Straight from the Pastor’s heart!
Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV
[10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
[11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[12] 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.
[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
[17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: [18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
The Christian life has countless of challenges; especially when you live for the Lord and you are faithfully serving Him. Trials and persecutions will come for sure and worse when we live against the will of God, we will suffer the consequences of our sins. As we face the consequence; too often we react against God’s chastisement that leads us to fellowship with the enemies toward our sure spiritual defeat.
1 Peter 2:20 KJV
[20] For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
Whether we face temptation or encounter trials and persecution; we need God’s spiritual weapons for our protection. God has already secured victory for us on the cross with His resurrection power. Let us have the resolve to be overcomers and continue on to be more than a conqueror and claim victory in Christ in the midst of persecutions and trials.
Every child of God has the fruit of the Spirit. He gave that to produce in us and through us to show the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I mentioned in my previous devotion, there is no need for a believer to ask the Lord again for them. It is because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we have them all. It is only a matter of claiming and applying them in our lives.
It is the same with the whole armour of God. God has provided that to us completely. He has made them all available in order for us to be equipped and be prepared to face our spiritual battles and the good fight of faith. The only instruction He gave is “put them all on!”
The whole armour of God. What are rhey?
1. Loins girt about with truth - the explicit truth the Lord gave us to have the confidence and the conviction to stand firm for God and His will.
2. Breastplate of righteousness - it is the imputed righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
3. Feet shod with the Gospel - the power of the gospel is the message we proclaim to have beautiful feet.
4. Shield of faith - it comes through the Word of God that gives protection against the fiery darts of the enemies
5. Helmet of salvation - the mindfulness and the confidence to testify that we are truly saved. It is our eternal security in Christ. It gives the resolve.
6. Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God through the working of the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth and the ONE who convicts.
7. Prayer - our constant connection with God. Our spiritual 911 that we can use all the time.
This armour is always available for all the Children of God to claim and to use daily as needed. However, the mere possession of the armour does not guaranty victory. It is important that we know how to use them skillfully. All the Military soldiers have to be trained to use their weapons with accuracy. The same is true with all the spiritual weapons!
In order to develop the skills in using the armour and these weapons, we need to:
1. Submit to our Commander in Chief, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Emulate and magnify the character of Christ in our lives as a powerful testimony. It drives away evil.
3. Read the Bible always and be doers. It is our spiritual manual that gives us all instructions.
4. Remember who you are fighting for and for what. Focus on the commander snd His purpose, not ours.
5. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit without ceasing..
6. Do not neglect the assembly of all the believers (Soldiers) together. It is important to unite and march in sync and in cadence together.
7. Be sure you belong to the army of the Lord and a faithful member of the empowered Church.
1 Peter 5:8 KJV
[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
God’s people must always be on guard and ready for the battle. Readiness is when the whole armour is worn all the time. It is of no use if only kept in the closet of our minds, or the word of God is only accumulating dust in a corner, and the Church gathering is neglected. When you feel that you are not anymore excited to wear it, it is time for revival and to be right with God. When you find yourself critical of the truth and neglectful of the things of God, you are already defeated by your #1 enemy and that is yourself!
Conclusion:
The Bible says we need to “put on the WHOLE armour of God.” Wearing an armour at a time will never work. Remember! The commander of the enemies is subtle and deceitful. We need to get every armour ready by also getting ourselves always ready.
Self is the greatest enemy because when self is not ready, every enemy can attack. It is self who is not surrenderd to God that gives way to the enemies. But when Self is spiritually ready and prepared, it does not matter if the enemies are all together; they will not and cannot defeat us. It is because we have the Commander in Chief with all His angelic host fighting with us and quite often, for us.