This past weekend I had the pleasure and extreme honor of speaking for the wonderful ladies at Franklin church of Christ in Franklin, KY. Being with my sisters in Christ, no matter where they are located, is something very dear and precious to me.
This weekend our theme was “If the Shoe Fits…” and the focus verse was Ephesians 6:15, (“and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace”). After reading that section of scripture I took the theme and decided on a direction of the lesson as, “If the shoe fits, wear it like a warrior princess!” I wanted to share part of that lesson with you so you may be encouraged this week.
Ephesians 6 teaches us, as Christians, that we need to be prepared for war. Prepared to be strong in the Lord and to fend off the attacks of the devil by taking on the armor that God freely gives us. Fighting like a warrior princess requires two particular ideas: preparation and purpose.
If the shoe fits, if we are wearing the name and life of Christ, we need to be prepared for war. We need to take on the armor of Christ and prepare our hearts, minds, and lives for that spiritual battle for our soul. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” We have to be prepared because Satan is out there waiting for the right moment to pounce.
We need to follow men like David, Daniel, and his friends and prepare ourselves for when, not if, that attack comes. Men who purposed in their hearts (Daniel 1:8) to follow God long before the challenges arose in their lives. Long before the giant taunted God’s army (1 Samuel 17), David had built a relationship and strong foundation of faith in God. Long before Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel captive, he purposed in his heart to live for God and not to define himself with man’s temptations. Long before Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego were told to bow down to a golden idol, they developed strong faith and practice in worshipping God only.
We need to be prepared in this ever-changing world not to fall victim to the temptations it places before us. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it and we need to encourage others around us, especially our children, to look to God and be able to answer the same questions. We need to build up a strong foundation of faith in God and prepare ourselves for the attacks that will come.
Secondly, if the shoe fits, we need to wear it with purpose. We need to realize our purpose that is set by God. Solomon sought all his life, used all his wealth and abilities to search for purpose and meaning in every possible place: riches, relationships, pleasure and fun. He found that everything was vanity, like grasping for the wind. At the end of his life he wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Our purpose as God’s children, as his warriors, is to fear (respect) Him and do as He says, follow the lead, the command of our King. God gives us purpose in other areas as well. In God there are certain things we have to fulfill, a certain purpose given by God to each of us.
- We have a purpose to praise God: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9
- We have been given a purpose to do Good Works: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
- We have a purpose to Make Disciples: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have com-manded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20
Every day we are to seek out opportunities, moments to praise God for the blessings He freely offers. He brought us from the darkness of sin and death into His amazing life-giving light. We have a purpose to praise Him for His goodness. He called us out of darkness to proclaim His praises. On top of that we were created for the purpose of doing good works. When we do good works, we bring glory and honor to the Father.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” When we are fulfilling our purpose, when we are doing the good works God desires for us to do, then He will be glorified. People around us will see the light of God within us, notice the difference between us and the world and in the end, God will be glorified.
Through that we will be able to teach others, we will be able to reach them and make disciples of God. That our purpose, to teach others as we go about our lives, turning the focus on God and showing others His light.
I pray this encourages you to remember you are a warrior princess in the Lord’s army. His child created in Him image, to wear His name and fight. God created you with a purpose and you must live prepared to carry it out and fight against anything that would separate you from His love.
In Christian Love,
