Daily Devotional - 1474 - With the heat turned up!

Daily Devotional – 1474 – With the heat turned up!

Some thoughts for today by Papa “J”

Papa J's Rules for Livin #45 (from 2008)

I cannot stand people who are always unreasonable! They are illogical, self-willed and self- centered and obnoxious; but then I looked in the mirror!

Comments and Challenges

Bunker gear (the firefighters shield). Fully clothed including an air tank, a mask, a helmet with attaching face shield and boots; the extra weight is about 50 pounds. Then the need to climb ladders or stairways becomes extremely exhaustive with this gear on. Now, add a hose full of water at eight pounds per gallon it is no joke, the higher one climbs, the weightier the hose. 

Trusting your equipment and trusting what you are able to do is a constant concern. Training gives the firefighter the RIGHT to be in actual emergencies you are where you are simply because you have trained to be there; on the front line. Your air tank will keep you there for about one-half hour, but the tank becomes very hot. Have you ever tried to breathe hot air, it can shatter your trust in the equipment, how about watching your helmet face shield start to melt? It is pure scary.

You stay but you want to run, then someone pats you on the back and says, we need to move back. Scene safety takes over and on that command you retreat to a cooler area. Finally the scene commander tells everyone to evacuate the building, that you've done all that can be done. Now the outside crew will surround the building and drown it with water from all sides and whatever is in the building will be destroyed.

Ephesians 6:16

I looked at Ephesians yesterday and spoke about the armor of God which is “putting on Christ and making no provision for the flesh” Romans 13:14, but now imagine going to fight such a fire like the one above in your daily street clothes, the heat from such a fire would ignite your clothing in less than 30 seconds and yet day after day born again believers, wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast and start their day without even saying, "Good Morning Lord"

Ephesians 6: 16 – begins with a LOUD command, "ABOVE ALL" above all of what Paul? Well if you are going to go out and face the fire of the enemy, at least go out with the shield of faith. And we say, "I have faith" so I always have my shield with me, but let me ask you; does it start to melt when the heat is cranked up? Yes, the faith shield will melt without; Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit so do not forget to speak to God before you go out.

We need to know that the shield is not something we tuck under the arm. Faith is to stand between us and the dangerous darts of circumstance. Notice the wicked ones darts, they are "fiery" ones. Like real fire some of the devil’s darts are capable of melting your shield of faith. Some heat up your capacity to breath and all of the devil's schemes are designed to make you turn and run.

By the way the shield is attached to the helmet, but not to protect your face from the fire, but to protect your face from taking a direct hit from some fiery object that you may not see coming. Faith needs to be realized to be effective in the things hoped for. In other words; if we are to have any hope of quenching the fiery darts of the evil one, then we must realize that faith is attached to salvation, the ultimate source of protection. Heb 11:1

Retreating to safety is not cowardly like the disserting of a post, retreating is realizing that the battle is the Lord's and when He intervenes on our behalf; we must be willing to retreat to the safe haven of rescue. John 3:22-36, (see verse 30) John the baptizer could not accomplish the ministry that God gave to Jesus so it was necessary for Jesus and His ministry to increase and for John's ministry to decrease. Even the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.