A final
word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to
stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,
but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty
powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece
of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the
body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For
shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully
prepared. 16 In addition to
all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the
devil. 17 Put on salvation
as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
When we choose God, we choose to engage the enemy we
know as Satan. I am not trying to make a
statement about the events of this week or to lead you in a negative
direction. What I do want to do as we
close out the week is to realize that every day is a new opportunity to live
for God. By living with God’s truth we
will know His grace and share His love with others.
Our enemy has a plan and is working His plan. God warns us that the enemy is not always the
one we are looking for. We cannot always
see him or even feel him, but this same enemy has put a target on the
person/people who have chosen to follow God.
We must stand firm against the strategies of the
devil. Like a great army leader he knows
how and where to attack. He will be
throwing or shooting his fiery arrows at us before we know it, or maybe he is
already throwing those arrows our way.
These can be physical or emotional, they can be real or imagined, these
arrows can be large or small, seem insignificant or a big deal. But the enemy is after us.
What must we do to ensure that we are ready for the
enemy’s attack? There are several things
that these verses remind us to do in order to be ready for the spiritual battle
taking place around us.
Be strong
in the Lord. Too many times we choose our own strength or our own
way over God’s way. Our strength comes
to an end while God’s strength like Hiss promises do not end.
Put on
God’s armor. This command and offer is constructed in such a way
for us to know that God owns the armor and provides the armor, but it also says
that we have a choice. When we go
through life unprotected, we will have problems.
Put on the
belt of truth. Truth is like a belt.
It holds us together. Again, it
is His truth that we believe. Truth is a
person, and His name is Jesus.
Put on the
body armor of true righteousness. This is one of the parts that isn’t always easy to
understand. True righteousness versus
fake or self provided righteousness is something we learn about the closer we
get to God. He makes us righteous based
on what God has done. It is not based on
something we deserve, something we have earned, or even something we can
understand. God provides the armor, the
strength and the righteousness.
Put on the
shoes of being ready to always share our hope and the peace of God. Just share your story. Tell people what God has done for you, not
what you have done. God is still in the
position of giving hope. I really like a
line I heard last night … while there is life, there is hope. Share His hope.
Hold up the
shield of faith God has given us. Don’t go in to battle unprotected. Hold a shield based on these things God has
given.
Put on the
helmet of salvation. Our salvation is a gift from God based completely on
His promise, His action, and His love.
Knowing we are saved and loved by God allows us to live in freedom. Make sure your mind is covered by knowing
what God says is true about you.
Use the
sword of the spirit God has given to us.
Finally, use your sward. This is Scripture, The Bible. God gives us His word to get in us, to hold
us, to train us, to guide us, to inspire us, to encourage us, to give us what
to say and so much more. This is our
only weapon of offence. Push forward
with His word.
The armor of God is a big deal. Remember we don’t have to preform to please
God. He has always done all we need to
get us to heaven and to seal us for abundant life before heaven. Understanding the battle and living by God’s
truth prepares us daily for greater things.
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