Dressed for Battle

I love routine.

ESPECIALLY my morning routine.

Depending on which day of the week it is, as in if I am working from home or will be going into church to work, here’s the general thought on how it goes.

Wake up. Take a deep breath. Release my day to God before my crazy-lady achiever brain takes over thinking of the 40 million things I want to accomplish during the day. (This step took practice. As in, lots of practice.) Say a little prayer for the coming day. Hoist myself out of bed. Unplug/grab my cell phone. Quick stop at the bathroom. (Sorry– is that TMI? We all do it.) Check self in the mirror. Result? Disheveled hair and sleepy eyes. Brush teeth. Turn off the ceiling fan and trot (plod? stumble) downstairs.

As I enter the bottom floor of our house, I let our pup out of his kennel and tell him good morning, laughing at how he stretches. I let Justus out into the backyard and scrounge for breakfast. I let our pup back in and st down for quiet time with aforementioned breakfast.

After those very specific steps, my routine usually changes up a bit. If I am working from home, I might stay parked in my chair with my computer for a while, working away on my Jesus to-do list with emails, blogging, etc. But if it’s an “at church” work day… I must make myself presentable for the public world to see (or at least tolerate.)

I tell you all of these details because it’s all part of a daily routine– but as important as it is to brush my teeth, eat breakfast and brush my hair, (you are welcome) the most important part comes as we are “getting dressed” for battle each day. Granted, I have the luxury of not having to physically get all dressed up and groomed daily (thank you, Jesus) but you can bet your keister I know that whether we are called to work from home, church, a business, school, whatever– that we ALL need to put on our armor for battle.

See, our enemy (and/or his minions) are always lurking, waiting to pounce on us like a lion. To take us down. To distract us from the path that God has laid out for us in the day.

Just like our morning routines from getting out of bed to picking out an outfit to packing a lunch, we must be prepared for battle. Every. Single. Day.

As of late, I have been memorizing part of Ephesians 6. (This goes along with My One Word for 2013… because it has the word “Stand” in it several times.) Ephesians 6:14-17 says this:

“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 this, 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.”

There are so many different methods of getting dressed for battle each day, from quiet time to prayer to meditation to making a list of things you are thankful for to reading the word… the list goes on and on.

What does your daily battle-prep look like? What parts of God’s armor are most important for YOU to wear in your current season of life? Which ones “fit” the best? Which are most “uncomfortable” or hard to remember to put on? Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Dear friends and readers– getting dressed for battle daily isn’t just a routine. It’s a necessity. We don’t leave the house without wearing pants. (At least I hope not.) So why should we neglect putting on His armor and picking up the weapons His gives us to fight the good fight?

It’s time. Let’s get suited up. This. Means. War.

Suited up and Ready to Rock,
SGK

“Fight the good fight of the faith…” ~1 Timothy 6:12