Put Your Armor On

In Ephesians 6:10 - 18, the Apostle Paul gives a direct order - twice. He gives a clear reason for the order. Let's review what it says. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." "...put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

Paul takes the time to explain that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the forces of hell. We know from experience that the schemes of the evil one enter our mind, enter our world, enter our field of vision with tailor-made temptations and attacks aimed exactly at our weaknesses. We would be powerless without our God. He has made special provision for our defense; we must use it!

The majority of the spiritual weapons we are to put on are defensive. Only one is offensive. We are to actually arm ourselves with these pieces of armor so we can "stand our ground when the evil day comes." You'd have to have been in a coma not to recognize that the day of evil is here.

The word "stand" is used three times to emphasize the idea of remaining strong and in "battle mode". So stand in prayer and put the armor on piece by piece every day. The entire armor represents Christ Himself. So we are obeying the command to put on Christ when we put this armor on.

The first item we put on is the belt of truth. We remember Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one can come to the Father but by me." The truth holds our Christian life together. The belt of truth encircles out waist and the waist is the middle of our body, therefore the truth we know of God holds our lives together.

The next article we dress in is the breast plate of righteousness. The book of Romans explains how we are made righteous (right with God) through Jesus Christ. So we have righteousness covering our vital organs and especially our hearts. We know in our minds and hearts that we are in right standing with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

We have foot wear too, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the readiness to take the good news of the victory we have over sin and death through Christ. Wherever our feet take us, we take along the wonderful message that sets captives free. It's like running to tell fellow slaves that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and our lives will have a brand new future. Only this news is everlastingly and eternally better because death has lost its power and cowers in defeat and sin has lost it stranglehold upon us through God's great grace.

Next we must take up the shield of faith. With this weapon we can "extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one". Made to attack our areas of vulnerability, the fiery darts are aimed strategically. Without the shield of faith, we are going to be pierced and give in to temptation. This shield is mentioned throughout scripture. "...the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. The translation I used said "by the faith of the Son of God" and others say "by faith in the Son of God". Don't let that bother you because anyway you look at it, the faith we have is a gift of God and not acquired by works, so nobody can boast about it. Since God is the author and finisher of our faith, He has given us the right amount for where we are right now. Don't let anyone tell you don't have enough faith, it is your shield!

Now for your head gear, you put on the helmet of salvation. This piece of the armor protects your mind because it is the knowledge of the completed work of Christ and all that means. Your doubts and fears about life and death can be put to rest since your destiny is securely held by the nail-pierced hands of the risen Savior. You can know whose you are and why you are here. You have access to the very throne of grace. Jesus Himself is praying for you. You are truly saved for life forever and conversely, saved from everlasting death.

The defensive weapon is put on last. It is the sword of the Spirit, the mighty word of God. As Dr. David Jeremiah says, "it is the Rhema in the Logos of God." It is the "sayings of God" in the book of God, "like an individual sword in an armory". These words are the individual memorized scriptures with which you can meet the trials and temptations of your daily life. The Holy Spirit aids us in memorizing; He brings these sayings to mind at just the right time, but we have to input them before they will be brought to our minds. That is why we need to memorize scripture, so we will be able to disarm and defeat the enemy with the mighty two edged sword that can cut so deeply it ". . .divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) God's word can free us from the strongholds of sin, pry lose the tentacles of bad habits, and free us from paralyzing fears and anxieties.

Having put on all this armor, we are told to pray and how to pray. We are advised to be alert. Good soldiers are always armed and alert, ready for battle because it will come. "But be of good cheer" Jesus has overcome the world. We are not fighting alone or left as orphans, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. But that's another subject. PUT ON YOUR ARMOR DAILY! Doma