“Stand firm then…with the breastplate of righteousness in place,”~ Ephesians‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s important to note that this is talking about the righteousness of Jesus, not ‘self’ righteousness. To be righteous is to do what is right in God’s eyes. To be righteous is to obey God’s laws of love as opposed to lawlessness and sin. 

Righteousness can be defined as: goodness, virtue, uprightness, decency, integrity, moral, ethicalness, justice, honesty, honour, blamelessness, irreproachability, sinlessness, purity, God-mindedness. 

The warrior’s breastplate protects all of their vital organs, particularly their heart. It’s like a bulletproof vest. It keeps them from being vitally wondered. 

Jesus’s righteousness is ours as believer and followers. That righteousness covers our heart. Our breastplate of righteousness is righteousness of Jesus in us, in our hearts. It protects us from blows that could be fatal, blows that could take us off our path, blows that could put doubt and hate in our hearts. 

Our hearts are what keeps us alive, circulating not only blood around our body but love, peace and joy. Out of our hearts our words flow, Jesus says, “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them” (Matthew‬ ‭15:18). Solomon warns us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23). The course of your life! I think this warrants guarding our hearts, wouldn’t you agree? 

How do we make sure our breastplate of righteousness is in place? We follow God’s way, not our own. 

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…” ~ Ephesians‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NKJV

Gird means to encircle and to secure. Encircle yourself WITH the truth, secure yourself IN the truth. 

When I was studying this passage some time ago, I was at first puzzled with why Apostle Paul would chose to mention the belt of truth first? Why not the shield or the sword? 

After ready about Roman soldiers in those times and other warriors I found that the belt is an equally vital piece of armour and serves many purposes. It’s what holds us upright, it’s what holds the armour (and us) together. It keeps our swords in easy reach.

A closer look at some warrior’s/solider’s belts shows that the belt is thick and wide, somewhat like a weightlifter’s belt. Weightlifters wear these belts to increase stability in their spine and lower back muscles, to strengthen and support their core under pressure (*pause and think on this for a moment*). 

We need our ‘belt’ to strengthen our spiritual core. This means that we need to surround ourselves with the truth and not allow anything other than the truth to enter our situations. 

The enemies lies and deceit comes in order to confuse us and mess with our lives. When we surround ourselves with God’s truth we are confident in who we are and who He is, our spiritual core is strengthened, our spinal is supported and we stand upright, shoulders back and head high. 

The belt also holds our scarab and God sword (God’s word). The sword needs to be in easy reach so that when an attack comes the warrior can place a hand on its grip and draw it’s ‘two-edged blade’. 

Knowing the truth means that you know when you are faced with a lie, and being well-versed in the truth makes it easier to draw your sword and attack that lie before it has a chance to attack you and try to derail His plans for you. 

The world in which we live in is always trying to attack us with images and messages that are not the truth, telling us we must look a certain way or act a certain way or speak a certain way…”do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). 

When I’m faced with a thought or with something that doesn’t seem quiet right, when I have an uneasy feeling about a situation/circumstance,  I go into God’s Word to find my answers. If I can’t find a passage that gives me direction then I know it’s not for me, it’s not truth. 

Know the truth, it will set you free (John 8:32). Stand firm and encircle yourself, secure yourself, in the truth. It will strengthen your spine and keep your upright, it will protect your core. 

Arise and pray,

Jess xx

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” ~ Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When I think of the full armour of God I have an image of Joan of Arc, a heroine not just in your own time but in all the times gone past. She was so young and so bold! Her extraordinary leadership inspired men across the nation to take up arms and fight, all because she had a vision and word from God. Joan clothed herself in God’s armour, held a banner, stating Our Saviour, high; and lead them to great victory. This triumph paved the way for God’s plan to come to pass. 

Reflecting on a warrior’s amour when going into battle, each of the items of the has been selected for a very particular reason, not just picked because it looks cool or tough. It’s protective, it’s precise. Warriors know they can’t go into battle without their amour and survive, remaining fully intact and unscathed. 

We must not start our day without being fully prepared, fully covered and fully protected. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Don’t be fooled, we are told many times to protect ourselves from evil schemes, lies, offences, and to walk in light and truth. 

We must know our weapons and our protective gear before we go into battle, becoming skilled in using them. 

Paul tells us to ‘put on the full armour of God’, it’s not a suggestion. He doesn’t say ‘you might want to put on’, he says ‘put on’. 

The reason we put it on is to withstand the attacks. We don’t just put the armour on to protect and defend, although that is important, but we put it on and use it to strike as well. When we do that we close the door to the enemy and open the door to the will of God, advancing his kingdom. 

Our spiritual armour gives us what we need to push on, push against and advance. 

Putting on your armour daily isn’t hard work, Jesus has done the hard work for us, we just need to step into it in His strength and not our own. We just need to show up and pray. When you get up every day put it on, don’t leave a day to chance. Pray as you put it on, protect yourself and your family. Every day is an opportunity for the enemy to advance on your life and the lives of your loved ones, I don’t know about you but I’m not prepared for the enemy to steal, kill and destroy me or my family. I will stand and advance for God’s kingdom to come here on earth as it is in heaven. 

Over this week I’m going to break down what each part of the armour is and how it can be used to protect and advance. Why? Because I feel too many off us underestimate the power we have inside of us as believers and we are entering into a battle that needs us to stand and make advances, to be the light, to break chains of bondage, to protect and serve. 

Out battle isn’t against people, flesh and blood. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. There is too much darkness, too much fear, too much terror. It’s time to rise up and clothe ourselves in His armour and take charge. 

Join us, take up your armour and wear it every day, every day. 

Be blessed

Jess xx

  
2015…For my husband and I it was a year of stretching…and I’m really not a fan of the stretching part. We learnt so much, we were stretched in ways that we didn’t think were even possible. With 2016 literally just around the corner we are excited! The stretch is still being held tight but we are excited about the New Year and the New Level that our family (as individuals and as a family unit) are stepping into.

I was sharing with my life coach a few weeks ago about I don’t make New Year resolutions or anything that is measured against, ‘I want to lose weight’, ‘I want to get muscles’, etc. This is all very me, me, me and I, I, I driven. I’m not saying that this isn’t what you should do, I’m just saying that it’s not what God has put on my heart to do.

When God conflicts you with something, He is conflicting YOU with something, not everyone else. This year God was really dealing with me and the cravings I had for sweets…I was craving them far more than I was craving time with Him and it was taking focus away from my purpose. I had to stop, cold turkey stop. I gained strength from the Lord in dealing with the cravings and went to Him instead of to the sweets. Does this mean you all have to do it? No. Did it mean that I had to do it? Yes. If you feel that somethings isn’t ‘sitting’ or feeling right with you, then it may mean that God is telling you this is something you need to deal with.

I tell the girls that I do Real Me with; if you put on a pair of jeans and they were so tight that they made you feel uncomfortable, they made you change the way you had to sit or stand, then you would take them off…you wouldn’t wear them…same thing applies to things that conflict you or things that others are asking you to do. If something isn’t ‘sitting’ or feeling right with you then don’t do it, ask for help or advice.

This whole ‘me’ and ‘I’ mindset that we have really takes our eyes off our true purpose and off God. This is why I am not a fan of selfies or endless photos of yourself. I am very much aware that I am a part of something that is much bigger than me…that my mission/purpose in life is not to make ‘me’ feel good or about seeing how much money ‘I’ can make or spend, or making a ‘name for myself’. My mission/purpose is to bring glory to God in all that I do, to acknowledge and give praise to Him in all that I succeed in, to love others, and to love myself (not in an up-myself-kind-of-way but in a ‘I can’t fulfil the Kingdom Call if I am not fit to do it’).

I was guided to the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I am really excited to be doing this for at least the next 40 days. I started with Day One this morning, It All Starts With God, “You were made by God and for God – not the other way around – life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not you using Him for your own purposes.

You don’t need the books to do this, I have put a link to Day One here and I will post these links to the Faith, Food and Fitness Facebook page each day…so why not do this along with me?? Grab a notebook and your favourite pen and let’s all live a purpose driven life.

Be Blessed

Jess xx

  
We have been given free will.  Free will to choose one thing or another, to do something or not do it, to ‘say something nice or not say it at all’. 

This free will is extended to the things we choose to put in our mouths and feed our bodies with. We can choose to have a salad over chips, an apple over a chocolate bar.

Each time you choice to eat a Real Food option you are making it easier to respect that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, your body needs to be kept sacred, healthy and fit.

You will find that these healthy foods are not only making you feel better but you’re looking better, thinking clearer, emotions are stable and you’re responding to situations level-headed….BONUS! 

Be blessed

Jess xx