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“Therefore, take up the whole armor, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13, ESV)

I love horseback riding.  It ranks high on the list of my “go to” activities for stress relief. When I’m on the trail riding my mind has to stay focused.  Not on the problems going on in my life, but on the horse and the trail in front of me.  There’s a wonderful sense of freedom and relaxation enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors.

The most important fundamental and key foundational riding skill is having a strong core connection with your horse. Connecting to your core means balance for both you and your horse.

Having a connected core also allows you to have better emotional control (over yourself and your horse).  Without this essential connection, everything else you do on your horse will be off. When your core is properly engaged, you stay in sync with your horse’s center of balance. It creates a sensation of stability and harmony in motion between you and your horse.

It’s important to stay calm and allow your body to move with the rhythm of the horse.  Working your core gives you the ability to feel the way he is walking, making it easier to let him rock you from side to side without resisting.  You might bounce or get thrown off if you’re too tense.

When Paul wrote the verse above to the church in Ephesus, he was stressing the importance of working your spiritual core.

“Having done all” implies:

• Daily personal prayer (relationship)
• Regularly reading /studying (meditating/taking thoughts captive) on the Word
• Staying connected to others in the Body of Christ (accountability)

When I am engaged in these things, I’m not able to focus on the problems of life. These fundamentals help me focus on Jesus instead (another great stress reliever). There’s freedom in Him.

Not having our core firmly connected to God leaves us more vulnerable to our emotions. Life can be bumpy (like a trail) and if our core is not connected to God then we can be thrown.

When life throws us, our emotions can keep us from being in sync with God.

Have you ever uttered these words?

“I don’t feel like reading my Bible.”  “I don’t feel like going to bible study/church.”  “I don’t feel like . . . “

If our balance is off, then we’re not able to put on the whole armor and we have no stamina to stand when the trail of life makes us sway. (Ephesian 6:14-17)

The Bible stabilizes us.  His truth allows us to move in any direction life pulls us and gives us proper balance.

“Father help us to understand the importance of working our spiritual core. It enables us to put on the whole armor so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life