What an incredible gift.

I am dumbfounded by this incredible gift I have in front of me. It has been there since even before I can remember. (And it has been there since before I was born into this world.) I can not believe that I have not rejoiced in this gift daily... allowing it to sit on my night stand, on the shelf, on top of the filing cabinet, on the floor or countless other places I have left it.. to gather dust!! This is the Word of the Lord I am speaking about. It is the Sword of the Spirit. So powerful, I can not describe the depths of it. I am convicted that I should not let a day go by without opening this gift for strength, wisdom and encouragement. I have been reading Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, and although I have never fallen into my doubts of the actual authenticity of the Bible, I am amazed at the historical and logical authentication we have for the Word of God, the life and resurrection of God's son, Jesus Christ and the writings of the gospel!

Ephesians 6: 10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord an in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils's schemes. 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. 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. 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. In additiion to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 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 and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.