fiery arrows come flying at you, and they always do – When you’re tempted to doubt, leaning towards fear, hurting and questioning, avoiding the very things that will help you most, wandering down paths not meant for you and knocking on the wrong doors – STOP AND REMEMBER WHAT YOU KNOW OF GOD. Remember his promises for you. Remember what he’s already done for you through Jesus. But don’t just think about those things, LIFT THEM UP. Lift up that shield of faith by actually leaning into what you KNOW IS TRUE ABOUT GOD. Put your full weight on him.

You know what you need to do in that moment of wandering, wallowing, wondering and wavering … you need to have a good talk with yourself. Listen here, self, stop this depressed, unhappy nonsense. Stop this wavering. Stop this delaying. Stop wallowing. You stop it now. Stop letting this steal your praise. Stop letting this distance you from Jesus. Stop it. Put your full weight on God. Remember his promises. Lean on them now!

It’s not going to be easy, but we all need to do this. We need each other to do it for us.

Preach to yourself. Remind yourself of God. Arrange your life so that you’re in the path of grace as much as possible — reading Scripture daily, praying, surrounding yourself with the right people. Know where you’re vulnerable. Look to God, who will grant you the strength that you need. Then put your whole weight in what we know to be true about God.

Remember the Roman shield formation? It’s one thing to be a single soldier with a shield. Something much better happens when we come together with faith. As we create a shield-wall of faith, we’ll be able to advance even when we’re under attack. That’s why you and I are connected. That’s why God has given us an Army of sisters here. We fully put our weight on God in this together and we move forward even while under attack.

Where are you being attacked? What fiery arrows are coming your way? What truths about God can you lean into today? Take up your shield of faith!

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There are 3 pieces of God’s armor we are to “put on”.

1. The belt of truth.

2. The breastplate of righteousness.

3. The shoes of peace.

In getting dressed for the unseen spiritual battle, the final thing we put on are our shoes. And think about it, you’re not ready to leave if you don’t have your shoes on. My husband knows I’m not really walking out the door if my shoes aren’t on. My shoes are the sign I’m really ready and we’re going … until then, I’m not really going anywhere.

God has places for you to go. A stand you are to take. Purposes you are to fulfill. Good plans you are to walk in. But, without your shoes, you’re not really ready to go with him.

The soldier’s shoes were a valuable piece of their armor. Remember in these days, they were foot soldiers. They weren’t riding around in tanks and helicopters. They were marching in, climbing up, standing ground. In military battles of these days, the army who had the best battle shoes was set apart. There’s a story of an army who won countless victories because they put nails in their shoes, creating the first cleats. They could climb what no other army could climb.

As women, we know shoes make or break the outfit – but in battle, shoes can make or break the victory. So Paul says in Ephesians 6:15, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Without your shoes, you’re not ready. With the wrong shoes, you’re not winning. Barefoot, you’re injured.

The shoes in the Armor of God are specifically the PEACE that comes from the Good News. Sounds a little fruity doesn’t it? That’s sweet – but does it really mean anything to you? I’ll be honest – that just never meant anything to me at all – until today. Until I really studied what Paul is saying. Now I get it, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

Peace – what’s your image of God’s peace?

Someone once asked 2 very famous painters to each paint a picture of God’s peace. One painted the image of a beautiful, calm, serene lake in the most peaceful setting you could imagine. It’s basically where I am right now – North Italy’s Dolomite mountains. The lakes here are the deepest, calmest blue, fully protected by stunning mountains that reach straight up in the sky. Such calm. Such peace. That was one artist’s painting.

But the other artist paints the ocean. Not calm water, but the ocean in a violent storm. Massive waves crashing in the fierce winds. Lightening flashing in the sky. And in the very bottom corner of the painting was a small bird, totally protected from the storm, standing on a rock with a solitary beam of light shining on it. If there was a soundtrack to the painting it was the bird singing his completely unbothered song of perfect peace in the midst of that raging storm.

Both are pictures of peace. One is a picture of peaceful circumstances – the other is a picture of the power of God’s peace. God doesn’t promise peaceful circumstances, in fact Jesus warns us of the oppoisite – “in this world you will have trouble”. But God does promise us the power of his peace – the unshakable knowing he is with you, he sees you, and he is in control.

We’re so quick to assume only the good days contain God’s peace, but you’ve never experienced God’s peace on the most extreme level until you’re in the middle of something that demands you absolutely freak out, but instead you have an unspeakable peace within. With this peace you’re not rendered incapable, you’re strengthened in the battle.

My friend, if you find yourself currently in a battle, God has peace available for you. And his word isn’t just offering it to you as an option, his word is telling you, “PUT THIS ON!”

But how? How do you put on God’s peace? Thank God, his word actually tells us. We’re not left to guess and wonder. It’s clear. Philippians 4: 6-7. First, there is an offer you have to REFUSE to make room for God’s offer of peace. If you don’t refuse it, there will simply be no space for peace in you. What is the offer you have to refuse? Worry. Here’s precisely what God’s word says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. THEN you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

This is a formula and a process. First you refuse worry. Worry is always in the offering. There’s always something to worry about, right? But you must turn away from it. Turn it off. Resist it. Evict it. Absolutely take a stand against worry.

You know what we often do instead? We make excuses for it. “Oh, it’s just who I am. I’m a worrier. I always have been.” That’s the equivalent of saying, “Oh, I’m just muddy, it’s just who I am. I go out and roll around in the mud so I’m always muddy. I always have been.” ALL WHILE YOU COULD CHOOSE TO TAKE A SHOWER!

If you’re a worrier, there’s something you can do that’s the equivalent of a shower for a muddy person – PRAYER. And just as you have to take a shower again and again, you must pray again and again.

The only way you refuse worry is to talk to God about it. Push it right over to God and let him have it. Tell him what you need. Thank him for everything he has already done for you. That’s your part of the equation. Then, God does his part. His part is filling you with PEACE. Peace that doesn’t make sense. Peace like the little white bird sitting in a beam of light during a furious storm on the ocean, just singing his happy song.

I don’t care how much you worry or how long you’ve been worrying, peace is available to you. But my sister, you always have to choose it.

Now you may think your worrying is harmless, but it’s not. Without God’s peace, you’re facing a battle with no shoes on. Without your shoes you’re simply NOT READY!!!!!

Now here’s where this gets really really really good. This is the part you may not have ever understood before and you’re going to have a little light bulb go off.

Paul says these shoes of peace come from the Good News. What is the Good News? It’s literally the message of Jesus. It’s the salvation story of God sending his own son to die for you so that you might be saved. It’s the promise of his Holy Spirit dwelling in you offering what you could never manufacture for yourself. It’s all this GOOD NEWS, not bad news that applies directly to our lives because of Jesus. Good, good, good news.

Shoes of peace from this Good News of Jesus. And here’s why this is important in battle – GET READY …

Your enemy, the devil, is always going to try and convince you that God is against you, that God doesn’t love you, that God is too busy for you, angry at you, distant from you. The devil continually tries to convince you that every little bad thing, and certainly every big bad thing, that happens in your life is proof of God’s absence, God’s distance, or God’s disapproval of you.

You’ve heard it and felt it before. You’ve questioned why God would allow this to happen to your family and you start feeling like God doesn’t care about your family. Like he’s too busy for you. Like he doesn’t hear your prayers. Like he’s always out to take things from you. Like he’s just against you. The more you hear it and the more you feel it, the more dark your thoughts become, the more alone you feel, and the more hopeless the future looks. And that’s precisely what happens if you don’t have your shoes on.

Your shoes of peace from the Good News know exactly who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and what he has promised. And just like a pair of cleats can dig in and hold your ground, KNOWING the GOOD News can help you stand firm when every doubt comes to rock you.

The devil wants to remind of you all the bad news, but Jesus says, “I’ve GOT GOOD NEWS!”

Feel the peace in that!

The shoes of peace tell you even when bad things have happened, “GOD USES ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD”. The shoes of peace tell you even when the storm rages that, “YOUR GOD CONTROLS THE WINDS AND THE WAVES.” The shoes of peace tell you when everything falls apart that, “GOD HOLDS IT ALL IN HIS HANDS AND NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH HIM.”

The Good News fills us with peace when the battle rages. And in peace, we stand, We don’t run. We don’t panic. We don’t worry. We stand firm.

Girl, put your shoes on and dig in! Dig in to God’s promises over you and refuse to back down. Refuse to be shaken. Refuse to give in to worry. His promises will fill you with peace so you can stand through the storm and come out the other side.

Jesus made us a promise of HIS PEACE. His peace that would hold us steady. His peace that would guide us. His peace that would fill us in ways that don’t make sense. But do you know precisely WHEN he promised us this peace? Jesus promised us that peace on the edge of his own horrific storm. On the very night one of his very best friends would betray him – on the night he would be arrested – on the night before he was to bear the sin of the entire world on the cross, on the edge of the greatest storm all creation had ever seen, Jesus promised us his own peace.

John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Jesus had immeasurable peace, and he offers us that same peace. But it’s always up to us to PUT IT ON.

With peace, you are ready for battle. With peace you can stand on God’s promises and not worry. With peace as shoes, you can dig in with cleats and stand your ground regardless of circumstances. With peace as shoes, you can climb any mountain and overcome the obstacles in your way.

You have to choose what you’re walking in – Peace or worry. Worry will never win the battle. Peace already has.

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