FULL ARMOR OF GOD

“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 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. 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 saints.”    (Ephesians 6:10-18)

What does the Bible mean when it says, ‘put on the full armor of God’?   Armor of God is an expression that symbolizes the combat equipment of a Christian solider who fights against spiritual wickedness with the full resources of God.  These resources are available to all who take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ.  Since our spiritual enemy is stronger than we are, we must use the spiritual weaponry of God. 

We need to realize that the enemy comes at us with TEMPTATIONS.  TEMPTATIONS come in all sizes, shapes and forms.  No one is exempt. (especially Christians)  TEMPTATIONS  begin with our desires; continue with deceit; which leads to disobedience; and finally death.  So, how can we defeat the ploys of the enemy? 

Here’s some quick advice: 

H (Hungry>never allow yourself to get to Hungry)

A  (Angry>never allow yourself to get to Angry)

L  (Lonely>never allow yourself to get to Lonely)

T  (Tired>never allow yourself to get to Tired)

These are our weakest moments where we have a tendency to fall into TEMPTATIONS!

So, how can we defeat the ploys of the enemy? 

PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD!  In future blogs, we will go through each piece of the armor, so we will know what it is, why we need it and how to use it.

Here’s some background info: 

The armor that the Apostle Paul spoke about mirrored what the Roman soldiers were wearing when they went into battle.  Roman soldiers were known for their excellent battle skills.  They were masters of their weaponry.  They came to battle prepared, confident in their skills, weapons and in the knowledge of their enemies.  We also need to do likewise and become expert soldiers.

We should always come to battle with the right preparation and knowledge of our enemy.  Always remember that we do not fight for Victory but we fight from Victory because our confidence comes from God.   And we must come to the battle with the right equipment.

 “Appropriation of that strength comes through the means of grace --- prayer, knowledge of and obedience to the Word, and faith in the promises of God”--MacArthur 

This armor is not something we put on and then take off.  It must be worn at all times.  If you wait until you’re being attack to put your armor on, then it’s already too late.  You can keep your armor on at all times by simply living an obedient life to Christ.

Next time, we will talk about the first piece of equipment, the Belt of Truth.