A is for the Armor of God - Gloria Guest

 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." *

I've had those verses taped to my bedroom mirror for a couple of years now, although admit to only glancing at them a few times. Lately though, God has nudged me to look at them closer, and so I've meditated on it more. 

I was going to  title this blog, A is for Attack, and then another nudge suggested to me that perhaps I should instead write about the best way to deal with an attack...which is by putting on the Whole Armor of God. And so I share the following verses of the same passage.

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." *

Although those verses are talking about our daily lives as a Christian, they also so aptly apply to our written words. How am I supposed to write authentically, vulnerably, truthfully and courageously if I go into it unprepared? I won't. My writing will either fall flat as to what God had intended for it, failing to reach hearts, or perhaps I will be unprepared for an all-out attack, and give up altogether.

That is what actually happened to me late last fall. It came out of the blue, and the words used to attack my writing, hit like bullets. I can handle critique. I can do something with critique, even if I disagree with it. But these words were jeering and character bashing and to make it worse, they came from people I had trusted, people in my close circle. For a writer to publish their words, it takes strength and vulnerability. I don't often publish. Honestly, I rarely publish. And so this attack came as a crushing blow. I phoned a few friends/family members and cried and said something like, "I'm never publishing anything again." They of course encouraged me not to give up, but at the time I could see no other option. Even this blog is a leap of faith as I skipped over two of them since this event took place. But here it is. Another nudge from God.

 I look at the armor I am to wear and am encouraged and challenged all at once. So much to put on! Yet, if I do....then that means I'll be protected by the very One who calls me to write. This doesn't mean an attack won't come. It just means, I'll be prepared and can fight off the plans of the wicked one who desires that I don't publish anything, to try to reach others.

This is the armor I am to wear daily and every time I attempt to write anything:

-WAIST GIRDED WITH TRUTH - Where have I been listening to lies, rather than the truth about my writing? Where have I maybe spoken lies (about anything at all) in my writing? Am I careful when wielding my words?

-BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS- Righteousness only comes from God. Am I using this piece of armor to protect the enemy from attacking my weaknesses? Or am I leaving myself exposed with my own, bare, human efforts?

-FEET SHOD WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE - Do I aim for peace first of all in a conflict? Do I walk it out? 

SHIELD OF FAITH TO QUENCH ALL THE FIREY DARTS OF THE WICKED ONE - Do I allow my faith in God to be greater than those darts fired towards my heart, or do I instead allow them to sink in and fester?

HELMET OF SALVATION & SWORD OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD - Basically when our head (mind) is not protected, nothing is protected. Do I wear my helmet daily and take up the sword which God has given me (spiritual warfare) to fight off the enemy? Scripture needs to be planted in my heart so that during those crisis moments it is automatically there as a protection.

Finally, we are told to pray and be watchful, with perseverance. It all sounds like such a tall order, but just as a soldier puts on his armor one piece at a time, we too take up our armor piece by piece as we don it each day. 

I happen to be a military mom to a son who is a Sargant in the Canadian Army. Over the years I've been privileged to watch him grow in character and discipline, along with physical strength and prowess. It has all taken him much discipline and perseverance. His reward is that he's risen in the ranks and has become an Instructor, but more importantly, if he faces conflict, he will be much more prepared (and can help prepare others) than if he hadn't applied himself so well. I love how God uses the example of putting on our armor like a soldier, in our daily Christian lives. It's the only way to live with wisdom and it's the only way to be a Christian writer seeking to give my all for God's purposes.

Soldier On.

*Ephesians 6: 12-18 NKJV

 

 

Gloria writes from her little house on the prairies in Caron, Sk; where she lives with her husband (when he's not on the road trucking) and her cat Tigger (who lives up to his name). She doesn't like to be 'attacked' over her writing, but will gladly take careful critique where needed. If attacked again though - she plans to have her armor on and ready.

Next to being a wife, mother, grandmother, writing is her calling, whether she writes much or little, or whether she publishes or not.