Last weekend my son was staying the night with a friend, so he quickly packed his duffel bag and brought it downstairs. I decided to look in it and make sure he had packed all the important things, and he had - a nerf gun with plenty of bullets. But I noticed that he had forgotten to pack some other essentials, so I quickly threw them in the bag. After he left, I imagined him being at his friend's house later that night and remembering what he had forgotten to pack. I imagined it finally dawning on him that he had forgotten to pack some pretty important things and the relief he would feel when he looked in his suitcase and saw that mom had not forgotten.
It made me think about our own suitcases. The one that God has packed for us.
He has not left us defenseless. He has not left us stranded in our circumstances without the proper gear. He has equipped us for every situation we face. But we have to unpack the suitcase. We have to be reminded to open it up and put on the garments and gear. We have to stop leaving the house without it.
We have to remind ourselves of what is afforded to us through our relationship with Christ. He has given us His truth. His peace. His righteousness. His promises. The power of prayer. Salvation. His Holy Spirit! We have joy and hope at our finger tips. We are not like this world! But sometimes we forget that and our language and our attitudes don't reflect what we have been given. We pick up that old suitcase - that old baggage of the world that we laid down. The one filled with doubting, complaining, worrying, and hopelessness.
If that's you today, remember that when you laid down your old life for a new life in Christ, you exchanged that old suitcase for a new one and God has not left you unequipped for your new life in Him. Unpack the suitcase:)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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. 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. Ephesians 6:10-18