Live Right



Stand firm then . . . with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Ephesians 6:14

It’s amazing how much protection is offered simply by living right and how much our actions can protect the lives of those we love from spiritual attack. Here’s what Job wrote:

I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. Job 29:14-17

It’s application, not intention that leads to transformation. Many times we’ll want to do right for those we love, we’ll pray about doing right and we’ll even intend to do it, but we’ll never follow through. When Jesus talked about the man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7), the rock was the man who put the words of Jesus into action.

Simply put, your right actions will have a spiritually protective effect not just on yourself but on those around you, those you love. Do you want to keep your kids away from the dangers of internet pornography? Put a filter on all your devices. Do you want to protect your kids from the excesses of alcoholism? Get the alcohol out of your own house. Refuse to drink even socially, to protect those you love from a temptation that one day they might not be able to control. If a broken relationship is the cause of emotional angst and an opening for spiritual attack, then fix the relationship. At the end of the day, putting the breastplate of righteousness into practice is simply living right. Live right, make right decisions, do right things, make things right in your world, and you help protect those you love.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Look at the lives of those around you, those you are wanting to defend and protect. What wrong decisions are being made that are offering an opening for the enemy to attack them?

2. How can you come in with love and help make things right? More than intention, more than prayer, what can you do to make things right in the lives of those you love?

NEXT STEP

The next step in living right is to make something right. What’s a situation that needs to be made right? Are you struggling with addiction? Get help. Is a relationship broken that is causing you heartache and pain? Mend that relationship. Is there a habit you need to stop? Stop it. Make a phone call, ask for help. Do something! Make something right in your life.


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