You can read the first three posts in our fasting series here, here and here. We are still talking about the Armor of God. Suiting up with that armor EVERY DAY means we are always prepared for spiritual warfare. Fasting, coupled with prayer is an integral part of that armor! Today, we are putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness.
Have you heard the story about King Ahab? Yes, the same one who had Naboth killed so he could have his vineyard, but that’s not the story I am talking about.
In the 16th chapter of 1 Kings, Ahab “…did what was evil in the LORD’s sight more than all who were before him.”
Jumping over a few chapters, we are told that prophecy revealed to King Ahab that he would surely die in an upcoming battle. Ahab thought he could take control of that situation by disguising himself, yet he instructed his ally, King Jehoshaphat, to go ahead and wear his royal robes.
The catch was that the enemy had been told to “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate…And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.”
Ahab’s plan didn’t quite work out, first of all because God’s Word never returns void and secondly, his demise was due to a small opening in his armor, his breastplate.
This breastplate could save a soldier’s life! It protected the vital organs, especially the heart.
Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness is an intentional act, as are all of the pieces of armor. We make the choice to seek His righteousness and acknowledge we can do nothing apart from Him.
We can also have a “small opening” in our armor and not be fully protected! Could it be said that our breastplate isn’t as effective when we aren’t praying, haven’t fasted in forever, we are not reading the Word or following it, when we have obvious sin, or even when we think we can get by on our own merit?
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 ESV.
We can’t afford to be without this breastplate of righteousness! The enemy is watching and waiting for us to be careless and when we aren’t maintaining our relationship with the Savior, we are “taking off” pieces of our armor and leaving ourselves exposed to an attack from the enemy of our souls.
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” Hebrews 3:12.
Fasting, with prayer, makes us stronger, our armor more secure because we have determined to be closer to our God. We don’t let a day go by where we aren’t putting on the whole armor of God…that we may be able to stand, not in our own righteousness but in His!
See you tomorrow!
Do you have your copy of my easy-to-read Fasting Devotional? Don’t let the title fool you! It is a 21 day devotion for ANY FAST. Each day is an example of someone in the Bible who fasted, some for the wrong reason as well, and what we can glean from them. There are also Daniel Fast recipes and instructions for following that fast as well. Available at Amazon.com 