S3. E15. Armor of God
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the Lord has really been convicting me to every morning when I get out of bed, turn off my alarm, and immediately get on my knees, and I just kneel at my bedside, and I pray the Our Father, and I pray the full armor of God over myself, and I say, " Lord, I surrender my day to you.
And y'all, I have seen so much fruit from this.
Welcome to Your Daily Bread podcast. I'm your host, Abbie Stasior, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor. My prayer is that these bite-sized episodes will help you heal your relationship with food, improve body image, and ultimately help you grow closer to God. Now, I can't personally heal you, but I'm gonna be directing you to the one that can, and that is Jesus. Also disclaimer, I'm not a pastor, but a sister in Christ that's offering you some food for thought that you can take into your quiet time with the Lord as your daily bread. Let's dig in.
Some of you are trying to fight your food battles with willpower when actually this is a spiritual battle. Welcome back to your Daily Bread [00:01:00] podcast. Today, we're gonna be talking about spiritual warfare in your health journey and how to be fully equipped. And Lisa Bevere, who is such an amazing author and podcaster, she hosts an event in Nashville once a month called Courageous Conversations, and I got to go last month, and she was talking about how so many of us are out here with our helmet of salvation, and we got the sword of the Spirit, we have the Word of God, and that's how we're walking into battle, and literally we are butt naked.
Because we are not prayed up. We are not praying the full armor of God, and you are looking so silly, so foolish to the enemy and the spiritual forces that are against God. So, we are gonna be talking about the armor of God today and the importance of covering yourself and praying this every day.
And this is actually something that the Lord has been convicting me of, to pray along with the Our Father, pray the full armor of God over myself. So we're gonna be reading from Ephesians 6 today that goes through the armor of God, and I'm really excited [00:02:00] to pray that over each of you today because I think that it is so, so essential.
So Father God, thank you so much for this day. Thank you for your Word. Lord, thank you for equipping us for battle. And Lord, we apologize and we repent of the times where we have been walking out in the world not fully equipped, not using all of the tools and resources that you have graced us with and given us at our disposal, Lord We know that the battles that we face are not between flesh and blood, Lord, but this is a spiritual battle, Lord.
So I just pray that this episode gets people fired up and fully equipped to fight anything that comes their way, because your word says, and we stand on your truth, that no weapon formed against us will prosper. So I pray that this episode convicts people, and it helps people each day cover themselves in what you have equipped us with, Lord.
And we are just so grateful that we have these tools, and we have your protection, and we have you, Jesus, who is sovereign. Lord, you have no rival. You have no equal. And Lord, we stand on that, [00:03:00] and we know that the name of Jesus makes everything else bow. Lord, we are just so grateful that the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus holds so much power and holds all authority.
Thank you, Jesus. And it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Let's read from Ephesians 6 verse 10 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take up your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.
And after you have done everything, to stand. 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 the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can [00:04:00] extinguish all flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
Y'all, this is the Word of the Lord. Thank you, Jesus for this.
Like I said, the Lord has really been convicting me to every morning when I get out of bed, turn off my alarm, and immediately get on my knees, and I just kneel at my bedside, and I pray the Our Father, and I pray the full armor of God over myself, and I say, " Lord, I surrender my day to you.
Give us this day our daily bread. Lord, help me focus on today. Help me to not worry about tomorrow, because today's got enough trouble of its own, and I just surrender this day to you." And y'all, I have seen so much fruit from this. And I haven't been 100% consistent. I was dog sitting last week, and, you know, there's a couple days you just kinda forget or you get distracted in the morning.
But I have been, like, 97% consistent with this, and I notice the days that I do it versus the days that I don't. The days that I don't do this and immediately give God acknowledgement first thing in the morning, it's not that I'm not getting in my quiet time, not [00:05:00] spending time with God in the first portion of my day.
But there's a difference between, you know, getting up, letting the dog out, getting coffee, and getting settled, getting myself comfortable to now get into the presence of God versus immediately dropping on my knees and surrendering to the Lord. And, oh my gosh, my days where I do that, I don't struggle as much to abide.
I feel the Lord's direction in my day because I'm surrendered to Him, it's the first thing that I'm doing. And we know that it's similar to the biblical principle of the tithe. When you give God your first and best fruits, He blesses the rest of it. So when I give God the first and best of my day, He blesses the rest of it.
Now, I know everyone's mornings and quiet times are going to look different, but this really doesn't take me that long. It is very quick to pray the Our Father. Not that we wanna speed through it, but it doesn't have to be these long, drawn-out prayers. But it's the posture that counts, and I really believe praying that and just covering yourself because we're going out into the world.
We're going out into battle, things that are seen and things that are unseen, not [00:06:00] fully covered. And honestly, we do look ridiculous to the enemy if we are saved, and we read the Bible. We have our helmet on and a sword. We literally look ridiculous, and I'm so happy that Lisa Bevere pointed that out. So I'll pray the armor of God.
And what I typically say to myself to keep it short but also meaningful, and I encourage you to personalize this for you, is I say, "Lord, I pray the full armor of God over myself today.
Lord, I put on my helmet of salvation. Jesus, thank you for your great sacrifice. Thank you for dying for me and for the forgiveness of my sins and reconciling me back to Christ. Lord, I put on the breastplate of righteousness that guards my heart, for we know that everything we do flows from our heart.
Lord, I put on the belt of truth. You are the way, the truth, and the life, and I root deeper in the firm foundation that is you, Jesus. And Lord, I put on the shoes of the gospel of peace. Lord, your Word says My peace I leave you, my peace I give you." Lord, I pray that I feel your abundant peace today that surpasses all understanding, and I pray that I am a peaceful presence and I carry your light wherever I go [00:07:00] today and everyone that I encounter.
Lord, and I'm just praying for divine appointments. Lord, thank you for the sword of the Spirit that is your Word, that is my offensive weapon, and I just come against any lie, scheme, attack from the enemy, and I rest in your truth that no weapon formed against me will prosper. And lastly, Lord, thank you for this shield of faith.
You are the author and perfecter of my faith, and thank you for continuing to grow this shield and be my protector, and thank you for equipping me with this tool that... "extinguishes all flaming arrows of the evil one." In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
And that's it. And it tends to be quicker than that, but if you could add in a little extra of what that part of the armor means to you, I do think that it makes it more personal and not just a religious repeated prayer that you pray.
And that's why I really take my time with the Our Father as well, and I pause with each line and what it means to me, and it has made it not just this ritual that I do every day to check a box, but it helps me to stay focused on a personal relationship with Jesus and to really not [00:08:00] just know these prayers in my head, but receive them into my heart and really feel them.
And that's what also helps to memorize it. I always get asked all the time, how do I memorize so many different scriptures? ,And I'm not just flying through it. I meditate on it, and I read it through multiple times. I make a personal connection with it so that I don't just know it in my head, but I receive it in my heart.
And that does take time. It takes repetition. But the personal nature of it and Really taking your time with each line of scripture helps to memorize it. Lastly, I have never forgotten this, but couple years ago during COVID, Red Rocks Church did a wonderful sermon on the armor of God.
I don't think I'm gonna be able to find the sermon because it was so long ago, and it was from their Austin campus, and it was preached by Doug Weikman, so I know all of that. But at the end of that sermon Pastor Doug Weckmann reads a full prayer, and it was so impactful about the armor of God that I went through that and paused every sentence so I could transcribe it.
And I have that prayer written out, and I refer to it frequently, and I've sent it to many clients. [00:09:00] So I wanna read that over you today and give acknowledge that this obviously came from Pastor Doug Weckmann. It was not from me. I read you my version of it that I say every day. But to close out this episode, I want to read this prayer over you, and if any of you feel inspired, then pause this episode that you can transcribe it yourself head to the transcription of the episode so that you can copy and paste that in a note on your phone and pray this, ' cause it's a little bit more fleshed out, dives a little bit more into each part of the armor of God.
But I listened to this sermon a couple years ago, and I've never forgotten this prayer because it has been that impactful, so I pray that it is impactful for you, too, and leaves you fully equipped. So this says, " Dear God, thank you for your goodness and grace. Thank you for the victories you've already won, the doors you've already opened, and the ways you've already made.
Today, I stand on your promises, and I claim victory over," blank, whatever you wanna insert in there. " In Jesus' name, I claim victory. First, I put on the belt of truth. My emotions matter, but truth never changes, so today I choose to live by what [00:10:00] is true and not by what I feel. The truth about me is that I'm chosen, loved, and forgiven.
The truth about you is that you are a good God with good plans for my life. I trust you, and I voluntarily yield in love to the purposes that you have in store for me. Next, I put on the body armor of your righteousness. Your love is more powerful than all my mistakes, and the grace that saved me is the grace that sustains me.
No matter what happened this past week, your mercies are fresh every single morning. I am a new creation, and I'm choosing to live like it. Today, I walk confidently in my calling, knowing that you are my Father and I am your child. I don't live for your love. I live from your love. Now, I put on the sandals of the gospel of peace.
Your peace goes beyond my circumstances or season. It is not a place to arrive at tomorrow. It's a path to walk on today. My life is full, my days are busy, but my heart will not be hurried. I live in the unforced rhythms of your grace, and every room will be better because [00:11:00] I've walked into it. I will be a calming and confident presence, leaving tracks of peace everywhere that I go."
Now I pick up the shield of faith, believing that you can do exceedingly and abundantly more than I could ever ask for or imagine. You are infinitely powerful and intimately present, and no matter what I'm facing or what I'm praying for, I believe there is no limit to what you can do. So I will not play small with the gifts you've given me.
Temptations and criticism may be on the horizon, but my faith won't hesitate. With this shield, I claim victory out loud and ahead of time, knowing there's nothing you can't do in my life and through my life. I now put on the helmet of salvation. You've given me authority over my mind, and today I choose to take every disobedient thought captive in the name of Jesus.
I know there's lies heading my way even as I pray this prayer, so I protect my mind with this helmet. Those thoughts are nothing but a waste of my energy and time. Your love surrounds me when my thoughts wage war, so I choose to dwell on everything that is good, right, pleasing, and pure, for I have been given a sound mind.
And I finally take up the [00:12:00] sword of the Spirit, which is the Bible. Your Word is a double-edged sword that will teach me and guide me and comfort me and prevail against the enemy. And as I read it, it reads me back, showing me how you have overcome the world. Your Word reminds me that when I commit my life to your glory, you'll commit your resources to my story.
It is the Bible, the Word of God, the firm foundation I choose to build my life upon today. So Father, I go about my day and invite you along every step of the way. I fix my eyes on what is seen and unseen, and I live for what is eternal. Thank you for choosing me as a representative of your love to a world that desperately needs it.
Help me to live on purpose and let the people of my life see Jesus in me as your power is made perfect in my weakness. In Jesus' name, amen. Y'all, mic drop. That was just such an amazing prayer. So I pray that this blesses you. I pray that you receive that into your heart, and that you feel equipped to go out into battle [00:13:00] today.
And if you need help healing your relationship with food, getting Jesus at the center of your health journey, then head to the show notes and book a free 20-minute call with me. I would love to meet you. I would love to serve you and support you. See y'all next week.
. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of Your Daily Bread Podcast. Now, if anything about this episode resonated with you, I wanna encourage you to send it to three sisters in Christ who may also wanna steward their bodies better.
I read every comment, every review of the show, and I love hearing your testimonies and how the Holy Spirit is meeting you through these episodes. And if you haven't left a review yet, I wanna encourage you to do so 'cause it truly does help the show grow and it. Ultimately benefits the kingdom. And if you need any personalized support with your nutrition and your relationship with food or your body image, head to the show notes and you'll see all the different ways to work with me.
See you next week.
