Put Your Armor On BEFORE The Battle

This morning I started a seven day Bible study on the power of prayer. This study is on the YouVersion app, which I love, love, love!

I thought it ironic that the passage for today is Matthew 2:2-4, 'And He went without food for forty days and nights, and He was hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, If you are God's son, command these stones to be made loaves of bread. But he replied, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'

Ironic because Jeremy and I have been learning about fasting and how God created us to experience spiritual truths while fasting.

Something jumped out to me about this passage. During the forty days, Jesus was truly alone.....no disciples that constantly drew from him emotionally and spiritually as they needed to be taught, and no sick and dying hoping for a miracle from this God man. He was alone with the Father. And during this time he was able to prepare for spiritual battle with Satan.

I've noticed during this season of my life, I have wonderful, fulfilling, satisfying, FORTIFYING times with Jesus when things are smooth sailing. No distractions, no illnesses, no financial stress - well, less anyway. When a lot of stressors are thrown at me at once, I tend to spend less time with the Lord. And I've kind of beat myself up about that, but I learned something today.

My spiritual armor should be in good repair and already protecting me BEFORE Satan throws his fiery darts.

In the midst of battle is not the time to have lengthy conversations with the general. Yes, communication is still important, but we should already be familiar with the battle plan before we get in the thick of it. So, maybe I need to stop letting the enemy fill me with guilt about spending less time with Jesus when we're dealing with multiple crises. I just need to be careful not to become lax about that quality time in the Word when I'm able to put more time and energy into it. Take advantage of that quiet time to learn my general's heart and strategy, so that when the battles begin, I'm ready.

What do you think? Do you find it easier to spend quality time with the Father when there are fewer stresses in your life? How does this work for you?