Ephesians 6:16-20

Scripture: Ephesians 6:16-20 

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Observations:
Whenever I open my mouth, I want to be fearless and efficient. Not just saying what is hard to say, but saying it in a way that reveals the truth and grace of Christ! Yes, please!

Application:
What flaming arrows is the evil one attacking me with? How can my faith shield me from them? Is it my past? Guilt? Worry? Is he telling me that I'm unhappy or lacking? Is he saying that I'm unloved? All those are untrue and void because of Jesus. Our faith shield needs to be held up. When we set it down we get hit.  All the armor we've put on is defensive except for the sword. The word of God is our weapon, our way of fighting back. When we know it, share it, speak it, sing it, read it, pursue it, and live it, we are taking a swing and a stab at Satan.

Prayer:
Jesus, help us to be fearless warriors for You. Women of prayer and strength. Women who don't fall for Satan's lies. Women who use our words not to hurt others, but to make Your grace evident. Help us to hold up our shields of faith. Encourage our hearts to pursue You with renewed vigor. Unfold the hearts of our loved ones and friends, and help us to be bold and talk about You. All these things we ask in Your holy name, amen.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-20
15 Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise,

16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Observations:

This is a great warning for me, followed by great encouragement. To be very careful how I represent Christ to others, and not to waste my time here acting a fool. I've been plenty foolish before, and to my shame. But He calls me to let God fill into every single aspect of my life and to seek out His will. My speech, what I sing, my everyday moments should all be dedicated to the Lord.

Application:
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. It's so amazing how worshiping God can drastically affect our outlook. It takes our eyes away from our problems and focuses them on Christ.  Whether it's a mountain or a molehill, when we choose to sing through it, God gets the glory. He's listening riiiight now! What song is your heart singing to Him? :) mine is "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. My prayer is the link to this song.
 

Prayer:
 

Ephesians 5:1-7

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-7
1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
 
Observations:
Not even a HINT! I feel like when I go to the movies, I am covering my eyes and some parts of movies just straight-up shock me. Ahh! It scares me how much we tolerate, and we accept a hint here and there. It's sad that even some kids movies now have innuendos thrown in "for the parents"...
 
Application:
How am I allowing hints of immorality to seep through? In high school, I had to throw out all my cds and start over when I became a follower of Christ. I let music be that thing I turned to and ALL of it at the time was just UNGODLY. Angry, coarse, foolish, immoral. I told everyone, even all my friends, that from then on I only listened to christian music. It was a big change. My favorite band prior to this was Disturbed (no need to google it, just trust me, it's disturbing!).

Over college, I was able to branch out a little bit and not be so strict and legalistic with myself (she's gone country), but still, with music that I purchased, I made sure the content was fitting. For a while, also in high school, I wouldn't watch even pg13 movies. I guarded myself a lot back then, and it makes me think that I was really onto something. We develop a thick filter as mature believers and we stop having that "ooooh I'm telling!" reaction to wrong/immoral/impure things. We just take it. Garbage in, garbage out.
 
Wouldn't it be amazing if we could all say "if I'm listening to music, I'm listening to music for the glory of God" and "if I'm watching this movie, I'm watching this movie for the glory of God" and "if I'm having this conversation, I'm having this conversation for the glory of God" and "if I'm spending/storing up this money, I'm spending/storing up this money for the glory of God" .... oh to be in the world but not be of the world.
 
Prayer:
Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You as we make decisions. Help us to recognize when something is out of place for us as believers. Build us up to be holy people, ambassadors of Your grace, discerning and wise, loving to unbelievers but not influenced by them, giving and truly caring for those in need, in full control of our words, submitting our actions to Your approval. We love You and praise You with thankful hearts. In Christ's name, amen.