Living Changed: At Christmasနမူနာ

## Faith It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and lose sight of why we’re celebrating. As much as we want to be a light to the people around us, sometimes it’s hard to navigate the pressures that weigh on us this time of year. Instead of continuing to carry anxiety, anger, and offense, our faith in Jesus can help us live differently this holiday season. In a letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives us insight into how our faith can shape our perspective when he encourages us to put on the full armor of God every day. He lists out the pieces of armor: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Each piece is meant to remind us of the power and protection we have in Christ. Interestingly, the one piece of armor that Paul gives extra context for is the shield of faith. He says it has the power to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Pause for just a moment to picture that scenario. Flaming arrows are hurdling toward you and with one move of your shield, they’re rendered completely harmless. Our faith is a powerful weapon against the schemes of our enemy! At times, we might get confused about who the enemy is. We might accuse the holiday shopper who is rude to us, the boss who laid us off right before Christmas, or the family member who is constantly criticizing us. But the people around us are not our enemies. Our true enemy is the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion looking to steal our joy, kill our hope, and destroy our peace. It’s a terrifying truth that we should take seriously, but we don’t need to be fearful. Our God is mightier than anything that could come against us. While this armor is a gift from God meant to protect us, we still have to be diligent to put it on. It can be as simple as a daily prayer like this one: “ God, I recognize that I’m in a spiritual battle and I trust you for protection. I put on the belt of truth; help me to only hear and speak the truth. I put on the breastplate of righteousness; guard my heart and help me be open to your guidance. I put on the shoes of the Gospel of peace; help me tell others about you and bring peace wherever I go. I put on the shield of faith; help me put my trust in you and protect me from attacks of the enemy. I put on the helmet of salvation; guard my mind and help me to only think on things that are good. I pick up the sword of the Spirit; help me to remember Scripture and use it to defend myself and others. Amen! ” This Christmas, let’s be vigilant to guard against attacks of the enemy. Remember that your fight is not with the people around you. Stay centered in the truth that you are deeply loved by God so that you can easily deflect any offense that comes your way. Do your best to love the people around you, especially those who are rude, because you never know what secret pain someone is going through. Putting on the full armor of God every day will help you with each of these things. Before you go shopping, armor up. Before you go into a difficult conversation, armor up. Before you go to your family gathering, armor up. Before you feel down, before your patience slips, and before you respond out of anger, armor up. We can have full confidence in His armor and in the power of our faith. When we’re faithful to look to God for strength, He will be faithful to guard us.