Devotions with Pastor Bill Ritchey

When Jesus was on trial before the Roman Governor, Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus gave this very important response, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37) The spiritual warfare that was escalating during this time appears to also be escalating for Christians today. In Ephesians 6:10-18 (the armor of God passage), the apostle Paul gives us some explanation about what is going on and what we should be doing about it. The devil has a hierarchy that is first apparent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Today, his powers and principalities are still at work in governmental bodies around the world. The weaker the Lord’s forces are, the more obvious the works of those devilish forces become. I believe we are seeing the reality of this in the world right now. This is obviously not the first time this has happened in history (see John 14:6 cf. Matthew 11:28-30).Referring back to Ephesians 6, the full armor of GOD is all about our relationship with Jesus Christ. That the armor begins with the belt of TRUTH is not a coincidence. Jesus Christ is the ultimate manifestation of truth. He is truth and He came to reveal truth to us. Without a right relationship with truth, the rest of the armor cannot be as effective as it should be.Please remember Jesus’ instruction given to a lawyer about inheriting eternal life – love the LORD with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:25-29). Looking at myself in the light of Truth, I recognize I have a lot of room for improvement. I’m very grateful I’m not saved by how good I am. I’m also very grateful for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit leading me into an ever-deepening relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ. That’s how I’m doing. How about you?Shalom, Pastor Bill