February – the month we all ask someone to be our Valentine. This year we will have to do it without those little candy hearts. You know the ones I’m talking about, they would contain little messages with words on them like “Be Mine”, “Love You” and my favorite, “Kiss Me”. Do you remember now? Anyway, for whatever reason they will not be around this year. It’s like having Easter without the peeps. A tradition is now over, shall we bow our heads and have a moment of silence for the candy hearts? Fortunately, there are still chocolate covered hearts! Not all is lost.
Speaking of February, have you noticed how cold it is outside? I found myself outside recently walking my dog and I had forgotten an important part of my clothing. It was my hat. As I stood outside with my ears feeling as though they would fall off any second and my face turning a smurf blue; my dog Mac just looked up at me like he thought I was rushing him through his process to find the perfect spot to leave his gift for me to pick up. Guilty as charged. Trying not to freeze, my thoughts turned to other things and I couldn’t help wonder how often I leave my house without putting on “the whole armor of God” as it is listed in Ephesians 6. If you’re like me, before you leave the house you have a mental check list. It goes something like this, “Boots…check; coat…check, scarf….check, gloves….check” and lastly, “HAT….check.” Well that morning I was in a rush and grabbed my stuff to put on as I was leaving the garage. All my items were in their place with the one exception, my hat. We wonder why we have so much trouble in our lives fighting the enemy. Sometimes we are just not fully dressed for the battle. I believe when it comes to God’s armor we are instructed to put it on, but I never read in the Bible were we are instructed to take it off. Sometimes the battle comes in the night. I for one want to be ready. I have a confession to make, often in the winter I use my PJ bottoms like long underwear. Upon waking up, after sleeping in them, I will keep them on under my pants as added insulation. I now do the same with “the armor of God” I keep it on all the time. I sleep in it; I basically live in it, because you never know when the enemy will attack. It doesn’t matter when the enemy comes to attack me, I will be ready because I live in my armor, and the Lion of Judah lives inside me. Mac finally found the perfect place that morning to leave his gift. When he finished I rushed back inside to the warmth of our building and I immediately put on my hat when I got inside, then sat down and had a big hot cup of coffee. As Paul says in Ephesians 6:10, 11 “Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God….” To which I would add just one question, why would we ever take it off?
Keeping my armor on and for right now my PJ bottoms,