Faith on the Go: Ep 3: Equipping Yourself with the Armor of God: Walking in Spiritual Vigilance

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast, where faith empowers us to life's challenges.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we're diving into the critical aspect

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of spiritual life, spiritual warfare, and how to protect ourselves from deception.

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The title of today's episode is Equipping Yourself with the Armor of God.

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And it's episode three of Breaking the Deceit, Walking in Spiritual Vigilance.

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In this episode, we'll be reflecting on Ephesians 6,

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verses 10 through 18, where Paul describes the armor of God as a set of spiritual

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tools that God gives us to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy.

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If we're able, if we're going to live in the truth and walk in alignment with

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God's will, we need to be equipped to resist the deception and the spiritual attacks.

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So let's explore how to put on this armor every day and live in spiritual victory.

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God always, always leaves us well equipped to defeat the enemy. So let's pray.

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Father God, we come before you asking you for strength and protection.

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As we dive into your word today, teach us how to equip ourselves with the armor you have given us.

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Open our hearts to understand how to stand firm against the enemy's scheme and walk in victory.

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Guide us and protect us as we learn to fight our battles through your power.

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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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If you have your Bibles, go with me to Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 18.

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Here we see that Paul paints a vivid picture of the spiritual battles that we face as believers.

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He reminds us that our fight isn't against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of the enemy.

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To stand firm, we need more than physical strength.

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We need spiritual armor, but we need God's spiritual armor.

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The armor of God is a gift from him. So let's just thank him for his gift designed

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to protect us and give us the tools we need to live out his truth.

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In today's world where deception and spiritual attacks are constant,

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understanding and wearing this armor is more critical than ever.

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So let's start out at Ephesians 6, 10, verse 10 through 18.

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We're just going to take our time and let's go to verse 10. says,

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finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

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Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,

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against authorities, against the powers of this world, and against the spiritual

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forces in the heavenly realms.

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So Paul then goes on to describe six specific areas of armor that we can use

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to defend ourselves spiritually.

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So let's take a closer look at each one.

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Verse 14, the belt of truth.

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It says, stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

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The belt of truth is the foundation of the armor of God.

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It represents the absolute truth found in God's word.

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Just as a belt holds everything together, the truth of God holds our spiritual armor in place.

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When we live in God's truth, we stand firm against deception.

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Think about the role that truth plays in your life. Are you grounding yourself

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in the word of God daily so that truth holds your spiritual life together?

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So built is the truth.

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What are you doing to stay grounded in truth?

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Commit to starting your day with scriptures.

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When you meditate on the truth found in the Bible, you're preparing yourself

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to stand against the lies of the enemy.

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The more you know God's word, the easier it will be to recognize deception.

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Verse 14 still says, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.

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The breastplate protects your heart, the center of your emotions, thoughts, and desires.

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And we know from Genesis 3 that Eve's desires caused her to be deceived, right?

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And so when we put on our breastplate of righteousness, it protects our emotions,

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our thoughts, and our desires. So the breastplate of righteousness represents

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living and right standing with God.

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When we pursue righteousness, we guard our hearts from the corruptions of the world.

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Are you guarding your heart by making righteous choices?

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Are you protecting yourself from harmful influences that pull you away from God?

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I like to ask, like, who are you listening to? because the first thing God asked

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Adam and Eve is who told you you were naked?

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Who told you you were naked? Who are you listening to?

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Take time to examine your life. Are there areas where you need to align your

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actions with God's righteousness?

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Ask God to help you live a life that honors him and protects your heart against sin.

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What are you looking at? What are you listening to?

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A lot of times that has so great an influence on our emotions and our thoughts and our desires.

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Many times people say that, no, I have my sister.

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I love her. She sends me, she has my phone number, right? How many people got

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family with phone numbers?

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But they like to communicate to you over the social media, but I'm not on social

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media, at least not on TikTok and all the other stuff.

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I said, are you sending me messages through TikTok? And she says,

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yeah. I said, well, can you call me?

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I'm not there. Get off TikTok and talk to me. I don't want to see what people

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doing on TikTok. I don't care about them.

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So be able to protect what your emotions and thoughts desire.

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Are you one of those people who are easily influenced by what you see here?

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And are you like to be part of the in crowd? Then be careful.

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Put on your breastplate of righteousness.

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Take time to examine your life and are there areas where you need to align your

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action with God's righteousness?

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Ask God to help you live a life that honors him and protect your heart from sin.

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Number three, shoes of the gospel of peace.

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And with verse 15, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

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Shoes enable us to move forward, and the gospel of peace gives us stability and readiness.

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When we carry the gospel with us, we walk in peace, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty.

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We're always prepared to share the message of God's peace with others.

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I love that. Shoes have you moving forward. So if you're in a situation where

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you feel stuck, put on your gospel of peace shoes so you can go forward.

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How are you walking in peace? Are you ready to bring peace of Christ into every situation you face?

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When you feel overwhelmed or anxious, remind yourself of the peace that comes from knowing God.

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Be prepared to share that peace with others, especially in challenging situations.

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Let the gospel guide your steps.

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Verse 16, the shield of faith. In addition to all this, take up the shield of

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faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

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The shield of faith protects us from the attacks of doubt, fear,

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and lies that the enemy throws at us.

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Ooh, I love it.

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The shield of faith protect us from doubt, fear, and lies that the enemy throws at us.

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So when you're feeling doubt is kind of taking over, fear is taking over,

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or you don't know what to believe, right?

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You put on your shield of faith and it protects you from those attacks.

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Faith is trusting. That's your faith because faith comes by what?

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Hearing and hearing the word of God. So you've already piled up a lot of faith

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from putting the word of God before you.

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And so faith is trusting in God's promises.

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Even when things look bleak, it allows us to deflect the enemy's attempt to

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weaken or discourage us.

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Is your faith strong enough to protect you from the enemy's attacks.

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Are you trusting in God's area of your life even when the circumstances are difficult?

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Strengthen your faith by remembering God's faithfulness in your life.

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Keep a journal of answer prayer or victories to remind yourself of his goodness.

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When doubts or fear arises, hold up the shield of faith, trusting that God is working on your behalf.

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Number five, the helmet of salvation, verse 17.

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Take the helmet of salvation. I love that. Take the helmet of salvation.

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The helmet of salvation protects your mind.

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Our thoughts are often where the battle begins, and the enemy loves to plant

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seeds of doubt, insecurity, and fear.

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The helmet of salvation reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith.

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We belong to Christ, and our minds must be aligned with that truth.

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Wow, it says, Helmet of Salvation protects your mind.

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Our thoughts are often where the battle begins, and the enemy loves to plant

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seeds of doubt, insecurity, and fear.

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The Helmet of Salvation reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith.

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We belong to Christ and our minds must align with the truth, with that truth.

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Are your thoughts centered on

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your identity in Christ? Are you allowing negative thoughts to take root?

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Focus on your salvation, what it means to belong to Christ.

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Memorize scriptures that remind you of your worth and identity as a child of God.

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When negative thoughts creep in, take them captive and replace them with the

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truth of your salvation.

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And finally, verse 17, the sword of the spirit.

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The sword of spirit, which is the word of God.

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The sword of spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God.

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It represents the word of God, which can be used to fight against deception and spiritual attacks.

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Jesus used the scripture to combat the enemy's lies during his time in the wilderness.

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And we are called to do the same.

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I love that. Jesus used scripture to combat the enemy's lies.

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That means you need to know your word, right? Are you equipped with scripture

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to fight off the spiritual attacks?

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Do you know God's word well enough to use it as a weapon?

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Make scripture memorization a regular practice.

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Pick key verses that remind you of God's power, promises, and protection.

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When you face spiritual battles, speak those scriptures out loud, just as Jesus did.

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Put on the armor daily. Now that we've broken down the pieces of the armor of

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God, let's talk about how to put this armor on daily.

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Every morning before you start your day, take a moment to pray through each

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piece of the armor, visualizing yourself putting on the belt of truth,

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the breastplate of righteousness,

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the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation,

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and taking up the sword of the spirit.

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This daily practice reminds you that you are equipped for whatever spiritual battles you may face.

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It sets the tone for a day of spiritual victory and prepares you to stand firm

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in the face of deception.

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Decrees for spiritual protection. I decree that I am clothed in the full armor

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of God with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness,

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the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation,

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and the sword of the spirit.

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I stand firm against all forms of deception and spiritual attacks,

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and I walk in victory through the power of God.

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You know, I say it twice, so let's go. Let's get ready.

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I decree that I am clothed in the full armor of God with the belt of truth,

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the breastplate of righteousness,

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the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation,

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and the sword of the spirit.

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I stand firm against all forms of deception and spiritual attacks.

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I walk in victory through the power of God.

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Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for the armor you provided for us.

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Help us to put it on daily and to walk in your strength and protection.

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Help us to stand firm in your truth and to live righteously,

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and to share the gospel of peace with others.

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Strengthen our faith, protect our minds, and empower us to fight with your word.

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In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thank you for joining me today on the Diary of

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Black Women podcast with our Faith on the Go series.

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Just a reminder, chapter nine, Breaking the Seat, Walking in Spiritual Vigilance.

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Copy that will be available on the Diary of the Black Woman website.

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Blackwomenllc.com website for your enjoyment.

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I hope these episodes has encouraged you to equip yourself with the armor of

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God and stand firm against the enemy's schemes.

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Stay tuned for our next episode. I think it's gonna be chapter 117, Whispers of Peace.

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Gonna be talking a lot about dreams.

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I've been getting a lot of dreams lately, so this one's going to walk us through a dream I had.

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Stay tuned for our next episode where we will explore even more profound insights from God's word.

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So until next time, may you walk in the strength and protection of the armor of God.