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Under Armor - Part 2 - The Belt

(Ephesians 6:14) “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."

Have you ever tried on football pants?  They are not like fitted jeans.  They are designed to accomodate multiple body styles and waist sizes.  So what is it that keeps a player from being caught on the field with their pants down? A BELT!  Belts have many functions but three stand out to me today.

1.  CONNECTS

A belt is one of the most overlooked pieces of football gear but it's incredibly important.  Pants are designed with loops.  They are manufactured with the concept of a belt being used.  Every person has been created with the capacity to have a relationship with Truth.  And truth is defined by Jesus when he said....

(John 14:6 NLT)  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” 

The belt that we need to apply to our life that will keep us from being caught in life without our pants down is to rightly be tied to Truth.  How does this happen...one of the keys is falling in love with the Bible.

(2 Timothy 3:15 NLT)  “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.”

The scriptures give us wisdom.  If they are important for helping us come to Christ, how much more important are they when it comes to living for Christ?

2.  CORRECTS

(2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true ... It corrects us when we are wrong...”

Those who love the Bible are those who love becoming more and more like Christ.  The Bible will teach us that God loves to find weakness in us.  He loves it when we realize those areas and turn to Him for strength and stamina.

A belt takes lose fitting pants and helps them to correctly fit individual people.  When was the last time that we allowed God to correct us?

3.  DIRECTS

A belt helps keep pants facing in the right direction.  It keeps them from sliding from one side to the other.  Left alone, pants move and response our movement.  But a belt directs their presentation.

(Psalm 37:23 NLT)  “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

Through the Bible, God will direct our lives and keep us going forward in a positive way.  Those who live life tossed from one extreme to the next - from one issue to the next - one fire to the next fire may be those who are living life without direction.  To those who follow Christ, that direction from a relationship with Him in prayer and study.    

(Psalm 3:5-6 NIV)  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

What are you putting your trust in?  What are you using to gain direction for your life?

4.  PROTECTS

For those who struggle with being standing in the midst of pressure, be encouraged today!

(2 Thessalonians 3:3)  “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

(Psalm 37:23 NLT)  “Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he who sustains you.  I have made you and I will cary you; ... I will rescue you.”

So, what is under the armor? YOUR WAIST

Have you ever thought about the fact that your waist is one of the keys to your flexibility?  What is it that allows us to walk through a doorway that lower than normal?  Our ability to bend - be flexible at our waist.  

The truth of God will allow us to be flexible in a time of great transition and stress. 

Not only does our waist give us flexibility to but it is a source of great power.  The key to hitting a drive over 300 yards is to turn at your waist.  This action builds up connect energy that is released on the downswing.

Rightly having truth in our lives give us the ability to generate positive momentum in our lives.

Lastly, have you ever thought about the fact that you will only be able to move forward in the direction you waist determines?  Try to move forward wil twisted at the waist and you will see it is impossible. Our waist determines our direction.

Likewise, when we have Truth buckled and rightly applied in our lives, it will set the course of our direction and ensure that will follow the gameplan of God for our lives.

How securely is Truth buckled around you?  If you are tired of getting caught in life with your pants down, put the Truth of Christ in the proper place in your life and watch things begin to turn around.

 

 

 

 

Under Armor - Discovering the Armor of God - Part 1

Today I am going to begin sharing the notes from the 5 messages that are included in the Under Armor series that we just completed at Fellowship Church.  It has proven to be a good, thought provoking series. The idea behind the series was to take a look at the Armor of God but correlate them to something that we are much more familiar with than armor.  But I am getting ahead.  Let's lay a little foundation.

Let's begin here. We understand that there is no "REAL" armor of God that you can go and purchase at your local Christian retailer. Instead, Paul - while in prison, received a download from God containing heavenly truths.  In attempting to explain these truths, Paul used the same process that Jesus used - parables. Parables are simply earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.  Well, instead of using an actual story, he used parable / illustrations.  Since he was a prisoner of Rome, he was very familiar with Roman armor. More importantly, his readers were very familiar with these images.

Now I don't know about you but I am just not that familiar with Roman Armor but I am vary familiar with football gear.  What would it look like if Paul shared these heavenly insights using football gear?  Well, that is the direction that this series has taken.  Now there are many fantastic books and messages with great, deep truths.  The purpose of this series is not to compete or repeat those great truths but to take a fresh look using a modern illustrative image.  With that, let's look at the foundational scriptures for this series.

(Ephesians 6:10-13) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take 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.”

I think there is nothing like a goal line stand in all of football.  When the offense has driven all the way down the field and is only a few yards away from a touchdown - to watch a defense hold them out is an amazing thing to behold.  Many defenses are often described as bend but don't break defenses - they just seem to be able to stand when it counts.

In life, there is nothing more important than being able to stand when it counts.  Far too many Christians live life on the sidelines because they are not strong enough to withstand the pressure that comes with making a difference that counts for eternity.  They are on the team but they never really see the big time.  How many of us long to be in the limelight.  Long to lead great movements that impact people.  Many of us have the ability but the Coach is doing us a favor by not putting us in a position to that He knows will overwhelm us.

YET - He longs for all of us to take the field.  He believes that we can play in the big leagues.  He has already given us everything we need to succeed if we would just understand it, apply it and believe it. Actually, Jesus understood the importance of standing more than most of us. Look at his thoughts...

(Luke 21:19 NLT) “By standing firm, you will win your souls.”

I can hear you thinking right now, "I thought my soul was won at the cross? Isn't that what Grace is all about?"  Yes, that is true but Jesus is expressing something really amazing.  It's one thing to be on the team - it's another to earn time on the field.  There are a lot of us who are on the team but since we can't stand firm agains the slightest temptation, we never break through with a chance to take the field.

What areas of your life have you struggled with for years that you just can't seem to overcome?  If you will stand firm, you will win the freedom of the cross because you will begin applying it's truth and earn some time on the field.

(1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT)  “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should."

Paul, was a great sports fan.  He was amazed at the training that an athlete would go through in order to perform under pressure.  What if we would take the same determination to prepare - to practice - to be ready?  Paul encourages us to train our body like an athlete so when it's first and goal at the one we can stand strong when it counts.

It doesn't matter who your favorite team is there is nothing like GameWeek.  The anticipation grows each and every day in anticipation of what is to come.  Though each team has it's own way of preparing there are a few things that all teams have in common.

1.  GAME WEEK WORKOUTS

During the season, the players continue to work out and get stronger so their body would be able to stand the pressure of the game.

(Proverbs 24:10 NLT) “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.”

(1 Chronicles 16:11 NLT) “Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.”

Church leaders, the trials during the week and our ability to overcome them directly impact our success on the weekend.  If we can't make it through the week, it's because we are not strong enough and we are not strong enough because we are skipping the workouts with the spirit (prayer, fasting, worship) that are there to increase our strength. 

2.  GAME WEEK FILM STUDY

The best Quarterbacks are the ones who not only have a great mind and arm but a great ethic for studying film.  They study their opponent so that they learn their tendencies.  

(Luke 9:10)  “They (the opposition) encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, ‘Who will see them?’ They ...  say, ‘We have devised a perfect plan!’”

(Ephesians 6:11 NLT)  “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.”

 

How wise are you of the schemes of your opponent the Devil?  One of the key benefits of the truths of the Armor of God is that you will be able to stand firm against the strategies of the devil.  How does that happen?  Because you learn how he opperates.

I can't help but wonder how many of us lose battles when we already know his schemes and yet he still wins?  If you struggle with being drunk but keep going to bars, you will stay on the sidelines.  If you struggle with lust but still watch porn on the internet, you will stay on the sidelines.  If you struggle with anger but still feast at the buffet of bitterness and unforgiveness, you will remain on the sidelines.

Let's overcome the strategies we know so we can make the field where the battle is the strongest!

3.  GAME WEEK GAME PLAN

Every team goes into a game understanding what they are going to try to accomplish.  By studying the tendencies of their opponent they develop a strategy that they believe will give them success during the game.  Did you know there is a game plan that will never fail?  

(Psalm 33:11 NLT)  “But the Lord’s plans stand forever; His intentions can never be shaken.”

(Ephesians 6:12 NLT) “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Jesus prayed three times a day and he was the Son of God.  Can we really know the GamePlan of God if we never spend time with the Coach everyday?

I encourage you today to take an inventory of your life.  Are you making the decisions necessary to earn the right to step onto the big stage of life?  We are only as strong as the strength we display.  It's time to get strong in the right places so that when the time of pressure comes, we are still standing.