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The Armor of God, Simplified

Cindy Dawson

β€œWe are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world and the spiritual agents are from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore, we must wear the β€œwhole armour of God,” that we may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when we have fought to a standstill, we may still stand our ground.”

Corrie ten Boom, Holocaust Survivor

“Therefore put on the full armor of God,Β so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Β Β Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,Β with the breastplate of righteousness in place,Β Β and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.Β Β In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,Β with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Β Β Take the helmet of salvationΒ and the sword of the Spirit,Β which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV

You may have read many different explanations of these famous verses. But instead of complicating it, let’s break it down.

If you find yourself standing against evil, this is what you must do:

First, make sure you are wearing the full armor of God, not just some parts. For example, to have on the belt of truth, you have to know what the Bible says. It is our source of truth. Not only that, your only offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. And how can we extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one unless we have the shield of faith. Faith in what? Faith in God’s Word!

Think about this: If you are born again, Jesus has already given you these gifts: righteousness, peace, and salvation. Just make sure you love the truth and count it more precious than silver and gold. Your ability to stand in the evil day will depend on it!

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He spoke the Word of God to him. All His answers were from the O.T. book of Deuteronomy. How well do you know Deuteronomy?

Be prepared!

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Matt Benson on Unsplash

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Believing Without Seeing

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Friday, 8/21/26

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,Β Jesus came and stood among them and said,Β β€œPeaceΒ be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.Β The disciples were overjoyedΒ when they saw the Lord.

Now ThomasΒ (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.Β So the other disciples told him, β€œWe have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, β€œUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said,Β β€œPeaceΒ be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas,Β β€œPut your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Β Thomas said to him, β€œMy Lord and my God!”

Β Then Jesus told him,Β β€œBecause you have seen me, you have believed;Β blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:18-19 and 24-29 NIV

I love this passage because it encourages me. We can say, “I haven’t seen, Lord, but I believe!”

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

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He Restores My Soul

Cindy Dawson

For too many women, their past has dealt a cruel blow. I know women who have been betrayed, rejected, abused, and/or traumatized in terrible ways. One doesn’t just get over it and move on easily. The abuse may have affected her whole personality. Abuse can do that.

Step Up for Mental Health states, “Women who endure physical or emotional abuse tend to suffer from … post-traumatic stress (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts.” 

Some of the effects of trauma include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and intrusive thoughts.

But let me move on to the good news. The Good Shepherd restores my soul. That’s what Psalm 23:3 tells me.

“He restoreth my soul.”

The Hebrew word for restore is sub. It means to recover, to bring back, to restore.

To restore means to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition; to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor;

Have you ever had a piece of antique furniture restored? When you pick it up, it’s been restored to its original condition. No more scratches, no dull finish. It’s been restored to its original beauty!

The Hebrew word for soul is nepes. It refers to the life, the soul, the seat of emotion and desire.

We are not warped forever because of what may have been done to us in the past. God says He restores our soul. He will restore our soul to what it should be. He will heal our soul from the effects of past hurts, abuse, wrongs, trauma, and pain.

If you have endured abuse of any kind, you have likely read about how it can affect you. You may have read about depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. You may even think of yourself as damaged goods. So now what?

Now it’s time to let your Father God begin the work of restoring your soul. Trust Him to do it. He loves you. Whether it is in this life or in Heaven, I do not know. I only know He will do it.

In the meantime, He will use those past hurts to help others. You will have a compassionate heart that understands like no one else.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,Β the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,Β who comforts usΒ in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

My prayer is that you will allow God to heal your hurts and pain, and restore your soul. If you have never memorized the 23rd Psalm, consider doing it now. It will be a healing balm to your soul.

Psalm 23 KJV

In His Love,Β Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“I will establish my covenantΒ as an everlasting covenantΒ between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your GodΒ and the God of your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

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“Swallowed Up By Life”

Cindy Dawson

Quote of the Week for Wednesday, 8/19/26

“Paul reminded the Corinthians that the physical body is only a temporary abode. In other words, life on earth is like camping out for a few days. Death, when it finally arrives, simply means that the believer leaves behind a leaky, patchwork, travel-worn tent and steps into a wondrous permanent body, designed to last forever. The child of God, then, is not claimed by death, but is swallowed up by life”. From the David Jeremiah Study Bible

“For while we are in this tent, we groanΒ and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,Β so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:4 NIV (emphasis mine)

In His Love,Β Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Callum Blacoe on Unsplash

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Our Competence Comes from God

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Tuesday, 8/18/26

Many believers struggle with feelings of inadequacy, but that’s okay because our competence comes from God. Yes, we must study to show ourselves approved, but it is God who gives us the ability to do what He has called us to do and guides our path. So don’t look within; look up, to the One who called you. He is our strength!

“Not that we are adequate in ourselvesΒ so asΒ to consider anything asΒ having comeΒ from ourselves, butΒ our adequacy is from God,Β Β who also made us adequateΒ asΒ servants of aΒ new covenant, not ofΒ the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, butΒ the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NASB

In His Love,Β Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Ahmed Nishaath on Unsplash

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Are You Expecting a Different Jesus?

Cindy Dawson

Devotion for Monday, 8/17/26

The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians, saying, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,Β your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.Β For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,Β or if you receive a different spiritΒ from the Spirit you received, or a different gospelΒ from the one you accepted, you put up with itΒ easily enough.” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIV

Do we do the same thing today as the Jews did 2000 years ago? Do we think that Jesus is a means to earthly treasures? Do we think it’s all about this present life instead of what awaits us in eternity?

When Jesus came to Earth, the Jews rejected Him because they expected a Messiah who would overthrow the Roman Empire and fix all their problems. They didn’t expect a gentle and meek Savior who would eat with sinners, teach love and forgiveness, and die on a cross.

The Messiah didn’t solve all their earthly problems. In fact, His followers were persecuted like He was. So why did He come?

β€œJust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt.20:28

“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:14 NIV

Do we think Jesus came to give us financial prosperity? The Bible says that those who think that godliness is a means to financial gain have a corrupt mind and have been robbed of the truth.

“These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1 Timothy 6:2-7 NIV (emphasis mine) Read full chapter

We must not become so consumed with what we think we need, following Him because of what He might do for us in this life, that we forget to follow Him just because of who He is.

 β€œYou are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, β€œYou are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37

Jesus came to free all people from the chains of spiritual darkness. Those who walk and live in darkness are most vulnerable to the enemy’s lies and deception. That is a dangerous place to live! (Think about the most ridiculous lies people believe in the world today.) Why do they believe such outrageous lies? Because they live in darkness.

Jesus said, β€œI amΒ the light of the world.Β Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 6:12

Hallelujah!

In His Love, Cindy

“To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by ZdenΔ›k MachÑček on Unsplash

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Why Couldn’t They Believe?

Cindy Dawson

For Sunday, 8/16/26

Today’s post is a follow-up to yesterday’s post, Why Didn’t the Pharisees Believe Jesus was the Messiah?

I didn’t plan to write a follow-up, but as I continued reading through the New Testament, there it was again: pride, ambition, and the love of money blinding people from the truth.

In Acts 19, we learn that after teaching in the synagogue at Ephesus for three months,

“Some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.  This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” Acts 19:9-10 NIV Read full chapter

Many people became believers, and eventually a huge riot broke out in Ephesus because of the revival.

“A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.  He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: β€œYou know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.  There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited…” Acts 19:24-27 NIV

It is not difficult to see that pride, ambition, and the love of money stand in their way of finding salvation. Even as they observe extraordinary miracles, they refuse the truth.

“Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him (Paul) were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” Acts 19:12 NIV

When the Seven Sons of Sceva tried to invoke the name of Jesus over those who were demon-possessed, the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.

“He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,Β they were all seized with fear,Β and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.Β Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.Β Β 

A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.Β Β In this way the word of the LordΒ spread widely and grew in power.” Acts 19:17-20 NIV

50,000 drachmas would be $4.3 million to $7.5 million in modern purchasing power! In other words, the burned occult library was an immense fortune! Now that’s what I call a REVIVAL!

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Georgiana Pop (Avram) on Unsplash

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Why Didn’t the Pharisees Believe Jesus was the Messiah?

Cindy Dawson

One Sabbath day, Jesus healed a man born blind. Some people brought the man born blind to the Pharisees, who said,

“This man (Jesus) is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath”. (John 9:16) NIV

The Pharisees questioned the man and his parents about this. When the man born blind insisted that Jesus had healed him, they responded like this:

“Then they hurled insults at him and said, β€œYou are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!  We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

The man answered, β€œNow that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

To this they replied, β€œYou were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. John 9:28-34 NIV Read full chapter

(Side note: When someone cannot refute what you’ve said, they insult you instead.)

The man’s response to the Pharisees reveals that this miracle (giving sight to a blind man) had never been performed before. In fact, this is a prophecy of the Messiah spoken by the prophet Isaiah.

β€œBe strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened...” Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV

β€œI, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
 to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:6-7 NIV

When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,

β€˜Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

He replied to the messengers, β€œGo back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Luke 7:20-23 NIV

John would know that the Messiah would heal the blind in fulfillment of prophecy.

My question for you is this: How could the Pharisees, who were experts in the law, not recognize that Jesus was the Messiah? Did pride, ambition, and the love of money blind them from the truth?

Maybe that’s why the Bible adamantly warns us about the danger of these sins:

Pride and Arrogance: “Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 NIV

Ambition: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:16 NIV

Love of Money: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV

Father, teach us to love the truth and to obey your Word. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. πŸ™

“Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

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Should We Expose Biblical Error?

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Friday, 8/14/26


“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.Β Keep away from them.Β For such people are not serving our Lord Christ,Β but their own appetites.Β By smooth talk and flattery they deceiveΒ the minds of naive people.” Romans 16:17-18 NIVΒ 

It is not those who point out doctrinal error that cause division. It is those who depart from sound doctrine that cause division. They deceive unsuspecting people. This is why they must be exposed – to protect believers.

Speaking the truth in love is an act of obedience, not hostility.

“I felt compelled to write and urge you to contendΒ for the faithΒ that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” Jude 3 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

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Worry Is Futile

Cindy Dawson

For your Reflection, Thursday, 8/13/26

” … casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7 AMP

“Worry is unnecessary; there is no need for us to bear the burdens when He is willing and able to bear them for us. Worry is futile; it hasn’t solved a problem yet. Worry is sin. A preacher once said: β€œWorry is sin because it denies the wisdom of God; it says that He doesn’t know what He’s doing. It denies the love of God; it says He does not care. And it denies the power of God; it says that He isn’t able to deliver me from whatever is causing me to worry.” Something to think about! Believer’s Bible Commentary

That might be hard to hear, I know. Nevertheless, it is true. Refuse to worry; instead, trust the Lord who loves you. He will see you through.

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6 NASB

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