Ephesians 6:10-18

Greetings,
Hope you are all well. I've had a busy day, but a really good one. I had tea with a new friend, Patty. And then got my hair cut by Sandy. She's younger than me and has long red hair. She's very open and in our discussion the word discipleship came up (I wonder how???:) and she asked if I'd disciple her. She also cuts Josh and Tiffani's hair and they know her fairly well.
So, on Monday we have our first meeting. I'm excited to see the Lord bring me work to do, so soon. Isn't He wonderful?!
This portion I'm sharing is nothing new to us. But I have a word picture to share that might help make the scripture come more alive. So, please read Ephesians 6:10-18 and then join me.....
As you know, the verses talk about the whole armor of God. He wants us protected against the wily schemes of the devil. Daily we should be praying this section for us and our family. Satan wants to discourage us and intimidate us and he uses psychological warfare for that.
When we were at a conference in Slovakia one time, the warfare was so 'in your face' that it was just annoying. But, many people there couldn't see the warfare and it was changing how they normally did things.
One day, after being worn out by the warfare fight, I went for a walk. The further away from the building I got, the more freedom I felt from the 'blackness'. I was frustrated and discouraged and that's not a normal me. I started singing praise songs and praying. The Holy Spirit helped me to understand that Satan was trying to defeat my in every way and that I could fight back, simply by not caving, and deciding to fight.
So, out loud I prayed and asked the Lord to bind Satan and I told the Lord that I wasn't going to let the negative thoughts rule me. The Lord gave me freedom and helped me.
A short time later it was decided to do a prayer walk through the conference building that night. When people gathered later, after the walk through, they told of stories of the warfare and how it had been affecting them. You see, their eyes were opened to what had been happening, when the power of the Lord was unleashed to drive the demons away.
What changed things? Prayer. Asking God for help and deciding that He was stronger, bigger and could defeat the wily one.
The next day, even the staff at the center were different. They were nice and we saw smiles on faces. Some of the staff was able to share Jesus with some of them.
So, when you're feeling discouraged and defeated, remember that Satan wants you like that, not God. He's given you the tools, so sharpen them and use them.

Covered by His shield of faith,
Sandy