Equipping Ourselves
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26
A woman I know was 100 yards from reaching the top of Mount Everest until a malfunction in her oxygen equipment made her turn back to the base camp.
100 yards? MOUNT EVEREST? The top of the world? Months of preparation and adjustment had all gone to waste and she had no choice but to go back. She had the potential herself, but without equipment, she didn’t have the power to get to the top.
I wonder how many times in life we’ve tried to be successful on our own terms without being equipped with the knowledge and belief that God is within us. Also, I wonder how many times our world has been rocked by something and we’ve chosen to abandon our faith in the midst of our life journey.
Either way, we try to go through life without recognizing that there’s a Savior and Shepard guiding and guarding us. When this is the case, we flounder and experience major anxiety and insecurity in who we are and the things we cannot control.
In Matthew 19:26 it says - But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” With faith on our side, we have the power to be who God called us to be. And He called us to be His child, His beloved, and to put our worries and anxieties and life in His hands.
In Ephesians 6:10-17 it says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”
This world is broken, and no one can get through it by themselves. When we choose to equip ourselves with God, to put on his armor, we learn how to appreciate every experience and person that God uses to speak through to us.
Faith in Jesus, rather than ourselves, allows us to let go of control and trust the maker rather than the opinions of others. We can do so little ourselves, so put on the armor! Allow God to guide you through this world with care and comfort and see how it changes everything.