WARNING: YOU WILL BE ATTACKED
BY FLAMING ARROWS OF THE ENEMY!
God’s
word is very clear and specific about the phrase you just read! He knows that you’ll
have moments of fear and anxiety and He wants you to know it’s not
from Him! So He graciously offers His armor as our solution! “Stand
firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness
that comes from the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith with which you
can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:14-17 (NIV)
Understanding the Battlefield.
Let’s
set the stage for anxiety and where exactly it comes from according to the
Bible. Having knowledge of the enemy is
the first key to defeating it! The enemy is Satan. The Bible compares him to a hungry lion! “Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith.” 1
Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) It also compares him to a thief in the darkness the exact
opposite of Jesus. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John
10:10 (NIV)
The Armor of God
is our instruction manual from God on how to protect ourselves from the enemy
and his lies (which is what I believe the majority of our anxiety to be, LIES!)
Let’s get suited up Sisters!
Step #1: The Belt of Truth.
My
anxiety usually manifests itself physically in my stomach. I love how the first
instruction for putting on God’s armor is that we should “Stand firm then, with
the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” When I feel those first tell-tale
flutters, churning around in my gut, I grasp on to the image of firmly planting
my feet on the ground. Taking both of my
arms and slowly and methodically, one belt loop at a time putting God’s belt of
truth around my waist. Once it is secured, I visualize it radiating light all
around me. The truth is God. And He is now
physically wrapped around you! There is no fear in God, only a righteous fear of Him.
He is all things good and light where fear and darkness cannot exist!
“You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” 2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)
*Read it and Repeat it!
Step #2: The Breastplate
of Righteousness.
Now
that we have a belt radiating the light of truth all around us, it’s time to
protect our heart! Put one of your hands
over your heart and image God’s Breastplate of Righteousness. He wants you to know first and foremost that
He loves you! Now put your other hand over your heart. God wants you to protect your heart with all
your might by walking in His ways. If we
want to be protected by His light, we need to keep our own thoughts and actions
in the light. When we step out into darkness we are bound
to eventually get influenced by it. One
the simplest ways to keep our mind on track with God is to read the Bible and
to talk to Him! He wants to be in
relationship with you!
“Above all else, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
*Read it and Repeat it!
Step #3: Your Feet Fitted
with Readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.
Let’s
take a look at our feet now. Stand still,
and be still in His peace! I love the imagery of the Queen of England’s Royal
Foot Guards who stand in front of Buckingham Palace. We’ve all seen pictures or videos of tourists
trying anything they can think of to make the guards move, even just an inch!
But try as they may, very few succeed in getting them to move a muscle. This is how we need to deal with our
enemy! Don’t move an inch! Do not
make eye contact! Do not acknowledge
the enemy, but instead be ready at all times to be still in God’s peace: He
loves you, and only wants good for you!
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm
46:10 (NIV)
*Read it and Repeat!
Step #4: The Shield of
Faith.
“Let
us take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one.” (Wow! I gotta get me one of those shields!) We know
that the enemy is real and that he is going to try to make his lying, thieving-ways
into our hearts and mind. But we have something far more powerful than any of
his flaming arrows. We have God’s Shield of Faith to protect us! All we need to
do to have faith is believe. Imagine holding a shield powerfully before you.
You don’t have to imagine the arrows, you believe those are real, you can feel them. Now believe that the shield is real too! It
is real, because God says it is and he wants you to take it up!
“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all
things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
*Read it and Repeat it!
Step #5: The Helmet of
Salvation.
I
like to imagine my Helmet of Salvation like one of those tin-foil hats people wear
on TV or in the movies to keep the aliens from probing their brain! (Hey,
whatever works to get your mind out of ANXIETY
mode right?) So get your imaginary tin foil out and visualize yourself
putting on your high powered brain-shielding helmet. The peace of mind that
comes from knowing and believing you are saved by the precious blood that Jesus
shed for you will radiate throughout you. With you helmet on, your brain is
safe from the probing lies, the fear-based thoughts and the heart-sinking
emotions. But just like your bike helmet, it does not work when you leave it at
home! You must make a conscious effort to safely secure your helmet by actively believing in your salvation:
“If
you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
*Read it and Repeat it!
Step #6 The Sword of the
Spirit which is the word of God.
Now
your head is protected, your mind is secured in the faith you are saved because
you believe Jesus died for you! The final piece of armor is to take up your
sword! Imagine the feel of cold heavy steel grasped strongly between both of
your hands. Picture yourself raising it
fearlessly above your head. The Bible
tells us God’s words are true, eternal, never-changing and all powerful. With
His words, His truth, as your weapon,
you are able to cut down any lies from the enemy! Test all your thoughts
against what is written in the Bible before
you believe them!
“Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 (NET)
*Read it and Repeat it!
The
Bible is talking about you and me Sister; set them apart. God wants us to be separated from things that are not true. If
something sounds fearful, if it’s condemning, if it stirs up ANXIETY cut it down! You are strong, you are fierce, you are set
apart. You are wearing God’s Armor!
Dear
God, Thank you so much for loving me today. Thank you for opening my heart to
your truth. I am so happy to know you have a place set apart for me! You want
me to walk in the truth and be surrounded and protected by your awesome love.
Help me to remember I have your armor! Before the enemy even has a chance today
Lord, I am going to put on your armor! If you are for me Lord, than no one or
nothing can truly be against me!
Additional Anxiety Busting
Verses:
“For
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind.” 1 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
“There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do
with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
(NIV)
“Be
strong and courageous. Do not be afraid: do not be discouraged, for the Lord
your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
“When
anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalms
94:19 (NIV)
“Give
all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
“You will keep in perfect peace those
whose minds are steadfast, because
they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
“What, then, shall we say in response to
these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)
“…Lord
I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 (NKJV)
*Write down anxiety busting verses like Ephesians 6:
14-17 on fun colored notecards when you are feeling clear headed.
*Keep the notecards with you at all times so when the
next anxious thought attacks you can pull out your card.
*Read it and Repeat it!
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