The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. Beware of those who attempt to make it complicated.(Ephesians)

1:5-6

Are any of us predestined to succeed or fail in our mortal life? Well, it depends on how you want to look at it. Paul said, "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." What does it mean to be predestined? That sounds like our lives are all planned out. But it's more complicated than that.

Let's break it down to some simpler questions:

• Will Christ save all of us? The answer is yes. All of us will be resurrected and all of us will receive some degree of glory. Because Christ was successful in his mission, we are already saved. In this way, we are predestined.

• Do we have agency to choose? Of course. Our decisions are not controlled. We are not puppets going through the motions. God has permanently given us the ability to choose. That power to choose will never be taken away. Our predestination to be saved does not take away out freedom of choice.

• Does God know what our choices will be? Yes. He sees the end from the beginning. Knowing us very well does not take away our ability to choose. I know that my daughter will never rob a bank. Knowing that does not take away her ability to choose to rob a bank. She is not predestined to not rob a bank - I just know that she won't. I know this because I know her very well. Imagine how much better Heavenly Father knows her! Of course he can accurately predict her future choices.

• Are we foreordained to certain roles in building the kingdom? I believe so. There are several examples in the scriptures of prophets being foreordained. In Jeremiah 1:5, we read, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Jeremiah's foreordination did not take away his agency. As this scripture says, the Lord knew him before he was born. I believe that God knew what he would do and ordained him to do it. Does this mean that we were given an exact roadmap of what would happen in our mortal lives before we were born? I don't think so.

We are predestined to fulfill our roles in building the kingdom of God through our God-given ability to choose.

1:7

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." This is another reminder of how exactly we are saved. We are redeemed through Christ's blood. In other words, the forgiveness for our sins is given through Christ's blood. Why is it this way? It is because of the "riches of his grace."

So, the question is, are we forgiven of our sins if we do not repent? The answer is no. Here are a few scriptures that support this:

• “As often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.” (Mosiah 26:30).

• "And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." (Mosiah 4:10)

• "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

So which is it? Is it grace or repentance that causes a forgiveness of sins. Consider this: Repentance is about a change in behavior and progression. Repentance is a refinement with the goal of becoming like our Heavenly Father. As we progress and improve, God has infinite grace to forgive and strengthen us. Here's the point: if we choose not to repent or progress what is the purpose of forgiveness? How would forgiveness benefit us in this case? If your child is living a sinful life and chooses not to repent and progress, what role does your forgiveness play in his eternal progress? Maybe not a lot. Having said that, forgiveness and unconditional love may serve as the catalyst for your child's growth. Knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us individually gives me strength. Knowing that he won't punish me the moment I fall gives me hope.

If your child does choose to repent and progress the question is whether you'll forgive and support him or her. I suggest that you likely will. You love your child and your willingness to forgive a repentant child is nearly infinite. Imagine our Heavenly Father's love and willingness to forgive!

If we choose to repent and progress, Heavenly Father has the infinite grace to forgive and support us in our progress. There is no limit to the number of times that he will forgive us for the same sin. As Jesus taught Peter, we should forgive "seventy times seven." Of course God will live up to the same standard that Christ is giving his apostle.

1:17-21

If we can simply keep our perspective heavenly, it gives us so much strength and purpose. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." Three big points in these scriptures:

1. God gives us wisdom and knowledge through revelation. We can run our eyes across many pages of clever sentences. But, without the gift of the Spirit, we will not see the big picture. The important wisdom and knowledge comes only through revelation - not through our own efforts.

2. We must understand what we may inherit. If we continually keep in mind our potential and where we are headed, we can endure whatever trials that we face in this mortal, fallen, and temporary world.

3. God's power is sufficient to do ANYTHING in our lives. If God has the power to raise Christ from the dead, he can raise us above whatever miserable condition we happen to be in. We must have faith that God has the power to strengthen us no matter what we currently enduring.

2:1-3

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." The natural state of a human who is not enlightened by the Spirit is to "walk according to the course of the world." We live in this world. We see what we can see. Satan is the prince of this world and is working to destroy us. He doesn't rest.

The natural man succumbs to the "lusts of our flesh." We have "desires of the flesh and of the mind" that feel good temporarily. Our natural bodies and minds seek after leisure and pleasure. It's just the way our bodies are made. If you combine a natural man and a fallen world, the default is wickedness.

Fortunately, he hasn't left us alone in this desperate condition.

2:4-6

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Everyone of us, were it not for Jesus Christ, are spiritually and, in time, physically dead. Death separates us from our bodies and sin separates us from God. It's a bad situation.

But God is "rich in mercy" and loves us. Together, as individuals, we are quickened by Christ. The plan, from the beginning, was that Christ would open the door to grace and resurrection. Knowing that we would all be stuck in the pit of sin, God provided a way for us to be lifted up and placed in "heavenly places."

2:8-9

It is important for us to fully realize how much we depend on Jesus to be saved. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." I've written about this many times. None of us should feel the burden of saving ourselves through our good works. We cannot be good enough. We cannot be obedient enough. There is a bar set that is impossibly high for us to reach from our lowly state.

No one should be patting themselves on the back that they are good enough that they will, surely, qualify for maximum glory. That's not how this works. The oldest and wisest and most righteous of us are not good enough to be saved on their own.

All we can do is have faith in Jesus Christ. All we can do is rely on Him. We must humbly accept that we need Christ and be willing to take another step forward. That's it. If we are infinitely willing to take another step, having faith in Christ, we can become like him.

2:13

"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Paul was talking literally and figuratively. These Gentiles were literally far from Jersusalem. They were "strangers from the covenants of promise."

But, through Christ, it doesn't matter how far we are away. We can be brought near through the blood of Christ. Today, it's not about distance. Technology has joined the entire world. Today, it is spiritual distance.

Some of us may feel like we transgressed to many laws. We may see ourselves as permanently stained. We may not believe that we saveable. But, through Jesus Christ, we can be. If we will simply turn around, we will see Christ is right there. Christ is never far from us - even when we are sinning. We just simply need to turn around and head in his direction. He will be there immediately to hold our hand and strengthen us.

2:19-20

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." This describes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I love how I can go to another country and feel welcomed and at home in any LDS church building. I can partake of the sacrament exactly how I do back home. I can meet people who are striving the same way that I am. There is strength in that. We are "no more strangers."

Our church is built on the "foundation of the apostles and prophets." It's interesting that we seem to be the only ones. Certainly, most people assume that, since the heavens are closed, there is no need to apostles and prophets. If the heavens are still open, of course they are needed.

They foundation of this is Jesus Christ. He is the single point of orientation. The cornerstone of a building must be perfect. The entire building's foundation is built according to that one stone. If everything is alignment, that foundation is relentlessly stable.

We are all part of this building. We are all a part of the body of Christ. If we can manage to be "fitly framed together" we can grow into something sacred. Together, we can be "an habitation of God through the Spirit." God can truly dwell among us.

So, why doesn't he? I think there are some alignment issues because of the imperfection of man. We are all doing the best we can but none of us are perfect. These misalignments will be worked out in the millennium and not before. It's just how it is.

3:7-8

"Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Paul viewed himself as the least of all saints. Why? It's possible that he was just a humble person. Or, he was remembering the trouble that he had caused for the Church. Or, his "thorn in the flesh" made him feel this way. I kind of think it was the second reason. I think he is remembering the point at which he was converted by a miraculous visitation.

He understood that, from a strictly objective perspective, he was not worthy to be called as a special witness. He knew of the many harms that he had caused to the early church.

He's now making the point that God's grace is not given unto only those who deserve it. God's grace is offered to all. Many of us might feel that our behavior makes us ineligible to receive God's grace. Paul, and Jesus, don't want us to feel that way. They want us to believe that, no matter what we've done, God's grace is freely given. God is ready to forgive and support and raise.

I like the phrase "unsearchable riches of Christ." I feel this way about Christ and his gospel. You'd think that, if you spent a year or two studying the life of Jesus Christ, you'd be able to learn all there is to know. It doesn't work that way. There are so many layers to the gospel that Jesus taught, all of us can spend a lifetime attempting to fully understand Him and not be able to. Truly, it can be a lifelong mission to get close to the Savior and understand his gospel.

3:16-19

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Paul is wanting the Ephesians saints to be strengthened by the Spirit. That strength is not a physical strength. He says that it's the "inner man" that is strengthened. Our inner man is our soul that inhabits this mortal body. It is our "inner man" that is in a battle against the natural man. To overcome the natural man, our souls must be strengthened with power that comes only through the Holy Ghost.

Paul wants Christ to dwell in our hearts. How does that happen? He says that it is "by faith." It is our faith in Christ that allows Him to dwell in our hearts. That makes sense to me. Believing that he existed is the beginning of our faith. Second, knowing that he died for me continues that faith. Third, I must believe that following his example and teachings can make me whole eventually. Having faith in all of this is what empowers me to keep moving forward in building my testimony, knowledge and Christlike behavior.

4:1-6, 11-13

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Paul calls himself a prisoner. That's dramatic imagery but I understand. He has given up his will for the Lord's. As far as Paul is concerned, Jesus controls how he behaves and what he does - just like a prisoner must submit to a warden.

Paul said, "I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." What does that mean for us? What is our vocation? Most everyone reading this will not be a full-time missionary like Paul. But, almost everyone reading this will be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Let's consider that membership a vocation. As members, we must "walk worthy" of that membership. We are disciples of Christ and must act like we are. We should live up to our calling.

Paul wants unity and peace within the Ephesian church. We must also. There is only one Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are members of that church. We should endeavor to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." People should recognize members of our church by how we treat others and how unified we are as a group.

There cannot be different "factions" of the church. I think that we're going to see this more and more. The church has experienced several other "break offs" and will experience more. There is going to be a policy or procedure change that is going to rub people the wrong way and they'll disconnect. There will never be inspired divisions in this church.

Paul is reminding them why there are different positions in the church. "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." There is structure to the true church. That is one thing that really impresses me about our church. A letter can be released Sunday morning from the First Presidency and be read in every congregation that same day. How this church is organized into areas, stakes and wards allows for high consistency over thousands of congregations.

Why is consistency important? We must call "come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God." Why does this matter? So each of us can freely grow "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." The church is meant to facilitate each individual's progression towards the Savior. Our unity of faith and knowledge of him contributes to this progress.

I hope that this is obvious. Imagine the alternative. What if there were slightly different beliefs or processes or policies in each stake? What if bishops could vary in doctrine? What if the Book of Mormon was changed in minor but significant ways throughout the church? That would not be any different than what's happening outside of the church! I am grateful for the church organization and know that Paul understood the reasons for organizing a church.

4:14, 17-19

Why is it important that we are unified and that there is one Lord, one faith and one baptism? Paul writes, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." As we are unified as church members and are following an organized religion, we won't be easily deceived.

If, instead, we are disconnected from each other and are following a disjointed set of teachings, we can be easily derailed. We will follow whoever is the most convincing. The one who is clever enough to put together the most compelling argument is the one that we will follow.

The worst case is if we simply follow ourselves! Which, is essentially the war cry of many vocal people. Everyone is on a journey of self discovery. They say that the key to having a fulfilling life is "being true to yourself." I read a stupid quote from Carl Jung that says this in some really wise-sounding words... “My path is not your path, therefore I cannot teach you. The way is within us, but not in Gods, nor in teachings, nor in laws. Within us is the way, the truth, and the life.” This level of self-importance and self-deception is what makes people like children being "tossed to and fro."

What is the result? "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." What an accurate phrase: "vanity of their mind." In our minds, we are making ourselves God and the center of our universe.

When we do this, our "understanding is darkened." We can't see with faith and comprehend the basic mysteries of the kingdom. We can become ignorant of the truth and that ignorance comes from pride. This pride creates a "blindness of their heart." We can become "past feeling" and give ourselves "unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."

How does this apostasy start? I believe that it often happens through offense.

• A person can learn a principle that offends them - where their personal beliefs are at odds with church doctrine or policy. For example, a parent might be offended that her son can't be sealed to his boyfriend.

• Some flaw in some past prophet may offend them. If Brigham Young said something that wasn't true, he must be a false prophet.

• A current church leader may offend. A bishop may give counsel that the person doesn't agree with.

Since they are putting themselves on a pedestal of pride, it's the principle, prophet, or church leader who is wrong. It couldn't be themselves that needs to change. It's the church that needs to change to match their personal beliefs.

4:20-21

The way to live is found in the words and example of Jesus Christ. We must learn from him and adopt his teachings. Our opinions and self-esteem are NOT supreme. "But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." The truth isn't inside each of us. We are not the fountain of living water. Jesus is.

4:22-24

We can become new creatures through Jesus Christ. Paul encourages us: "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." I think our "lusts" drive us more than we know. Our personal preferences can unknowingly lead to corruption. If our opinions and wisdom are supreme, this will lead to eventual corruption.

We can become a new man or woman. The key factor is that we follow "after God." We are seeking him, waiting on him, following him. We are understanding that he is truly the center of the universe - NOT OURSELVES! What does this lead to? "Righteousness and TRUE holiness."

4:26-28

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more." So many good principles here!

• Don't let a day end in anger. It isn't good to let anger fester and grow. We should reconcile with those with whom we feel anger.

• Don't give any place to the devil to be within you. The devil is the father of contention. If we are allowing contention to enter our heart, we are giving a place for Satan inside of us. Not good.

• Don't let a person hurt you more than he already has. When we let anger towards another canker us from the inside, we are letting that person continue his assault. We are continuing to suffer and decreasing the trajectory of our progression. It doesn't hurt the other person to be angry at him!

4:29

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." The words we choose can truly bless or seriously harm those we speak to. We can frequently offer criticism or commendation. We can build up or tear down. Much of the good and evil of this world has been done with words.

I think we can all be more mindful of what we say. We should view every interaction as important - no matter how small. The conversation could be a crucial conversation with our spouse or a simple intersection at the grocery store. Every interaction is an opportunity to edify someone. We can't underestimate how much a kind word could bless another.

We should consider carefully before we criticize someone. I heard recently three questions to ask before criticizing:

1. Is it true?

2. Is it kind?

3. Is it necessary?

I would also add, am I saying it out of love? Too often we are quick with our criticism. Our brains, for whatever reason, are wired to notice when something is wrong. We quickly notice a car veering into our lane and we also recognize when someone says something incorrect. We need to resist that temptation to communicate criticism.

I love the phrase, "that it may minister grace unto the hearers." That's really a good way of looking at what our communication CAN be. If we can help others feel God's grace, that's a good thing. If we can help others feel unconditional love or appreciation or acceptance, we should say those words. If we can turn someone to God or relieve them of unnecessary guilt, we should speak up.

Certainly, if there is ever an opportunity to testify of the Savior and the blessings of following him, we should open our mouths.

Paul reinforces this idea in the last two verses. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you."

He continues the thought in verse four of the next chapter. "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." I'm afraid that much of my talking is foolish. I could be more productive in my conversations with others.

5:6

"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." There will always be someone that will tell you that your particular sin is okay. They will tell you it's natural and normal. They will tell you that to not do what you want is you not being true to yourself. Some may claim that it is our "high demand religion" that is putting restrictions on us that shouldn't exist. We can be assured that our sinfulness is righteousness.

All of this may feel good to the hearer. If you're feeling sorrow for a weakness you have, it feels good to hear that your weakness is natural. It may feel even better to hear that you should be proud of your brand of sin. Hearing compliments is always a pleasure.

Here's what I will say: each of you is a son or daughter of God with divine potential. You have within you the ability to become just like our Heavenly Father. That's the greatest compliment that someone can give. Those words are not vain. Those words should help you accept who you are but also feel drawn to be better. You should feel the pull to progress. Vain compliments offer no impetus but rather encourage you to stay exactly as you are.

5:11

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." This is an interesting way of putting this. I understand the idea of dark works not being fruitful. Nothing good grows from an evil act. Works of darkness never lead to positive outcomes.

5:25, 28

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it...So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." How can we love our wives as Christ loved the church?

• Christ dedicated his life to the growth of the church.

• He led by example.

• He looked for every opportunity to teach truth.

• He stayed in close contact with Heavenly Father - constantly seeking ways to improve.

• He sacrificed himself - both his time and his life.

Christ was completely selfless about giving up his personal comfort for the church. He was perfectly selfless. The needs of all of us were more important than his personal needs. He loved us purely.

I think this standard of how to love our wives is perfect.

5:31

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." There are many spouses that could stand to read this verse more often. I'm afraid that there are some of us that put the preferences of our parents above those of our spouse. We might feel pressure from parents that put us at odds with our spouse. This is especially true for young couples. It can be a serious point of contention.

If we've made the decision to marry someone, we should understand that this is a commitment that rises above parental pressure. There should not be anything or any person that divides a husband and wife. If it's a parent that's creating division, that parent needs to be rebuked.

I love verses like this because I love Marci so much. We do feel like one flesh. We speak often about how we are a single person. We know each other's thoughts. I hold her hand and it's easy for me to forget that it's a separate body to my own. We are completely unified against all outside forces and pressures. I would love for every marriage to have exactly what Marci and I enjoy!

6:1-4

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." I've never realized that this commandment is the only one with a connected promise. If we honor our father and other, it will be well with us and we will live long on the earth. I'm reminded of an area in Italy where they mostly just die of old age. They live there lives with very little illness and almost no disease. Scientist tried to figure out why. They measured their diet, fitness, geography, and any other factor that might be contributing to this.

The only thing that they were able to identify was the community itself! In this small town of 2000 people, they had 22 different social groups! Most homes had three generations living together. At lunchtime, the cafes were packed with people.

It was the interconnected-ness that was leading to the long lives. It appears to be a direct fulfillment to this commandment! We are meant to be together. In the "Screwtape Letters" by CS Lewis, he writes about (from the devil's point of view) how important it is to separate generations. This devil suggests that if generations become disconnected from each other, it gives the devil an advantage because the wisdom of previous generations is lost and is of no benefit to future generations. This is very true. Think of all the cumulative wisdom could be acquired if there was a strong link between each! Truly, if you could acquire all of that knowledge, it would be "well with thee."

Verse four is also interesting. "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." I believe that fathers aren't as naturally able to nurture children as mothers are. We fathers can be harder, less considerate, more demanding. We may have less empathy for our children and may be okay with provoking anger from them. I think Paul is suggesting that we should rely less on fear and more on the "nurture and admonition of the Lord."

6:6

This verse is written to servants but I think we can apply it to ourselves. Paul is saying that servants should be obedient to masters "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." How I think we can connect this is to think about why we are obedient. Are we obedient primarily so that others can see that we are obedient? Is our motivation what others see with their eyes. Are we attempting to simply be "menpleasers?"

Rather, we should be motivated to be obedient by our connection to Jesus Christ and God. Our obedience should come from love - not wanting to look good.

6:11-17

This is a great visual of how the principles of righteousness can be seen as armor. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." We should see that our primary enemy isn't each other. Our focus for our warfare should be the real enemy - the unseen enemy. Wickedness is so much more a threat to us than our neighbor who may be shoveling snow into our driveway. I think we may be spending too much time focusing our battle against other humans that we can see. We can go days without thinking about the wicked swirling spirits that surround us every day.

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Paul is saying that we should use all the tools at our disposal. There are principles that provide power in this battle against wickedness. This visual of armor allows us to evaluate how we are doing. Are there any "chinks in our armor?" He illustrates six different ways that we can prepare ourselves to go into battle:

• "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth," Discovering truth and then living by true principles is the starting point of protecting ourselves against temptation. Notice he doesn't say, "your truth." We must discover THE truth.

• "...and having on the breastplate of righteousness;" The breastplate protects our vital organs. It is righteousness that is the primary defense tool against temptation.

• "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" Preparation is how we can quickly run away from temptation or stand our ground against wickedness. Have you ever tried to run or fight without your shoes on? It's very hard. We can't wait until there is a threat to put shoes on. We can't say to a murderer, "hang on a second while I put my shoes on." For us to win a fight, we must be prepared and ready. We must be prepared for the inevitable temptation that is coming ahead of time. If we wait to prepare until after we are tempted, it's too late.

• "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." How does faith act as a shield? We know that faith is what moves us forward. How can it be a protection against fiery darts? In these days, I believe that a fiery dart is a question about the truthfulness of the gospel or the existence of God himself. We are not going to be able to argue for every bad decision or explain every flaw of every past prophet. There are going to be events that cannot be explained two hundred years later. It is our faith that will protect us, not our debating skills.

• "And take the helmet of salvation," A helmet protects our brain. How is salvation a helmet? This is a stretch for me but I think understanding the plan of salvation totally controls our perspective on the trials and temptations of this world. If I know the principles of salvation and keep the plan of salvation in mind, me losing my job or a loved one will not be so overwhelming. Handling tribulation is often a question of perspective. Having an eternal perspective allows me to endure more.

• "...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is the piece of armor that is offensive and not just defensive. We can be a force for good if we have the Spirit and use the words of God. The Spirit can give us direction and help us see the path forward. We can use the Spirit to influence others for good. Knowing the word of God will sharpen the sword of the Spirit. It's hard for the Spirit to inspire us with words we don't know. The Spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. We have to study words to remember them.

I am so grateful that Paul knew the words to say. I'm grateful for the Spirit that led Paul to write what he did. I'm grateful that I don't have to invent all of this myself. I'm grateful that these letters were preserved and that I can gain the wisdom that was undoubtedly hard-earned by Paul.