Doris Parramore TylerFully Don the Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
“…my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”
I know there are times throughout life when we may feel like we are fighting a losing battle. No matter how hard we try to conquer new territory in our lives, or in ourselves, we just can’t seem to get ahead. Or worse yet, we may even be losing ground. Perhaps it’s because we try to fight life’s battles on our own terms, in our own strength, and with our own limited perception as our guide. Because our perception is limited, there is no better place to look for answers than to our creator, who arms us with everything we need to fight life’s battles, literally. In God’s word, He presents to us, a collection of defensive armor and the only weapon we need to fight, along with instructions on how to use them.
First, our Father demonstrates to us our biggest mistake, which is trying to fight these battles in our own power. He instructs us to; “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might”. Also, He makes clear to us who our true enemies are; “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Then He introduces us to the armor necessary for defending ourselves against these powers, and teaches how to don each piece. He gives us the “Spirit of Truth” so that we have discernment, “righteousness” so that we don’t stumble before our enemies, and “feet shod with the preparation of the good news of peace”. Above all, He gives us the “shield of faith” we need to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. But we must wear the “helmet of salvation” which bears the ensign of Jesus Christ, who already fought life’s battles, and died, yet arose victoriously in the power of God’s might.
Oh, but we must not forget the most critical component of all, essential because it is the only offensive weapon He offers us. We must take up and wield “the sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God, with boldness and confidence. Remember, that every time Jesus was faced with evil, as when tempted in the wilderness, He used the only weapon He needed; The Word of God. [Matt. 4:1-11]
Finally, we are to be constant in prayer, alert at all times of the spiritual forces at work in our lives, and the lives of those around us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood’. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” [2nd Cor. 10:3-4]
So we can see that our greatest weapon is speaking God’s Word {in love and in battle,} and heart felt prayer. We must declare God’s truths to overcome lies and deceptions and prayerfully intercede for all of our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even our enemies.
And finally, might I add verse 19 of Ephesians and ask of you, to “…pray for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the good news…”, and I will do the same for you.
