A Washcloth

Ezekiel 36:25
Just as we get dirty physically each day from all kinds of sources, so too do we find many ways to dirty ourselves on the inside. God always has an offer on the table to clean us up and put us in right relationship with him again.

25I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands (Ezekiel 36:25-27 MSG)

No different than a shower, we will experience true cleansing and refreshment when God has purged us of the wrong things we have done. As we seek him and seek to keep his commands he works on our heart and spirit drawing us closer to him and further from our flesh. It is in that place where we have left ourselves behind and have been washed by him that an overwhelming peace and joy is felt. It is not easy to stay in that place as our flesh is always trying to pull us into the pleasures of sin. It is almost as if we are two people, like Jeckyll and Hyde. Yet as long as we are in this world of imperfection we will struggle and often repeat the process of sinning and cleansing. It is most fortunate for us that Jesus bore the weight of our sins upon himself and stands before the Father on our behalf. Jesus has set us free from bondage to sin and death and opened the gate for us to live a joyous life in him. Don't despair, pray for Jesus to free you from your guilt and shame and be renewed and restored. When you take your shower pray that God will be washing you on the inside while you are taking care of the outside.

The Christian music video to go with today's devotion is Further From Myself by Pillar. A mp3 is available by clicking the link in the upper right.

Jeans

Ephesians 6:11-12
I went out for the evening to watch the sunset in the desert as I try to do whenever possible. Tonight, between the various prickly things I managed to run into, and the pesky mosquitoes, I was quite happy to have very little flesh exposed. Sure it would be nice to wear shorts and t-shirts in the desert since it's hot, but unfortunately you want protection those things just don't offer. Paul talks about some protection God makes available to us, not for insect protection, but it will work against a greater pest, the devil.

¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For 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. ¹³Therefore 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. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:11-17 NIV).

It is important for us to always be prepared for anything the enemy throws our way. As we try to make an impact in this world Satan will always be after us since we are a threat to him. God doesn't leave us defenseless, he offers what we need to stand. However, if we fail to take all the necessary items we will leave open a place for the enemy to penetrate. If we don't know God's Word it would be like going into battle without your sword, or in our time, your gun. It is critical to have the Word inside you, so you are always armed. Our enemy has all kinds of tactics like temptations, doubts, evil thoughts, and desires that take the right words to combat. Being true to your faith and standing up for what is right will always be a struggle. With God's help we can win and reflect his glory to the lives of those around us. Pray for yourself and all the saints that we will press on to victory and obtain our crowns of glory.

The song/video to go with today's devotion is Echelon by Pillar (Look out - this one will rock you!)