If you were to ask someone what Christmas is all about they might say something like, “Christmas is about giving, and sharing love with family and friends.” This sounds like a good answer but it is not the real meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is not about us loving each other, it’s about God loving man. Christmas is a celebration of God coming to our world and bringing us the gift of reconciliation to Him through salvation. Charlie Brown learned a lot from Linus and we can too.

With six billion people in the world, chances are, you’re going to encounter a few who have a, “Bah! Humbug!” attitude. When you’re faced with people like this, you must not let them deplete your joy or cause you to lose focus on what God has for you. Thankfully, Jesus has given us clear direction regarding how we ought to deal with difficult people. Don’t let Scrooge ruin your Christmas.

Satan lies and tells you that God rejects you. The helmet of salvation will guard and protect your mind from these lies. God loved you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to save you. Now take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, and speak the truth of God’s word over your life. The enemy is no match for this powerful weapon. If you will put on the full armor of God, you will be standing when the battle ends.

The enemy doesn’t mind if we sit in church and talk to each other about how incredible Jesus is. What bothers him is when we get out there having our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, and take the good news of Jesus to the lost. Lost people matter to God. That’s why Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations. He wasn’t giving us a suggestion or voicing a good idea, He was giving a mandate. Get your feet fitted. Go.

In simple terms, the breastplate of righteousness is right living and the shield of faith is confidence in God. The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart from getting entangled in the corruption of the world. The shield of faith is your confidence. It’s your confidence that God is going to protect you, provide for you, and give you victory in the battle you’re facing.

You can stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. Naturally speaking, a belt is used to hold things in place. Spiritually, the belt of truth functions the same way in that it holds everything together. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. In Him we live and move and have our being. When you put on the belt of truth you will experience freedom from the power of the lies that have ensnared you.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Stand firm 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. Resist the enemy and he will flee for we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.

Forgiving someone is to set a prisoner free. The prisoner you're setting free is you. Having unforgiveness in your heart enslaves you to the moment you were wronged and to the person who wronged you. Jesus carried the sin of the world, although He Himself knew no sin, to secure forgiveness for you. In our lives we are to extend this same forgiveness to those who wrong us. When we forgive we’ll find healing and freedom.

There is One who intimately knows the story of your life and loves you deeply. One who knows all the things you try to hide and accepts you anyway. Never before have you had a friend who loved you this much. Never before have you had a friend that didn’t want anything from you except you. Surrender your life to Jesus and be blown away by this loving friendship.

You’ve probably heard the story about the persistent widow who pestered the judge until she got the justice she needed. You’re not like that widow and God is not like that judge. You’re not powerless. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. God’s not cold and distant. You are God’s child and He’s interested in you. He wants you to come boldly to His throne. Don’t give up on prayer. Through persistence, your prayers will be answered.