Take Up the Whole Armor

Belt of Truth:  A belt around our core offers support.  The core being the center of strength must be based in honesty to advance any cause.

Breastplate of Righteousness:  The breastplate protects our heart.  If we choose to do rightly, our heart is strengthened and offers endurance.  

Shoes of Peace:  Our feet direct our actions.  The path to promote peace is narrow and requires  us to be prepared with a full armor and sturdy shoes to guide us lovingly.

Shield of Faith:  A shield may guard our face so that our eyes will keep focus and continue to believe in our goals.  Our perspective is important, but we can be open minded without being vulnerable to the flaming arrows of doubt.

Helmet of Salvation:  To keep our "head in the game" requires us to persevere so that we can withstand any conflict and not be shaken.

Sword of the Spirit: Word is in the sword that is a weapon we use boldly. Words can harm or heal.  We must use them wisely to build each other up and offer guidance.  The sword cannot act alone. 

We must be honest, do rightly, act with love, believe in our goal, persevere in our faith, be prepared to share and be bold with our words. 

Three Sprits

Renew a Right Spirit within me: Doing what is right is an endless task.  It involves serving others until we are tired.  Sometimes the choices are easy and sometimes they all seem wrong. The motivation of the Right Spirit must be selfless but have a purpose that does someone good, even though it may seemingly harm others. A Right Spirit cannot change a person, but may bring a positive change in their lives.  

Take not thy Holy Spirit from me: To be holy involves endless love.  Love is powered through a connection of other loving spirits.  Joy may be obtained through creative expressions that also increase the power of love.  All spirits want to be loved and may be fooled by the acts of others, but the Holy Spirit will prevail through our loving actions.

Uphold me with thy Free Spirit: We are directed by our will power. Our will may be strengthened by the encouragement of other spirits, but our actions are still our choosing.  It is easy to follow the crowd, which may not guide us in the direction we truly wish.  Choosing loving friendships and leaderships are essential for keeping a Free Spirit.  Otherwise we are dragged down by the will of others that may mislead us.