Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God…
Ephesians 6:11-13
I memorized this Scripture about the armor of God as a child during Vacation Bible School many years ago. On a flannelgraph board, we saw colorful pictures of a soldier wearing a belt of truth, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and shoes of the gospel of peace But it is only years later as an adult I have come to a deeper understanding of spiritual warfare, the spiritual life-and-death importance of being prepared for spiritual battle.
The Scriptures tell us we have an enemy who is out to destroy us. Who is the enemy? It is Satan, the devil. 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” God has clearly warned of the enemy’s intent. Do you take the warning seriously? Do I?
In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted Eve to disobey God’s clear command not to eat from the tree of life. He is still very much at work with his forces of darkness attempting to destroy us emotionally and spiritually. His temptations are altered to meet our own vulnerable areas. What can we do about it? How can we remain strong?
Ephesians 6:11-13 gives us the battle plan to fight the enemy, God’s provision of spiritual armor for the spiritual battle:
Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
The first piece of armor is TRUTH. We need to know God, know what His Word says about who He is, what He has done for us, and who we are as those who have received His gift of salvation through faith in Jesus. The next piece is RIGHTEOUSNESS. We must be cleansed of sin and be born again in order to be in a right relationship with God. It is necessary to understand the gospel of PEACE, the good news that we are no longer separated from God because of our sin. We need to be prepared to take the good news to others wherever we go. FAITH in God is the shield that will protect us from the fiery darts (the temptations) Satan throws. We need the solid foundation of SALVATION, to recognize we have been saved from sin to live for God. The WORD OF GOD is the one offensive weapon. We need to know God’s Word, to have His Word hidden in our hearts. When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He was able to firmly respond, “It is written….” He added nothing, just spoke the Word of God. We must be able to do the same. Finally, we are to pray and “be on the alert.”
Years ago, I was reading these verses on spiritual warfare and asked God to help me understand it better. What finally became clear to me is that Jesus Himself is the full armor. He is truth, He is righteousness, He is peace, faith is a gift He has given, He is our salvation, He is the Word of God. I am to “put on Christ” (Romans 13:14). I am to acknowledge that I am in Him and He is in me. He has made Himself and His power completely available to fight the spiritual battles and the temptations that will inevitably come. But the choice is mine, moment-by-moment, to be in Him and claim His protection, or to set Him aside and listen to the lies of the enemy and respond to the inviting temptations Satan places before me.
Entire books have been written on the subject of spiritual warfare. God’s Word clearly warns us of the battle and provides all the protection we will need. I encourage you, as I remind myself, to take very seriously the battle we are in, to consciously put on Christ each day, to pray, be on the alert, and be strong in the Lord.
I just read these words from the Jesus Calling devotional book, September 18th: “You inhabit a fallen, disjointed world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too.”
Yes, even in the midst of this current worldwide pandemic, where life as we knew it has changed so dramatically, we can be strong in the Lord! We can keep our focus on the Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will never leave us. He is our strength to endure anything we are going through.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Satan is very crafty. He knows your weakest areas. Do you? Have you identified the areas where he is most likely to attack? What are they?
We must prepare ourselves daily by putting on the armor, “putting on Christ.” Review the parts of the armor. Ask God to make each one a reality that you can understand in a meaningful way. Write down what you learn about each piece of the armor.
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Faith
Salvation
Word of God
Know the Truth. Refuse to listen to the lies of Satan!
Pray and ask God for opportunities to share God’s truth with others who are struggling. We all need God’s truth to stand firm in our faith.
Thank you, dear Sherrilyn! I’m experiencing spiritual battles, especially intense since last night. Couldn’t get to sleep until 3:30 a.m., and I need to remember these verses. I especially liked how you shared that this armor is Christ Himself. At 3 a.m. I read Psalm 27 where it says “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom then shall I fear?” He shines His light into our dark doubts and fears and causes us to see the truth and the power of His protection over and around us. We should not doubt in the darkness what He shows us in the light.
Thank you, Sherrilyn, for a very thoughtful and clear explanation of this.
So agree with you Sherrilyn! This year has been filled with such craziness that I have put to memory Romans 8:28-39, Ephesians 6:19-18 & 2 Peter 1:3-11. I start the day & close each night them. It so helps to bring peace, strength and encouragement! So thankful for God’s word.