There's a strange tension in spiritual warfare, and that is that Jesus Christ has already won the victory,

but we're also called to participate in the battle. We cannot be passive, and nowhere else do we see this more than when we are called to put

on the breastplate of righteousness. Do you know what that means? What does that look like in

your day-to-day life? Welcome to the prayersers of Rest podcast.

I'm your host Asherita Choochoo and this season we're putting on the armor of God.

We are, yes, resting in the victory of Christ Jesus, but we are also learning what it looks like to actually step into that armor.

And today, we're praying through the breastplate

of righteousness. So take a deep breath and quiet your heart as we become aware of God's

loving presence around us and within us.

Today's passage comes from Ephesians chapter 6, verse 14.

Stand firm then with a belt of truth buckled around your waist and with the breastplate

of righteousness in place.

Let's begin by reciting God's goodness. Lord Jesus, you alone are the righteous

one. It is because of your perfect life, because of your spotless death. It is because you are the Lamb of God that we are

declared righteous before God. So we praise you Jesus for clothing us with your own righteousness.

It is not in our own good works or our own ability to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, to do the right

thing, to always say the right word that we get to stand before you. Rather, in our failures,

in our weakness, in our inability to keep the law, Jesus, you declare us righteous because of what you've done.

So take a moment now to praise Jesus for His righteousness, that you get to stand before the Father.

And when he looks at you, he does not see your failures. He sees the perfect righteousness of Jesus. Thank you. Let's continue now by expressing our neediness.

Our God, we confess that though we know that our righteousness is from Jesus, we still kind of try to do it on our own.

We try to do the right things and to check things off our list and

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