Ephesians 6

"Dear Faithful Follower, Some of the churches in your day are skilled at drawing big audiences. Many more congregations, both large and small, need to..."

Are you protected from outside attacks? Russ Lawson reminds us to put on the full armor of God so we don't get spiritually hacked.

O you'd better watch out or she will make you cry! Sarah Stirman talks about her daughter's basketball playing and how coaches warn their teams to watch out for her, number 3.

"In addition to all of these [things to be able to resist evil], hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as..."

"Dear Father, my support in battle, Help me stand, having put on my body the garments of TRUTH and the bullet-proof vest of the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF..."

What are you doing to empower God's word? Prayer empowers God's people and God's message.

"Dear Beloved, In yesterday's note, I urged you to display your Father's righteous character and gracious compassion. Today, I apply that principle..."

"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 Lord's..."

"Dear Father, warrior against all evil, May I put on the full array of battle gear that you supply that I may be able to stand against the schemes of...."

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies....."

"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be..."

"Dear Father, King, and Commander of the holy armies, Though you have lifted me up to reign in the heavenly places with Christ, remind me that your..."

Where are you living right now? We spend much of our life between highs and lows, great times and bad times, and we must learn to use this time productively.

Now just how good a Mother's Day gift is a rubber tree plant? Russ Lawson talks about what husbands and sons should do for the mothers and wives for Mother's Day.

"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."

"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..."

"So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. … Also take salvation as your helmet...."

"Dear Father, May your peace-in-the-midst-of-war be with all my brothers and sisters throughout the world. May you and the Lord Jesus fill them with....."

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me,..."

"Dear Father, my resource for everything, Help me make full use of your spiritual resources given to me. Help me destroy evil through the power of..."

"And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles..."

"Dear Father, May I fill my time with prayer and entreaties to you. Help me to keep alert for prayer. And to keep on, and keep on, and keep on. I..."

We must learn to use prayer to face our challenges. One of our most important tools in our spiritual warfare is prayer.

Is work secular or sacred space? Every space is holy when a Christian inhabits it.

Can my daily work actually be sacred work? Rubel Shelly reminds us that for Christians all of life is a place of sacred activity, especially our work.

I get done only what I pray for! Phil Ware shares some practical ideas on how to stay on mission even while practicing social distancing.

"Dear Beloved, Some of you roll your eyes or quickly speed-read past any biblical discussion of demons because you think that this kind of thing..."

Our model, our hero, our example of great leadership, must always be Jesus! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to recognize Jesus' example of being a servant and how we must resist worldly standards for our leaders in the Lord's church.

Don't let him eat away at your life! Satan likes to sneak in and set up shop and begin his destructive work in our lives when we are unsuspecting.

God's Word is powerful in our lives when we go public with our faith and commitment to Him! Steve Hemphill reminds us of the great power for those of us who believe God is still the Great I AM and who intervenes to bless and empower his people today.

No one wants to be an expert, but we all must be alert! Rubel Shelly reminds us of the sly intentions of the evil one who would like to deceive us, but we can and do have the power to resist.

Where does all the time go? Tom Norvel thinks about time and how fast his daughter has grown up at her graduation.

What do our daughters most need from us? Heather Holland Helton shares some important things dads need to know about their daughters and how to build that relationship to be the most it can be.

Instead of getting frustrated and pushing the assignment, I sat down with him at his desk in his superhero bedroom. Christine Derengowski writes frankly and truthfully and encouragingly about dealing with our superheroes who have had to conquer forces unseen before for school kids in this crazy COVID world!

Can you adjust to family life on the fly? Jenny Runkel reminds us of the rules of improv and shows us how to use them in our parenting!

When is fishing more than fishing? A fishing trip becomes more than a fishing trip when a father honors his son and a son remembers his father.

How can you tame a raging child volcano? A kid who goes through a tantrum meltdown faces off with his mom who uses the scream free technique to help the child learn boundaries and not embarrass himself.

Are you as smart as a mule? Bill Sherrill reminds that we can only do what we can do and not anything more and even a mule knows that, or so says the old German immigrant in Arknasas that owns an old gas station.

How can I turn it around with my kids? Jenny Runkel shares an experience with her parenting that took her outside the normal ScreamFree process and how she did the opposite of what she felt like doing to get back on track.

What would you have chosen? Steve Higginbotham shares a powerful story about a conversation with a neurosurgeon who choose to be a daddy before being a recognized neurosurgeon.

How can you honor your dad this week in a significant way? Phil Ware describes how his dad was great and how he taught his family how to love and stand up for kids.

What a great and unexpected blessing! Phil Ware tells about his mom and Grady's twenty-fifth anniversary and what a great blessing it is.

How do grandparents deal with multiple multiples? Janet Colbrunn shares her experiences as a grandparent to multiple multiples.

Who is driving your agenda? A 12-year-old behind the wheels helps wake us all up to who is behind the wheel.

I remember being alarmed at her early disinterest in learning... or at least what we think of as learning. Jordan Harrell shares wise words for moms on this Mother's Day reminding us what we should most value in our children.

"In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless]..."

"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."

"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..."

"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..."

"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."

"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. "

"I am sending him [Tychicus] to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you."

"Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."

"Grace to all who love our LORD Jesus Christ with an undying love."

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

"In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

"Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully]..."

"“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this....."

"Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. And having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in..."

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

"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 Lord's..."

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

"Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be..."

"Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God."

"What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that..."

"So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on..."

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 6:10-11 -- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus with an undying love. - Ephesians 6:24

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of the wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

Fathers...bring them up in the nuture and correction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 6:22 -- I am sending him [Tychicus] to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 6:13 -- 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.

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 6:11 -- Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Can you get rid of that sin that entangles you? Throwing away the ring, getting rid of our sin is crucial if we are to bring peace to our world and those around us.

What can we do to help? Phil Ware talks about ways we can help with hurricane relief.

"Dear Beloved, In today's reading, you will find Paul arriving in Ephesus. Ephesus was a remarkable and important city in Paul's world. But the people..."

"Dear Disciple, Very few people have direct access to the leader of their nation. If you urgently needed to get your leader's attention, you would be...."

"Dear Friend, To understand your verses today from the book of Acts, you need to be aware of two challenges facing My early followers in Ephesus. The..."

For us, the cross means everything because at the cross God meets us with overwhelming grace and love that know no limit. Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins lead us into worship in song and the Word to experience, proclaim and rejoice in the power of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our ToGather time today focuses on God's great promises to bless us, but also challenges each of us to ask: What is the true source of my delight? Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to recognize God's greatness and his desire to bless us with every good thing we need.

Because we have heard the story of Martha and Mary so many times, we often miss the radical truth Jesus established at this dinner! Phil Ware continues his series on what the New Testament teaches about God valuing women and the key role they played in the early church of Jesus.

We want to tell you how thankful we are for you with words that are greater than our ability to express! heartlight.org, verseoftheday.com, ayearwithjesus.com all want to say thank you in the words of Scripture for your prayers, love, support, and encouragement.

Can you visualize your workplace as your mission? Rubel Shelly talks about using our work and workplace as the place we live out God's mission for us.

I feel like I am launching my prayers upward, as if I was shooting bbs toward heaven, only to have them hit a metal ceiling and fall at my feet, mocking me with their ineffectiveness! Phil Ware provides a host of resources on prayer and how to grow our prayer lives.

How strong is the pull in your life? We shouldn't play around with sin because it opens the door of heart to evil and satan.

Would you have had the courage to make this right choice? A coach's first responsibility is to coach his own son!

What do dads know that no one else seems to appreciate? Dads know the secret: they have incredible influence over their kids.

Is there still a place for a man's man to honor God? Remembering the importance of men as fathers in our world.

Why would this little girl hate what her father loved? Our children need us and our attention if they are going to be all that God wants them to be!

Are our prayers too guarded and not adventurous enough? Shana Schutte, author and speaker, challenges us to move away from pray it safe prayers to prayer that challenges us to live on the edge of faith and adventure.

How much are they picking up from us that we don't know? Rubel Shelly tells about Matt Lovo who saved his dad's truck and prevented a major accident in a tractor trailer rig when he took over driving for his dad even though he was a kid.

Can you truly parent without the loud volumes and the moments of being out of control? Parenting can be done scream free, but not because we focus on our children, but because we focus on ourselves.

What do you do when kids don't respond to your good efforts? Hal Runkel talks about putting up a basketball goal with his son and how his son responds inappropriately and how a dad responds properly.

How can we preserve the faith of future generations? Phil Ware goes over the final principle of the seven principles taught to him by his dad, called Daddy Al, and he shares them with his children to leave a lasting legacy of faith.

What kind of church do you want to be part of? Phil Ware writes about interim ministry and his partners, and how we can be a 'Yes" church.

Prayer is a holy moment. We invite the eternal and divine grace of God to invade our hearts and change our lives and the lives of those we love. Phil Ware shares Scriptures, stories, and ideas to help us prepare for the hour of worldwide unified prayer for our broken world, especially focused on love and prayer as a source of hope for our broken world.

Jesus won't let us classify him as just another good teacher: He challenges us to decide if he is Lord, liar, or lunatic! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to honor Jesus as greater than anything or anyone.

"Dear Disciple, I've been sharing some reasons that the Scriptures, including the teaching of the apostles and others in the New Testament, are..."

Jesus came to bring us freedom from bondage to Satan and his power. Phil Ware reminds us the battle we are in with Satan with our lives and how Jesus can end our bondage to him.

What can we do? Phil Ware offers some practical and important advice on what to do to help in the devastation caused by tornadoes.

Can you find that light that chases away the shadows? Phil Ware continues his series on When Spirit Becomes Flesh and talks about Jesus as heaven's light.

Imagine if we all came together at the same time and prayed for God to intervene and help us overcome our world's problems! Phil Ware explains the unified, simultaneous, hour of prayer on January 1 and December 31 as all the time zones gather together to pray.

We are broken vessels, saved by grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit to make a difference in our broken world with the grace that we have received. Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word about not being lazy and neglectful of the opportunities God has given us to lead others to Jesus, along with a closing blessing for worship

Have you been trapped lately? Satan loves to trap us when we wander away from God's people.

Are you putting off a confrontation with the enemy? We often try to deny or feel sorry about the attacks of Satan in our lives rather than resisting and fighting him with the spiritual power God has given us.

Do spooky things scare you? There are scary things in this world, but we need not fear any of them. The one who is in us is greater than the powers of this world.

When our hearts look beyond our walls, our nations, our skin tones, and our languages, we can hear our Savior welcome all of us as his family. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to challenge us to love one another and put other's need above our own.

The Father has given us access to holy power and a way to bless each other through prayer if only we will take advantage of it! Phil Ware completes his four part series on growing to become like Jesus through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, the transformation that Jesus promises us when we choose to follow him as his disciple.

Is my work really ministry? Rubel Shelly reminds us that any vocation can be ministry if we approach it with intention and the honoring of God.

"Dear Beloved, One of the great blessings that you have received from Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — is the Bible, the "holy Scriptures."...."

Are we listening to what we are saying? Rubel Shelly is asked a hard question about the awful stories of the Bible and reminds the questioner that it is truthful, gritty, real life story of the human race while offer God's grace to redeem us.

How can we best approach the beginning of school? Hal Runkel gives us some good advice on how to be ready for the transition back to school.

With the Holy Spirit, there never has to be a spiritual drought! Phil Ware reminds us of Jesus' promise to send us living water in the Holy Spirit, water that would never run dry and would well up in us to eternal life.

When Luke summarized the heart of the early church, he chose to highlight one particular word — Phil Ware continues his series on prayer this week, focused on the early church's devotion to prayer that they learned from Jesus.

Why keep doing what you're doing? Alan Smith uses a story by Elie Wiesel to help make the point that sometimes we have to do things that seem even futile because we don't want to be changed into something we don't want to be.

We can trust God's promises that the Spirit is at work in us! Phil Ware reminds us that God wants us to know that we have the Holy Spirit present and at work with power in our lives!