"Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11)

People spend lots of time and money on their earthly homes and there are numerous programs on the TV about people doing "Make over's" on their properties. Many take pride in their earthly homes, but few give thought to their Heavenly home or preparing themselves for their eternal habitation. How much money people spend on clothing their bodies with the latest fashions. You will see program after program on fashion and design, but people think nothing of clothing their souls so that they look presentable before God. We place clothing on our bodies to hide our shame; we have done ever since Adam hid from the Lord behind the bushes, but what about clothing our souls so that on that great and terrible day when we stand before God, we do not find that we stand naked and ashamed? Each day we must place upon ourselves the armour of God. We must gird our loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shoe our feet with the Gospel of peace and put on the helmet of Salvation. We need also to take up the shield of faith and the sword of love. St Paul tells us that, "We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the Heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) Make a set of clothing for your souls, hide your vulnerability from satan and your shame from the Lord, place upon yourselves the armour of God each day and live in peace.

"So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has
cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:33)

If we wish to grow in love for God then we need to detach ourselves from too great a love of the things of this world; we cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24) Jesus asks that we not only believe in Him, but that we also follow Him. Jesus taught us that the proof of love is to suffer for the one we love. Love demands sacrifice, it asks that we renounce self and place others needs ahead of our own. In the Christian life we need to love God first, above all others, and above all things. If we put God in first place, everything else will fall into place also. "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) If we love our material wealth too much, we will find that we will be compromised by this and not true to the Lord and the spirit of love with which He wishes us to live by. Our possessions can also be a hindrance and a distraction to the interior life, as the interior life depends upon time and solitude. It seems the more possessions we have the less time we find for God. Imagine coming home from work one evening and not putting on a T.V, radio, computer or games-station, would not our house be made quieter and would we not find more time to be alone with God? The contemplatives also found that the more simple their diet, the more spiritual their lives. We don't need to eat chocolate, biscuits and fancy treats on a regular basis; these things just make us feel too comfortable and sluggish. Jesus began His ministry with a long fast and He would often fast when praying. The church still requires an hour's fast before we receive Holy Communion and gluttony is still one of the seven deadly sins! On one occasion when the disciples of Jesus could not cast out a demon, they came to Jesus to ask why. He told them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29 KJV) If the flesh is at war with the spirit, (Galatians 5:16&17) then governing our desires through fasting and controlling its passions must allow the spirit to grow in grace and power. We must not however, make ourselves ill through fasting, Jesus would not wish this; it is simply a case of putting our daily food in the correct place in our lives. A recommended fast by many ministers today is to take just bread and water in the day until your evening meal. Also it is recommended that fasting be kept for special days of prayer, you cannot go off to work and fast all day!