Discouragement, murmuring, gossip, condemnation, and judgment love to inhabit and haunt the hearts and minds of educators. We may feel like we are being spiritually suffocated by the increased burden of responsibility, seemingly irrational decisions being made by those above us in authority, or the general atmosphere of godlessness where we work. We may serve severely troubled students or groups of students who are determined to steal our joy and discourage us.

Many educators are in the midst of these battles right now…

But today, the Lord wants to remind you that:

…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:12-17).

God is telling us to get spiritually dressed when we go to work! There is a battle going on and without allowing Him to lead, we are going to lose!

Lord, help us take a stand against discouragement. Dress and prepare us for this spiritual battle in our professional lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Copyright Don Clark.

Don is a member and a retired elementary special education teacher. He recently retired from his role as the Houston area director for Christian Educators.