Read: Romans 13:11-14

Memory Verse: Romans 13:14

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Body armor today is very different from the breastplate of Bible times, but the purpose is still the same – to protect the vital organs from injury. A military study concluded that after the introduction of body armor there was a reduction of 77.1 percent in the fatality rate of thoracic wounds and a reduction of 82.8 percent in the fatality of abdominal wounds.

The modern soldier would not even consider going into combat without his body armor on. Wearing it gives him or her greater confidence that they will survive an enemy attack. In combat zones, the soldier is not allowed to even step outside without his body armor on.

Abdominal wounds are the number one cause of fatalities in modern combat. As we learned in yesterday’s devotion, it is important to protect your heart but we need to protect our bowels as well. In the Bible, the bowels are the seat of our emotions; “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

Many casualties among Christians are bowel (emotional) related. We allow our feelings to get hurt, to become bitter or depressed, and never recover from it. Put a guard on your emotions. Keep them safe from attack.

Meditation for the Day: Do you leave yourself open to emotional attacks? Do you wear your emotions on your sleeve? Are you easily upset or discouraged? Do you allow your emotions to control you or do you control them?

Assignment: What can you do to guard and control your emotions better? How can you not let them control you?

For Fun: Identify where the eternal organs are located and how they correlate to our spiritual lives.