Today, we’re learning all about God’s Armor, which He has generously given to us. We’ve learned SO MANY things already about who we are in Christ, and about what those identifiers demand from us as a response. We’re almost fully equipped for battle. We’re almost ready to face this life, not just knowing who we are, but knowing exactly what that means about the victories that already belong to us.

It’s a very special thing to be set apart, but it means we’re going to be different! I mean, the phrasing itself indicates favor, exclusivity, and most of all distinction. It’s a privilege to be set apart from the crowd in many situations, but to be set apart for GOD!?!? I mean, the very idea of it is more than I can even understand. It causes me to want to make the most of every opportunity I’m given to live my life for His glory! So let’s dig into our passage from Ephesians and see what that looks like fleshed out in our day-to-day lives.

Today we’re starting Ephesians 5 to learn about our call to be an imitator of God. We’re not supposed to look like the world anymore. We should stand out and be a bright light in the darkness. We should be living in the light of our Lord and Savior, looking more and more like Him with each passing day.

We’ve been working our way through the book of Ephesians, learning to identify ourselves according to God’s definitions and not those of the world or the enemy. Today we’re learning about the power we’ve been given through the Holy Spirit to live righteously. There is a standard of right and wrong that is sort of written on our hearts, but despite our greatest efforts, none of us can live up to those standards in our own strength. That’s why, when we begin to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are going to stand out so much from the rest of the world. We’re suddenly going to do things differently, because when we’re sealed by the Holy Spirit, there is a new and powerful force at work within us.

What is our part in God’s Eternal Plan? As you are discovering your God-given purpose, remember that many generations have waited for the treasure we have in Scripture – the mysteries of God revealed.

We’re talking about covenants today. Specifically, God’s covenant promise to us, and how it fits into the Old Testament and all the promises to Israel we find there. We’ve been working through a study of the book of Ephesians in order to better understand how we have been identified as God’s holy people. (Click to catch up on what you’ve missed) We’re allowing our Creator (the One who so carefully knit us together in our mother’s womb) to give us our labels, since He’s the only one who really has that right. We’re ready to dive into the second section of Ephesians two where we’re going to be introduced to the idea of a covenant promise, and learn to understand our identity as citizens of the Kingdom of God.