Holy Armour
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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powersof 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.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20
In my message this past Sunday I mentioned being ready in our life spiritually and putting on the armour of God. Whether we like it or not we are involved a spiritual battle. We saw that Jesus showed temptation being one of the parts of this battle, which can be beaten. Jesus in is time in the wilderness modelled that for us. Jesus desires that you and I live victoriously over our temptation, and sin.
Too often, we find ourselves buried in the same habitual sins, with real victory feeling like it’s far away, or not even attainable. Paul knew this and he encouraged the early church along with us by advising them and us to put on the whole spiritual armour of God.
We know that a soldier, when his enemy is near, doesn’t pick up his shield and leave his helmet on the shelf! He takes up his entire suit of armour when he goes to battle.
As Christians, we should do the same and put on the entire armour the Lord has made available to us. He has provided a defence for us against the schemes of the devil and the temptation to sin. He offers us strength in our weaknesses, enabling us to live as warriors for the faith instead of casualties.
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you became not only a believer but also a warrior. Paul said in his writing to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7.
Paul knew as we do, that we will struggle with our sinful nature, and that there is an enemy that we read against. Jesus provided the armour of God for our protection and for us to use in this battle. He has also provided the Holy Spirit as an aid to us as well.
When we are dressed with the spiritual armour stricture speaks to, we are wrapped in the truth, in righteousness, in peace, and salvation. We are protected by the shield of faith. Paul says that with this shield, we “will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”
Our weapons are “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and prayer (Eph. 6:17-18). Although our enemy knows our weaknesses and is always ready to attack, we have the power of God on our side.
So my encouragement to you this week is to put some feet to your faith, as you gear up each day put on the whole armour of God. Join the winning side!