The apostle Paul’s letter to the church of Ephasis is pretty powerful but one verse is standing out to me today. It precedes the Armor of God- which is something I should be wearing daily!

Ephesians 6:13 reads to 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 thinking of times where I feel like I have been in a battle…times where I have felt, and blogged, that I was battle worn or weary..

I know I credited the Lord for the strength to endure the struggle, but it is the after that I am thinking about.

What do I do?

The battle is over, the struggle appears to have ceased or abated temporarily….I am exhausted in that moment.

I fall down in relief.

I lay down to rest.

I collapse to rejuvenate.

Sound familiar?

Sound appealing???

However, per this passage, I am told to stand when everything is done.

Excuse me?

Keep standing?!

In reflection on this I am beginning to see something…in my rest, my collapse, my timeout – my guard goes down.

How many times after a trial have I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit only to have a wave of shame and doubt sweep over me in the aftermath?

Suddenly, I question everything the Lord has carried me through: did I do that right, should I have said that, what if I…it is an endless interview inside my head.

Perhaps…PERHAPS, if I stayed standing and stayed prepared that would not happen.

The enemy is always waiting to pounce and he knows our weak side…he knows we are battle ready but he also knows that we get battle worn.

The war continues after a battle…and the spiritual war for our souls will continue until Christ returns…so the enemy will not stop attacking.

The Bible (I do not actually know where at the moment so feel free to help a girl out) tells us to stay alert. Jesus actually talks about robbers sneaking around, the devil is a thief that kills and destroys..evil doesn’t come when we are awake-it comes when we rest…and even, ESPECIALLY, at that time we are to be ready.

In my weakness He is strongest- right?

In my battle weary, exhausted, mom’s- heart -just- aches moments I am weak…that is when I desire rest and refreshing for my soul.

That is when I need to keep standing.