11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:11-18 ESV
Next week Sunshine Elementary will be having its 150th anniversary celebration. Not only will there be a large turnout of our parents and students, but there are guest speakers from the mayor's office, a congressman's and senator's office, and the superintendent. The media will be there. Lots of attention.
I woke up this morning almost in a panic over a detail I needed to follow up on but at 4:30 a.m. could do nothing about. Very quickly my stomach began to churn. My palms started to sweat. My mind started to race. I was tempted to forgo morning quiet time in an effort to get to school early, get busy with "stuff" in order to hurry the time along until I could address my concern. But that was the carnal side trying to problem solve.
Instead I made myself sit at the desk with an open Bible casting my worry at His feet. The relief was not immediate. It took a real effort on my part to focus my mind on Him, His promises, and His Word. But when I fully committed to allowing Him to calm my fears, the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" began to creep in.
He directed me to the passage from Ephesians 6 which lists the armor of God. As I prayed through the scripture He brought to mind how each of the pieces of armor were needed in my current worry battle. He reminded me of Biblical truths, directed my mind to specific Biblical promises, and gave me application wisdom.
Has the original reason for worry disappeared? Not at all. I will still need to follow up later today. Have all thoughts of the issue dissipated? No. My humaness will not allow me to forget, nor should I. If I forget, then I would not address the issue later today. Has my stomach returned to normal? Yes. Has my mind slowed and my palms dried out? Certainly.
Wisdom is the application of knowledge. All the head knowledge of scripture, God's workings, and spiritual warfare are of little use unless applied in the real world to actual struggles.
All praise and thanks to a God who is true to His word and faithful to His children.
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