Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Joel 1:1-3:21, Revelation 1:1-20, Psalm 128:1-6, Proverbs 29:18

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Put On Your Spiritual Armor

“It has destroyed my grapevines and ruined my fig trees, stripping their bark and destroying it, leaving the branches white and bare… The grapevines have dried up, and the fig trees have withered… all the fruit trees have dried up.” – Joel 1:7, 12 (NLT)

I love God’s symbols and patterns in scripture. I cant help but find them and study them out and there are moments in Scripture that stop me in my tracks – Joel’s description of the locust invasion is one of them. Not because it’s dramatic, but because it is so revealing. He says the enemy didn’t just eat the leaves or the fruit—they went after the bark. They stripped the trees until the branches were pale, exposed, and defenseless.

And the more I sit with that, the more I realize how intentional the imagery is.

Bark is a tree’s armor.
It holds moisture in.
It protects against heat, decay, infection, and anything that would pierce the life flowing inside.

When the bark is gone, the tree may still be standing… but it is no longer protected. Its strength is compromised. It dries out. It becomes vulnerable to anything that touches it. Eventually, it stops producing fruit altogether.

Joel says that’s exactly what happened to God’s people.
The locusts—symbolic of a demonic swarm—didn’t come simply to inconvenience them. They came to devour. To overwhelm. To remove every layer of protection until the people were spiritually exposed.

And the heartbreaking result was this:
“All the fruit trees have dried up.”
No one was producing fruit anymore.
No joy. No righteousness. No repentance. No spiritual strength.
Just dryness… because the protection was gone and the Living Water seeped away.

Joel’s message isn’t cruel. It’s sobering.
He’s basically saying, “Look at what happens when we drift from God. Look at what happens when our spiritual armor is neglected or laid aside. The enemy swarms, and suddenly the life that once flowed freely within us begins to dry up.”

But this isn’t a passage meant to shame us.
It’s meant to wake us up and calls us home.

Because the same God who allows the stripping is the God who says only a chapter later:
“Return to Me… for I am gracious and compassionate.”
(Joel 2:13)

He never leave us exposed. He can heal, restore, rebuild, and re-cover us with His presence.

If you feel like parts of your life have been stripped bare—
if your joy feels thin,
if your strength feels drained,
if your fruit feels withered,
don’t run from Him – run to Him!

Draw closer. He is begging us all to, “Turn to Me now, while there is still time. Give Me your heart. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead” (Joel 2:12-13). Because the God who shows you what’s been lost is the same God who is ready to restore it. “Return to the Lord your God, foe He is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love” (Joel 2:13). Hallelujah! 💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take 5 minutes with the Lord today. Sit with Him quietly and ask:

• “Lord, What do You want me to know about this today?”
  • Journal what He whispers by the Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what he whispers – then do it!

Let today be a day of returning, rebuilding, and letting Him re-cover you with His protection.

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Prayer

Lord, if any part of my life has become exposed or vulnerable, draw me back under Your covering. Restore what has been stripped away and strengthen what remains. Guard me, heal me, and make my life fruitful again under Your protection. Amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.