George shares his thought for the week; make sure you are properly attired.

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.

Ephesians 6:12

Now the more astute among you will see that today I’m wearing a suit and that’s because I’ve just been to a meeting where it was the required attire to be formal in a shirt and tie and a suit. A few weeks ago I was at a black tie event which meant I had to wear a dinner jacket and a bow tie and I would have looked pretty silly if I turned up at that event wearing my shorts and t-shirt. But equally, if I was on a beach wearing a black tie and a dinner jacket would look very strange indeed. It’s important to be properly attired depending on where you are.

And I got to thinking about uniforms in society. You know if you were a firefighter you were you wouldn’t dream about going into a burning building in just your shorts and t-shirt. Of course, you’re going to put on the full garb that you need to ensure that you can fight whatever’s going on in there and be safe. As a police officer, you’d want to put on your uniform to show your authority so that people will respond to you accordingly. And as a paramedic people need to know that you’re there to help them if they’ve injured themselves or need medical attention and your uniform helps you to do your job.

And as Christians you know we face daily struggles and daily battles and the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that we don’t have these battles and these fights just against flesh and blood. Paul talks about there being spiritual forces in high places, dark powers, principalities and powers. And you know as we head towards Halloween sometimes we trivialise these things but in fact, they are real and they are concerning and we need to address them properly. And Paul tells us about what we need to put on in order to tackle the battles and the issues that we face on a day-to-day basis. He talks about the belt of truth.

Do we know what we really believe about God and His Word? He talks about the breastplate of righteousness. Are we wearing the righteousness of God to protect us from what the enemy might throw at us? He talks about our feet being ready with the readiness of the Gospel. Are we ready to give an account of who we are and what we believe to those with whom we come into contact? He talks about the shield of faith so we can get rid of those fiery darts, those things that the enemy may throw at us, the helmet of salvation knowing that we are found in Jesus and that our salvation is rooted in Jesus, and then the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Are we carrying God’s Word with us into every situation we face? Brothers and sisters, it’s really important that every day we are properly clothed to deal with the battles and the issues that the enemy may throw at us.

Let’s make sure that we’re properly attired for the battles that lie ahead. Have a good week!

Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.