Life Is Hard

Life can be hard.
Let's be honest, it can be a struggle.

Nasty Neighbors.
False Friends.
Bickering children,
Grumpy Spouse.
Tyrannical Boss.
Gossip.
Church Splits

Shall I go on?
Want to know the truth?

Every Conflict Is Spiritual

That's right, every conflict is spiritual.

It is so easy for us to get caught up in the physical, to put a human face on the fight before us.
Every Challange Is Conquerable. We battle while on our knees while reading the bible, while in prayer. 

Spiritual strength is required to push through the battles in this world. Spiritual armor must be put on as we face our day - every day.

The bible tells us:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.…Ephesians 6:10-13

What is this armor the scripture speaks of?

Let's read on.

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.

The Belt of truth- 

It covered your middle, your internal organs and holds everything up. Literally it holds your pants up and keeps you from being exposed. That is what the Truth does. It holds everything else up. No pants on the ground people! Fasten your belt!

Breastplate of Righteousness 

The knights of old knew the importance of protecting the heart. The breastplate protected the chest because a chest wound was deadly. Spiritually speaking righteousness is only through Christ. It is not something we can obtain of our own merit. When Christ died on the cross His Righteousness was then credited to all who believe in Him through justification and not through our own works.

Shield of Faith 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Feet Fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace  

Have you ever hurt your foot? It can make a grown man cry and quickly get you off of your feet! The knights of old knew the importance of protecting the feet in battle.
The Shield Of Faith
Notice it says to take up the shield? That means that it can be put down friends. The way we take up our shield is by daily reading the bible. We can fight against the doubts and lies by keeping current with our reading and spending time with God every day.
The Helmet of salvation

The warrior didn't want a head wound, and this piece of metal will protect you head as salvation protects against the onslaught of the attacks on the mind. The lies and the deceit of the evil one and his battle against the truth.
Sword of The Spirit- 
The Word of God, the bible. We must read the bible so that we can recognize the lies. When you work for a bank you are not given counterfeit money to study but the real thing. You know without a doubt what the real thing looks like so you can understand when you see the fake. Same with the word of God. We must immerse ourselves in the truth, so when we are face to face with a lie, we know it.
Lastly: 
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

No good soldier would go without communicating to his commander. No war can be won by each man just acting on his own and not working together. So too, the warrior of God. We must spend time talking to God. He loves us dearly and wants to hear from us.