“Guarding your Heart”
The Armor of GodEphesians 6: 10 - 18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 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
A Thought From the Pastor
As we continue our study in Ephesians 6 on the Armor of God this weeks topic of the breastplate of righteousness took me to the book of Psalms and I found that the topic of righteousness is mentioned over 150 times. It struck me that king David, who wrote a majority of the book of Psalms, was a man after “God’s own heart” even though he often strayed from righteous living. I begin to realize that he had the desire and passion to align his heart with God’s and this was truly the beauty of king David and his passion to follow God and his will.
Righteousness in the Psalms is defined by both an individual’s upright character and their practical actions toward others. The Psalms emphasize five key characteristics of righteousness that we should focus on in our daily lives of living in a broken world that wants our hearts to align with darkness and “sins” of this world. Take time to focus on these five characteristics and see how you can begin to “tune” your heart to following God’s righteousness.
Delight in God’s Word
The righteous find joy in studying and meditating on God’s divine teachings rather than following the advice of the wicked.
Steadfast Trust
Instead of giving in to fear or anxiety when facing trouble, the righteous person relies completely on God to remain stable and secure.
Integrity in Speech
A righteous person speaks the truth from the heart, avoids gossip, and refuses to use their tongue to harm or slander their neighbor.
Compassion and Generosity
Righteous individuals are known for being merciful and freely giving to the poor and needy without expecting exploitation in return.
Commitment to Justice
They act fairly in their daily dealings, protect the innocent, and refuse to be swayed by bribes or extortion
Prayerful Planning
- Please consider purchasing bread, spaghetti sauce and potatoes this week when you’re are shopping for food. Our food pantry is open next week and the items mentioned are needed. Thank you!
- If you would like to be involved with volunteering with our nursery, please sign up with Bernadette in the Welcome Center and we will be communicating plans through our church texting system.
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 6/8 - Community Lunch @ 11:30 - 12:30 @ PCoC
- 6/10 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 6/11 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCOoC.
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would submit our will to God.
- Pray that our thoughts, words and actions would be righteous.
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Big Joe Atwood and his decision on moving back to Petoskey or staying with his family. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for Joe with this decision.
- Please pray for Edmond and his court sentencing this week. Please pray that God will be with all those making decisions in his case and that fear and anxiety would be replaced by trust and peace.
- Please continue to pray for the McTavia, Willford and Conrady families who have all experienced the loss of life this past week. Please pray for peace, comfort and God’s presence during this difficult time.
- Please continue to pray for Ken Baker, Daniel Turner, Brian Cizek, Gerri and others that are dealing with physical ailments and ask for God’s healing in their lives.
- Please pray for John Dempster. John is recovering from a fall and a broken hip and now is dealing with severe pneumonia. John is back in Boulder Park in Charlevoix for therapy and healing