Life Plan Devotion #68 [God's Armor--Breastplate of Righteousness, Part III]

Hi, Everyone.
We now have 3 grandchildren living with us, so it's getting harder to find quiet moments to write the daily devotion. It helps when I wake up in the early morning hours. That did not happen this morning. Hence, I'm posting later than normal. I apologize.
Have a wonderful day.

Life Plan Devotion #68 [God's Armor--Breastplate of Righteousness, Part III]

     Last time, we looked at how to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness by consciously being obedient to God and submitting to the leading and power of the Holy Spirit so that sin will have no dominion over you. Today, let's look at what to do if you get a kink/***** in your Breastplate of Righteousness.
     When I awoke this morning, I asked God to bring to mind one verse that would sum up why/how we allow a kink in our Breastplate of Righteousness. Immediately, Jeremiah 2:32c came to mind. It is a verse that, the first time I read it, reduced me to tears. It says, "My people forget Me days without number." That's how we get a kink in our Breastplate, really in every part of our Armor. We forget God. We forget His Word. We forget to put into practice what we have learned.
     On the battlefield of life, the enemy, the "accuser of the brethren," will try to bring up your past, but your Breastplate of Righteousness will be your defense. The Spirit of God dwells in you, as a believer, so God receives you as His son or daughter, no matter what Satan says. Forget that, and you will have a kink in your breastplate. An amazing thing about God, though, is that the moment you remember, the breech will be repaired.
     Yes, you are "accepted in the Beloved," but that does not mean that your Heavenly Father is indifferent to your sin or regards it lightly. When you sin, a crack appears in your Breastplate of Righteousness, and, as a loving father corrects his child, so the Lord will correct you (Hebrews 12:5-11). Submit to and learn from the correction, and the crack in your breastplate will disappear.
     Sometimes, a believer gets complacent and forgets their "first love," when he/she first met Jesus and desired to live a life of holiness, following hard after God That believer still has on his/her Breastplate of Righteousness, but it's not completely strapped on, and, because of that, there are some areas exposed that need to be covered so that the enemy doesn't get a firm hold. If this happens to you, "repent and do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:4-5), and your loose breastplate will be firm and tight on you once again.
     Finally, remember that you do not stand on your own merits. You never did. You never had anything worthwhile in yourself to offer to God. When you came to Christ, you quit trying to be good enough to please God. What pleases God is simple obedience to His Word, and the righteousness we display when we're preoccupied with that obedience will overwhelm the enemy every time.

Galatians 3:6
"'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'" (Genesis 15:6).

What this has to do with weight loss: Just when we think we've got the battle of weight loss defeated, we suffer a setback. Perhaps we were complacent, perhaps we became prideful--thinking that we did it. No matter the reason for the problem, the answer, the solution is to go back to basics. Don't just believe in God, believe Him. Believe in, claim, and put into practice His Word. Do that, and you will see your weight issues line up with God's Word.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, my Breastplate of Righteousness is too important to allow it to become loose or develop a kink or ***** I desire holiness, and I ask You to make me aware the moment there's the tiniest crack in my armor. My prayer is that I will instantly allow You to heal me, so the enemy can't get to me. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, with your Breastplate of Righteousness firmly strapped on, showing the righteousness that comes from a changed life in Christ, and fulfilling the orders of your Heavenly Commander.

Blessings,
Mary