[SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to the Two Seekers Podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today's episode is part of our Pragging Bible series.
[SPEAKER_00]: Each episode we read a verse from the Bible and learn how to pray it back to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever struggled with knowing what to say to God when you pray?
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes we don't always know how to pray or what to pray when we're talking to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The good news is that God has given us the Bible, and the Bible is filled with all kinds of truths that we pray back to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we are at a loss and don't know how or what to pray, we can turn to the Bible to give us truth that we can stand on and believe in when we talk to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you know that when you asked Jesus into your heart you became a child of God?
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bible says we can have confidence when we come before God because He is our Father and He hears us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today I'm going to show you how we can pray the Bible continuing to use a powerful passage about the armor of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today's passage comes from Ephesians chapter 6.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ephesians is a book in the New Testament written by a man named Paul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul wrote this letter to help believers understand how to live strong in their faith.
[SPEAKER_00]: In this part of the letter Paul talks about something called the armor of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He explains that just like soldiers were armor to protect themselves, God has given us spiritual armor to help us stand strong.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's hear what Paul has to say about the armor of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
[SPEAKER_00]: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.
[SPEAKER_00]: and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.
[SPEAKER_00]: And after having done everything to stand, stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
[SPEAKER_00]: in addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God, and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers in request, with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pray also for me that whenever I speak words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.
[SPEAKER_00]: In our last spring, the Bible episode on the armor of God we learned about the belt of truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we are going to learn about the breastplate of righteousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul says in the scripture we just read, stand firm then with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
[SPEAKER_00]: Before we pray, let's take a moment to think about what this means.
[SPEAKER_00]: A breastplate was a very important piece of a soldier's armor.
[SPEAKER_00]: It covered and protected the chest, including the heart and other vital organs.
[SPEAKER_00]: Without it, a soldier would be vulnerable to attack.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul tells us that God has given us a spiritual breastplate called righteousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now righteousness is a big word, but it means being right with God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's the amazing thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: We cannot earn righteousness by being good enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: We all make mistakes, and the Bible says we all sin, but when we put our trust in Jesus and believe that He died on the cross for our sins and that He forgives us and washes us clean, then we can believe He gives us His righteousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because of Jesus, we have been made right with God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The breastplate of righteousness reminds us that our relationship with God is secure because of what Jesus has done for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: It also reminds us to live in a way that honors God when we choose kindness, honesty, forgiveness, and obedience we are walking in righteousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let's think about how this applies to us.
[SPEAKER_00]: First, I want you to thank God for sending Jesus to make you right with Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think Him that you don't have to earn His love because Jesus has already done the work for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Next, think about any mistakes you've made recently.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you said something unkind, disobeyed a parent or teacher or made a choice you know wasn't right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take a moment to confess those things to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember God is loving and forgiving when we confess our sins He forgives us and helps us start fresh.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lastly, think about one way you can live for God this week.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you can choose kindness when someone is difficult.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you can obey right away when a parent asks you to do something.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you can forgive someone who hurt your feelings.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ask God to help you walk in righteousness every day, knowing that it's not your effort or strength that earns righteousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's Jesus' righteousness upon you.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we go into battle against the enemy, the devil wants to tell you that you are a sinner that you are fallen that you made too many mistakes for God to love you and use you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the breastplate of righteousness covers you.
[SPEAKER_00]: so that his arrows can't hit you.
[SPEAKER_00]: When he tries to lie to you, hold up your breastplate of righteousness and say, in Jesus' name, I have been made righteous.
[SPEAKER_00]: In Jesus' righteousness over me, that allows me to have a relationship with God to come and talk to him in prayer and know that he hears me.
[SPEAKER_00]: We thank you, Jesus, for your righteousness that covers us every day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Great job, two seekers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that we have thought about what this first means,
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to pray, and you can listen for all the ways I pray the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to save us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you that because of Jesus we can be made right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Help us to put on the breastplate of righteousness every day, protect our hearts from sin and the lives of the enemy, and anything that would pull us away from you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for forgiving us when we make mistakes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Help us to quickly confess our sins and trust that you have forgiven us and offered us grace.
[SPEAKER_00]: Teach us to live in ways that honor you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Help us to choose kindness, honesty, obedience, and the fruits of the Spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Holy Spirit, let your fruits shine through us when we are tempted to do wrong, remind us that you have given us the strength to be able to walk in freedom and that we belong to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guard our hearts, help us to remember that our righteousness comes from Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: We love you, Lord, in Jesus' name.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[UNKNOWN]: You