Extreme Makeover part 2

I talked a little bit about God making over my life earlier this month (here).  My life needed an extreme makeover in the worst way. Isn’t that what God does when we ask Him to come into our lives? When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and are born again, that’s when the old life is blown up, just like they do on the show, and the house (our hearts and souls) are gutted, cleared out and a new way made for God to come in and take up residence and make Himself at home.

For a long time, even though I had accepted Christ at the age of 7,  I was only letting Him rent my heart. I wasn’t allowing Him to take ownership over everything.  I wasn't sure how.  In reading Ephesians 6 Paul talks about what it looks like to put on the armor of God.  Armor?  "What do we need armor for?" you might ask, I know I did. 

Because simply put, we are at war.  Not a war of guns and tanks, but of good over evil, God over satan, and light over darkness.  I know who wins (I read the end of the book) but that doesn't mean that we all get out alive, there will be casualties and wounded and those that are lost.  But Paul talks about the armor that God equips us with in order to fight, to overcome, and win the battles of our day to day life.

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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 6:10-12)

I had heard about the armor of God. Putting on that armor, and really didn’t “get it” but going to Renaissance fairs I was able to see real armor, how it worked and why is was so important.  The armor that we need for today though is not chainmail or leather. This week I am going to explore the different aspects of that armor, one piece at a time and figure out how it applies to my life and my walk with Christ. 

Most of us don't have an opportunity to see real armor at work on the battlefield, but one person most can remember is Wonder Woman.  I use to play Charlie's Angels and Wonder Woman with my cousin on Sundays at my grandmothers (love you Sharon!).  We all try to be Wonder Woman, mom, wife, boss,  employee, volunteer, leader, team member, friend, family, and so much more, no wonder we are all exhausted.

I am not Wonder Woman, but the God of the Universe and all His ways holds enormous wonder for me.  Wonder Woman was a fictional character but her creators understood armor, and having protection.  So does our Creator and unless we understand what our weapons and our armor is, how can we use it to protect and fight the enemy?   Come with me as we journey into Ephesians 6 and learn about the armor of God and how it can help us get through our battle of everyday life. 

Are you able to read this?

Can you read this?  It's really important.  Hurry, please read below:  

Poslanica Efežanima 4:17-19

živimo kao djeca svjetla's
17Ovo kažem u Gospodinovo ime: zaklinjem vas da ne živite kao što žive pogani, razmišljajući isprazno. 18Oni su, naime, zaslijepljeni i zamračena uma, daleko su od Božjega života jer su zatvorili svoj razum prema njemu i ne mogu shvatiti Božje putove. 19Ne mare više je li što dobro ili zlo. Odali su se bludu i u pohlepi počinjaju kojekakve nečistoće.

No? Why not? But it’s a Bible verse. Don’t you read your Bible? Why can’t you understand this? I’ll give you a hint, it’s from Ephesians 4: 17-19.

No, don’t Goggle it!!!! Come back here.

The majority of us cannot read it, (In case someone from Croatia happens on my blog I have to say majority). This is Ephesians 4: 17-19 from a Croatian translation of the Bible but for many years this was kind of how my Bible looked to me until someone wiser came alongside and gave me some direction.

The Bible is our instruction book for life, a tool from God. How to handle everything in life, no matter what, it’s in there but you have to find a translation that you understand. I always had a hard time with the King James version. As you already know by reading my blog, one of satan’s hot buttons in my life was my intelligence, or my perceived lack of intelligence. Because I didn’t think I was very smart, when I would open up a Bible and see all the thee, thy, thou, and the therefores, that little voice would say,” See, you are too stupid to even understand this or it’s boring, or it doesn’t apply to your life today, real people don’t talk like that.”

But one day I met a lady who was outgoing, funny, loved to sing, (she reminded me of my Grandmother Williams), and she loved her some Jesus. She and I talked and I explained to her my frustration with understanding God’s word. She told me there were OTHER Bible translations out there. I had no idea and that felt wrong to me. Other translations? But doesn’t that change the meaning, change what is important, etc? She said that you have to educate yourself on Bibles that are sound in doctrine AND that you can understand. Like the verse above, if you only speak English and you try to read the Bible in Croatian, how is that gonna work for you? So I found a great Bible, I use the New International Version Life Application Study Bible. It’s great for me because it speaks in a way I can understand, gives more information about the verses, and it gives me background information and cross-references, etc. but there are many others out there.

The verse at the top of the page is translated below in four versions. Go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ or http://www.biblos.com/ and you can see other versions. Find one that you understand, that speaks to your heart. I’ll be talking more about the actual verse tomorrow.

Ephesians 4:17-19 

(New Living Translation) 17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

(The Message) 17-19And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion


(King James Version) 17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.


(New International Version)
Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

Check them out, pick one, and start using it. Every day. God wants to equip His children for the day with His word, His wisdom, and His guidance. The Bible is your instruction manual for life, it’s imperative that you obtain a translation that you are able to decipher, comprehend and incorporate into your day to day existence (translation: Get one you can read and understand).

God Bless!

Leigh