Word of the Week - Full Armor of God

“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.  Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:10-13.  “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 take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:14-17

In follow up to last week’s message on the Authority we have in Christ (see below), I want to expound on the Armor of God and its power and benefits in our lives along with those under our covering and authority (children and grandchildren).  Like most things of the spirit, our faith is an active process that we must engage daily to receive the benefits.  As noted last week, we all have an enemy of our soul that is trying to “steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10, so in order to defend ourselves from these attacks God has given us spiritual Armor for our protection.  We must put on the “whole” Armor each day to receive the full benefits of God’s Armor for us.I literally put on the Armor of God each morning with my 14 year old daughter Isabella.  Starting with our head and working our way down to our feet then picking up the shield and sword, we put on the full Armor of Christ before we go out to take on our day:

1. We put on the “Helmet of Salvation”.  Knowing that our salvation is in and through Christ gives us blessed asurance and peace of mind.  It sure makes the day a lot better remembering our eternal destiny in Christ.  “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
2. In a world that is full of sin and evil, we must protect our hearts and purity of spirit by putting on the “Breastplate of Righteousness”.  Knowing Jesus is our most holy righteousness we look at His life, death and resurrection to be our righteousness.
3. Since we have an enemy who is a liar and accuser and will use any tactic to confuse us through lies and deception we must buckle the “Belt of Truth” around our waist so we know the truth and live free by walking in the truth.  “then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.
4. The “Shoes of Gospel of Peace” represent the Good News of the Gospel that we are called to evangelize with all both near and far.  As we stand firm, we are standing on our foundation in Christ that is solid and steady so we can be secure especially as we are out in the world doing what God has called us to do.  “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written:  “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”. Romans 10:5.
5. The “Shield of Faith” is necessary to defend against the fiery darts of the enemy that are constantly coming at us trying to penetrate our hearts and minds.  Faith and trust in Jesus is the essence of our relationship with God and it is impossible to know or please God without faith.  Faith is the catalyst that changes everything in our lives but we must continue to take up our Shield of Faith daily through prayer, reading of God’s word and fellowship with other believers to keep our faith healthy and strong and have full covering and protection.  “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” Hebrews 11:1
6. Finally we take an offensive posture against our enemy through the “Sword of the Spirit” which is God’s word.  We are given Authority through God’s word in the scriptures to triumph in victory over principalities of darkness and evil.  By praying and quoting scripture we are taking the fight to the enemy of our soul.  This is our ultimate weapon to overcome the enemy and have victory in Christ Jesus.  Jesus modeled this for us while he was on earth and gave us a great example of how to not only defend ourselves from the devil but put him in his rightful place with our foot on his neck.  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.  Hebrews 4:12

Se be encouraged, God has equipped us with His full Armor to go out each day and live under His protection and experience victory over the enemy.  “For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-control”. 2 Timothy 1:7Fight the good fight with the “Full Armor of God”.Have a great week…..-Duane