The Whole Armor of God

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by: JohnQPublic
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Word Count: 786
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 Time: 9:59 AM
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Look with me at Ephesians 6:11 and following. You may recognize these are the verses that challenge us to put on the whole armor of God. I was hit with some Scriptures as I read this passage that help me have a deeper understanding of these words.

Paul encourages us to put on the whole armor of God. Sounds tough, doesn’t it? Armor is HEAVY! But here’s how to do it! First of all, in verses 11-13 we are reminded that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the very powers of the devil himself. OOH! SO, in order to be adequately prepared to win this battle we have to realize one thing: it is the Lord’s Armor, not our own, and He will help us to bear it! In addition, Scriptures flooded my mind this way. It is totally with Jesus that we are to be clothed! And, by the way, this is why we call Him Emmanuel, God with us!

First of all, put on the belt of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” So, if we have a relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we know the truth which CAN MAKE US FREE, (in other words, help us win the battle against Satan!)

Next we are told to put on the breastplate of rightousness. Those of you who read my last devotion know my heart here: I have no righteousness of my own, but my Savior DOES! (Isaiah 41:10-13). So, in order to win the battle against Satan, we must realize that ONLY Jesus Christ’s righteousness sets us free (in other words, enables us to win the battle against Satan, because none of us can win this victory apart from Him.)

Then we must also have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I could spend several devotions on this one! Who is the Prince of Peace (according to Isaiah)? Jesus the Christ. So we have to get our peace only through Him. There is no other peace. But where does this peace come from? From knowing that we are then prepared with the GOSPEL, the GOOD NEWS of who He is!

Then there is the shield of faith. Note that it says that with that shield of faith we can extinguish all the flaming darts of the devil. Remember that it is he who is our enemy.

Then there’s the helmet of salvation. At first I was not sure why Paul didn’t start from the head and work down, but he didn’t. At first glance, this helmet of salvation seems like it ought to be first to me. But then it hit me. We do not, however, receive salvation without knowing that it is the TRUTH, that only God’s righteousness can save us (because we can do nothing to earn salvation). Then when we know that the Prince of Peace was the Lion who became the Lamb of God, giving his blood for us, we can receive salvation. And we receive salvation by faith. What I think is happening here is that God, through Paul, is saying that in order to defeat the devil, we need to seriously keep in mind all that God has provided in our salvation. The assurance of our salvation makes it so much easier to battle the devil. The One who saves us keeps us, and enables us to overcome the works of the evil one.

The next part of the armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We’re told in Scripture that the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing the bone and marrow. God’s Word gets to the deepest recesses of our souls. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, how did He fight the temptations of the devil? With the Word of God. Yep, He quotes Scripture. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God.” We need to know what the Word says and have it in our hearts and minds in order to battle Satan.

Finally, we are told to pray—at all times—in the Spirit. We also have Jesus at the Father’s also praying for us and the Holy Spirit also making intercession. As we seek God’s direction, He will help us win the battle, for the battle is His.

About the Author

Graceblest is an Administrator on the PCIM Christian Fellowship Message Board. http://parsonscorner.org/pcimunity/

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