Daily Rhythms
From the Armor Series
“Let all bitterness, anger, and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:31-32 CSB
Hey friend!
When we were together last, we were talking about the breastplate of righteousness and what it looks like to put off behaviors that aren’t Christ-like. If you missed it, you can find that post here.
In that post, we looked at some verses and made a list of behaviors that Paul instructs us to “put off”. Did you see any behaviors that stood out to you that could be hindering you from being more Christ-like? I sure did. I’ll share the verse that stood out to me the most. It was Ephesians 4:31. Talk about Holy Spirit conviction – yep – this one got me right at the core.
Recently, my hubby and I went to a marriage retreat with our church. It was our first marriage retreat we had ever gone on and I have to say that if you get a chance to go on a marriage retreat – GO! Definitely go. It is worth the investment in your marriage to go. We learned and discussed such valuable things that would have saved us years of heartache if only we had applied those truths in the beginning.
Our pastor said something in the closing session of the marriage retreat that has really spoken to my heart. So much so that I have placed this quote and verse on the front of our refrigerator so that I see it every single time I open the fridge. It’s become our life verse for our marriage.
He said, “The key to freedom in your marriage lies in embracing these two verses found in Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, anger, and wrath, shouting, and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.””
He went on to say, “Develop this trait – Be the quickest in the family to forgive and ask for forgiveness.”
Friend, I must confess – I’m not always quick to forgive or to ask forgiveness and I do harbor bitterness, anger, and wrath. I have been known to shout when I get angry, and I haven’t been very kind or compassionate in many situations. Remember, I told you I had Holy Spirit conviction about how I wasn’t living very righteously.
Did you notice our key verse says, along with all malice? The definition of malice is a desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness. Have you ever just wanted to get someone back for hurting you or hurting someone you love? That’s malice.
So, if we live in a broken world and we are constantly fighting against a sinful nature, how are we supposed to put off these types of behaviors? How do we really wear this breastplate of righteousness?
We put on the breastplate of righteousness by making a conscious decision and a consistent determination and resolve to live out Romans 13:12-14. This must become a daily rhythm in our life. It is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day, second-by-second, repeated choice, and action, again, and again, and again. When we choose to practice righteousness, we place a block between the enemy and the area of our life he targets the most – our heart.
Dear God,
Thank you for convicting me where I wasn’t living righteously. Help me not to give the enemy a foothold to my heart. Help me to be more like you and less like me. I love you – In Jesus name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“The night is nearly over, and the day is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness: not in the sexual impurity and promiscuity, not in the quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:12-14 CSB