Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)
Today was the first day of our summer routine which I detest. I’m not a morning person, but Iva, my guide dog, and I must walk early before the temperatures rise. Even though we might get a jump on the sun still hiding behind the mountains, it still feels like a sauna at times. When we return home, I change out of my wet clothing.
As Christians, we need to change clothes too. We don’t want to continue wearing sweaty, soiled clothes. We need our breastplate of righteousness.
The Roman soldier’s breastplate was a metal shield that covered everything between the neck and thighs, including the major organs. It was connected to the belt, and spiritually speaking, the connection between the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness is wisdom. Knowing God’s truth and applying it to our lives results in right living – righteousness.
Unrighteousness attracts the enemy. Positionally, Christ declared us righteous at salvation, but our goal is practical righteousness, how we live and conduct ourselves on a daily basis.
Nobody is perfect, but we can easily fall for Satan’s tricks and find ourselves in sin before we realize it.
Our hearts need protection from Satan’s schemes. Heart refers to the will, the mind, and emotions of an individual. The enemy targets those areas to get an emotional outburst out of us. He knows how quickly our emotions can take us far from godly thinking. A place ripe for temptation.
God gave us a breastplate of righteousness to guard us from the enemy’s plots. Bathing our hearts in the Word of God and lingering in prayer act like a breastplate. The enemy cannot penetrate our armor when we wear it.
Let’s continually scan our hearts for trouble and renew our minds daily (Rom. 12:1-2). We also need to do some soul searching for areas of sin that might already exist. If we’ve been allowing a pet sin to take up residence in our lives, our consciences become seared and we don’t perceive it as disobedience. It could be anything: gossip, failure to tithe, hatred, pornography, immorality, cheating on our taxes, or not putting God first.
If you’re feeling a pinch right now, that’s not me stepping on your toes, but the Holy Spirit’s conviction warning you to stop. Confess your sins to God, and He will faithfully forgive you. He helps us overcome the sinful habits that have left us wide open as targets for the enemy.
Ask God to expose all the sin in your life. Then ask Him to help you carry it out to the trash. Next, talk with Him every day, just like you would talk to a friend. Put your breastplate of righteousness on and guard your heart at all times.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving me a breastplate of righteousness to guard my heart. Lord, remove all sin from my life. I know it’s impossible for me to be perfect, but I only want to live a life pleasing to You. Place Your desires into my heart and remove my selfish ones. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PHIL.+3%3A12-14&version=NKJV
HIKING THE TRAIL
Begin to pray daily concerning the breastplate of righteousness. Always be alert for a setup from the enemy.
RELATED RESOURCE
Have you had it with your emotions controlling you? Perhaps menopause or PMS isn’t the only culprit. Sometimes the enemy camouflages mood swings for emotional strongholds, the piece of real estate he occupies in our minds. Is it possible to be the boss of your thoughts and feelings rather than them being the boss of you? Learn more here.
Originally posted on May 28, 2021 @ 7:30 am
I love the fact that the breastplate is securely fastened to the belt. The belt of truth hold the breastplate of righteousness in place so the enemy does not have access to our inner most being.
Amen