Dressed and Ready - Martin Wiles

Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return. Luke 12:35-36 NLT

Unless I live in a nudist colony, dressing is necessary.

Dressing for success is more along the lines of what I’ve been taught. Dressing down for work or for a night out on the town wasn’t the norm when I was growing up. Sundays meant a suit and a tie—sometimes even a vest. Shoes were shined on Saturday night. Going out on the town meant looking presentable as well. Shirttails were tucked, and at least dress blue jeans were worn. Dressing for a job interview meant almost repeating what I did for Sunday. Work attire required suitable clothes for appropriate positions—jeans for dirty jobs and dress slacks, shirts, and perhaps a tie for professional positions. Dressing correctly was a part of being ready.

Jesus instructed His followers to dress for His return. He compared Himself to a master returning from a wedding feast and finding some of his servants ready but others not. He would show special favor to the ready ones, but not the others.

Being dressed and ready involves wearing the helmet of salvation. Helmets guard the brain and mind. With the mind, we think, reason, and consider. Thoughts in turn produce actions. When we think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, we act accordingly.

Next are the shoes of peace. Our world is filled with war and turmoil. It needs people who will boldly carry the message of peace, which the gospel brings.

Dressing for God’s work also entails putting on the breastplate of righteousness. God puts this around us when we place our faith in what His Son accomplished on Calvary’s cross. Through faith, we trade our sinfulness for Christ’s righteousness, putting us on good terms with our heavenly Father.

The belt of truth snuggles our garments. If we don’t stand for truth, we’ll fall for anything.

The shield of faith enables us to ward off Satan's fiery darts. By faith, we can overcome the temptations he sends our way.

Our sword is the Word of God. By studying it, we receive the power to dress in godliness, serve in sincerity, and act with integrity.

Be dressed and ready to serve the King of Kings.

Father, prod me to dress appropriately so I might be ready to do Your work. 

If you enjoyed this devotion, please share it with your friends.  

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Fighting the Good Fight - Martin Wiles

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT

Growing up, I avoided them at all costs.

Many of my male friends loved to tussle and fight. Even if they were the best of friends, they might scrap. Not me. Since I was skinny and had no muscular build—and a mild nature—fighting wasn’t on my to-do list. I didn’t care for a bloody nose, busted lip, or missing tooth. Nor did I want a pair of broken glasses. I couldn’t see without them, Mom and Dad had instructed me to care for them, and I didn’t want to walk around half-blind as I had before I got them.

I can only remember two times when I almost got into a fight. One was with my best friend. He pushed. I pushed back. He pushed back harder. I walked away. The other was when a high school peer accused me of doing something to his car I hadn’t done. Luckily, a friend intervened.

Not getting into physical fights took effort. Bullies abounded. Guys who walked around looking for a fight. Boys who if you looked at them wrong wanted to punch you.

Paul talks about another kind of fight, but one that’s just as challenging: the fight of faith.

The reason Paul had to fight the fight of faith was that many folks didn’t buy into what he preached: that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world and that they needed to put their trust in Him. He thought the fight was worth fighting. And he did. Through shipwrecks, snake bites, misunderstandings, persecutions, lashings, and prison stays.

Not all believed in Paul’s day, and their descendants have come down to our time. Some believe. Many still don’t. And some of those who don’t want to fight those of us who do. They attempt to squash our rights to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. They want to take away our freedom of speech (about religion). They want to remove all trimmings of religion from society. They want to jail us . . . to kill us.

Our fight is between good and evil . . . God and Satan. And the struggle takes a lifetime. Good will win out in the end, but the very end. Not necessarily before our life ends.

The good news is that we’re not alone. Others fight with us. More importantly, God fights with us through the power of His Spirit. Some will die in the fight. Some will avoid the fight. Some will walk around injured from the fight. But fight we must. The cause is worth it. People need to know God loves them and wants to forgive their sins so they can live in heaven with Him in the future and enjoy the life He plans for them in the present.

Don’t give up in the fight for the faith.

Prayer: Father, give us the strength to fight the fight of faith.

Tweetable: Are you fighting the good faith? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Ready for Battle - Martin Wiles

We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help. 2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT

We prepared to fight a battle we hoped we wouldn’t have to fight.

The head of school met with teachers, giving us plans for the battle—the one we hoped we’d never have to wage. If the battle was in the building, we should hunker down in our rooms, lying flat on the floor.

These instructions didn’t comfort me, especially since bullets can penetrate walls and intruders can kick in doors. If we could get out, we should flee … quietly.

Now we had to pick a spot to flee to. After taking attendance and lunch orders, we gathered our classes, headed outside, and walked two football fields away to a wooded area. Then each class determined where in the woods we would assemble. This was necessary so we could account for everyone should a real intruder intrude.

The meeting and practice sobered me. We prayed nothing like this would ever happen. Perhaps, we were a little naïve. We lived in a smaller town and attended a private school. But we knew the battle could come, so we got ready, all the while knowing any plan we concocted could be altered by the circumstances.

Our world is a dangerous place. Mass shootings are common. Jehoshaphat’s world mimicked ours in many ways. Enemy armies marched against the southern kingdom of Judah—Jehoshaphat’s territory. He cried out to God for help. He wasn’t ready for battle.

Physical battles can frighten us, but spiritual battles come in more intense forms. Paul says our real fight isn’t against flesh and blood but against evil spirits in an unseen world (Ephesians 6:12). Ones we can’t see, unlike a real intruder with weapons I can see.

Yet, the method of our response should not change. Jehoshaphat cried out to God, asking for wisdom and help. The people cried out too … and fasted.

The time to prepare for battle is not after the battle has begun, but before. Failing to put on our spiritual armor—thinking right thoughts, remembering we’re clothed in Christ’s righteousness, taking the sword of God’s Word, walking by faith, sharing our faith story—sets us up for defeat before the battle ever begins.

More importantly is remembering the battle is not ours, but God’s. He is in charge and the one responsible for routing the enemies of our souls. With Him on our side, victory is certain.

Get ready for your battles, and then let God lead you to victory.

Prayer: Father, guide us to the victories that only You can give.

Tweetable: Are you ready for the battle? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Accused - Martin Wiles

You gave me victory over my accusers. Psalm 18:43 NLT

I walked into his territory and was immediately accused.

My high school parking lot was sectioned off into unmarked regions: those for the popular kids and those for the nerds. I parked in the unpopular section. But I had made a new friend who was popular. He took me where all the cool guys and pretty girls hung out. I was excited, until one of the popular guys walked up to me and said, “You’re going to wash my car.”

When I asked why, he proceeded with his accusations. Supposedly, I had been driving in front of him and had thrown out an open container that decorated his fancy car. I denied the charges, but he maintained his accusation and threatened to “put out my lights.” I wasn’t up for a fight I’d surely lose—and I wasn’t a great fan of pain either, but neither was I going to clean his car for something I didn’t do.

I could almost feel the pain of the first punch when my friend stepped in between us. He was short but stocky and tough as nails. “You gonna have to go through me to get to him,” he said with a grin on his face. And he meant it. And the bully knew he meant it. He didn’t mind taking down someone he was sure to beat up, but he wasn’t up for a fight he might lose. He walked away—and so did I, with my friend.

Why the psalmist was falsely accused, we’re not told. He wasn’t worried though. God would give him victory over his accusers as He did me.

According to the apostle John, there is someone who stands before God day and night and falsely accuses Christians (Revelation 12:10). His name is Satan. His list of accusations is surely lengthy, but all the accusations are false. Can’t you hear him say, “God, he doesn’t really love you. If You weren’t so good to him, he’d turn his back on You?”

The good news is that Satan’s accusations—and the accusations of other humans who serve as his agents, fall on deaf ears. Christ is our defense attorney who turns every accusation around. In Christ, we are safe, our sins are forgiven, and our eternity is secure. No accusation will ever stand.

When others falsely accuse you, remember God will give you victory.

Prayer: Father, thank You for keeping us safe from all false accusations others and our enemy may make against us. 

Tweetable: God wipes away all the accusations. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Intimidated - Martin Wiles

As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. Acts 22:6 NLT

“Intimidator.” He was once proud of the name—but not anymore.

Richard and his brothers had a reputation. Brawny and bad to the bone, they didn’t take nothing off of anybody. Messing with them was bad news. They would gladly take you down—for little or no reason at all. Their violent words were matched by violent behavior. Fights were their business, and they went looking for them. Richard wore his nickname well and was more than willing to show anyone why he had it—until someone more intimidating than he was showed up.

Richard discovered God wasn’t scared of him and was more than willing to fight for his soul. He couldn’t bully God . . . couldn’t even touch Him. But God could fight him in ways he couldn’t defend himself against. He could hurt his conscience and his heart. He could bring out the soft side of him that he let no one else see.

Richard still speaks about his nickname—but in the past tense. That’s who he was, but it’s not who he is now. He saw the light.

Paul saw a light too. He was also big and bad—but in the religious field. This new “Way”—Christianity, had to be stamped out. So he busied himself arresting Christians and dragging them off to jail where many of them were put to death. Until he saw the light. The same light Richard saw thousands of years later. The light of a greater “Intimidator.” An intimidator who informed him that he was traveling the wrong path.

God doesn’t intimidate with catcalls, fights, and threats. He intimidates with the truth about me. I’m a sinner in need of help, and He’s the only One who can assist me. I can’t work to be good enough for Him to accept. Someone better than me—someone perfect, had to suffer for my sins. And in His love, God allowed His Son to take my place on a rugged cross. All He asks for in return is my love and obedience.

Relationship was why God created humans in the beginning and why He died for them in the end. No matter how intimidating I may try to be, I cannot out intimidate God’s truth about who I am and what I need to do.

Feeling intimidated? Accept God’s truth, love the Great Lover, and experience life at its best.

Prayer: Father, we draw nigh unto You, for nothing else will satisfy the hole in our hearts. 

Tweetable: God created us for relationships. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.