by Zach Roll

Empowered by God’s providence.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link

“…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”
Ephesians 6:17 English Standard Version

Do you feel well equipped, and ready to go out into the world fearlessly? What about corporately? Do you feel that the Church is well equipped to survive in this ravenous world, not only to survive, but to influence the world for good? Or do you feel that we are left weak and defenseless, left to fend for ourselves with no hope? The good news is that none of this is true. God has given us the most powerful resources imaginable.

The first resource we have is the “helmet” of salvation. We might call it the hope of salvation. We always need to remember that this life is going to have its fair share of difficulty, and that God has already rescued us from those times. Yes, we will still go through tough times, but difficulty in this life can not compare to the glorious reward that is ours in Christ. The reward that is eternal life with Him apart from all sin and suffering (Romans 8:18).

We also have the sword of the Spirit, or the word of God, which is our offensive weapon. There is no more powerful force in this universe than God and His word. The Scriptures are God’s word to us. That is why it is so important that we use it! God’s word has real power to transform. God working in, and through, His word is a potent resource indeed! Look at what the Bible has survived in history. Look at all the hard-hearted people whose hearts were softened by the power of the Word. The power of God’s word is stronger than we can imagine, whether in the hands of an individual or the Church at large.

We need to let the Word transform us so that we know how to use it. The world is transformed by the power of God’s word.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO