One of Satan's greatest deceptions is to have people believe that the spiritual realm doesn't exist, to have them so far removed from that reality that they do not even acknowledge it nor perceive it. If he can get us to focus on carnal things, the things perceivable to only our five senses in the physical realm, then we are left spiritually susceptible to his forces of evil and destruction, and he moves about freely.
However, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that, " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of the evil in the heavenly realms." The AMP version gives us a bit more, "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
Scripture not only tells us of the spiritual realm's reality but also of the hosts of demonic forces set up against us. Since this reality exists in the spiritual realm and the warfare is already present, we cannot come to the battle field equipped with worldly defenses and expect to triumph.
2 Corinthians 10:3,4 (AMP) tells us that "For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds."
We therefore have not been left spiritually empty handed; God has given us weapons and armor to use in battle. Ephesians 6:10, 11 tell us to "...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." . Scripture goes on to state each piece of that armor, " 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 to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:14-18
Not surprisingly there are 7 pieces of God's armor. If we simply read them in list form, we miss their magnitude, power and might. So, let's unpack them a bit.
BELT OF TRUTH:
What do belts do? They hold up and secure our pants, keeping them from falling down, tripping us up and exposing our vulnerability. The belt of truth does the same. It is to be buckled, fitted and tightened. We are to put it on to steady us in our fight against the enemy. It is there to help keep us up, to stand firm and balanced, to keep us guarded and protected, and not easily exposed to the thwarts of the enemy. When you have been established in Christ and rightly believe the truth God says about you, you cannot be easily moved.
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS:
God's word tells us to stand firm with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Therefore, we are not to simply just put it on and casually wear it, but we are to stand with it FIRMLY in place upon us. It is a uniform to the enemy to show who we are (in Christ) and who we belong to. Our salvation (through Jesus) makes us righteous in God's eyes, therefore we can claim, I am the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Accordingly we are to affirm, assert and declare this position!
FEET FITTED WITH READINESS:
With my little ones, we call this piece of battle armor shoes. However, scripture does not specifically mention shoes, as we define them. It says we are to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace; we are to be fitted and ready in our stance against the enemy but also ready to go where God leads us to spread His Good News. We can illustrate this with something I am all too familiar with. How many of you, like me, have had to run across a gravel driveway barefoot? In the brief moments ahead of your pursuit, you sense internal hesitation because you know you are not fully ready for what is about to ensue. As you run across the gravel it becomes an uncomfortable and often times painful endeavor. To the onlooker, it is an awkward chicken-like dance, a hurried mess of arms flailing for balance, your top half crunching towards your bottom half, and your mouth releasing squawk-like sounds in pain every time you step on a sharp rock! Similarly, running across the same ground, or any ground for that matter in size 11 shoes (when you wear a size 7) can be an awkward and dangerous task as well. If we are therefore not properly fitted with the Gospel of peace, then we cannot stand firm and stable in the presence of the enemy. Likewise, we will hesitate to move when God prompts and when we do, it will feel (and look) awkward and may even be painful to do so.
SHIELD OF FAITH:
We are to hold up the shield of faith to protect us from the flaming arrows of the evil one. Although we may indeed feel the pressure of the blows, they will not be fatal. Too many times many of us think of this as such a small piece of armor, offering a small window of protection. Our limited exposure to historical battle armor leaves us with only the impression from those little plastic disks our kids use for dress up. They are no bigger than a paper plate and are just about as flimsy! However, during Paul's time when he wrote the book of Ephesian, a shield would have referred to the Roman shield that was incredibly large and offered full body protection! Even so, holding a shield of that size can take strength and stamina to keep it held up. Faith feels like that sometimes, like it takes all our strength and directed attention to muster it up. But, when we do it offers full protection.
HELMET OF SALVATION: What do modern helmets do? They protect our head from injury while doing various activities. But why a helmet for our head specifically? Because, our head holds our brain- the control center for thoughts, emotions, motor skills, and autonomic processes that ultimately drive our further actions. The helmet of salvation protects our minds from the enemies lies that seek to control our thoughts and therefore drive our actions. It is a stop to destructive wrong thinking. When you have been born again, you are Christ's and your salvation is secure. Colossians 3:3 says, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." When fitted firmly and securely, the helmet of salvation protects us from the enemy's lies that we are not good enough, that we can not do enough to please God, that we will just mess up again. But God's words and Jesus' finished work is clear. Romans 5:9-10 (AMP) assures us that, "Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ's blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin's dominion) through His [resurrection] life."
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT:
It is God's word. While the other pieces of armor require that they be properly fitted and appropriately worn in place, the act of wearing them is a bit more passive; they are more or less defensive pieces of armor. Although, let's not be remiss in thinking that regular inspection, fitting, upkeep and strengthening of that armor is of utmost importance. The sword however, is something you need to hold and wield firmly in your hands in order for it to be effective. It is an offensive weapon and it requires an ACTIVE, engaged pursuit. We must practice using it everyday by reading and being in God's word. We can only wield this weapon if we have had adequate practice with it. Like Jesus, when Satan temps, tests and tries us, we are to use God's word to counter his strikes ( see Mathew 4: 1-11) and when we have "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV).
PRAY ALWAYS IN THE SPIRIT:
For all the pieces of God's armor listed have been specified toward the individual and his personal fight against the enemy. We, however are also called to be a part of the body of Christ, a part of His army. Each individual in an army must maintain and strengthen their own armor and learn how to wield their personal weapons. Yet, a successful army is one that moves and works together to gain ground. There are times on the battle field where your protection is offered to another and theirs to you. Prayer (in the spirit and in all kinds and requests) is a piece of God's armor offered and extended to help protect one another in battle. Therefore, it is the piece called to keep us alert on the battle field for our personal protection as well as all the Lord's people together.
Ultimately, we must learn how to put on all the pieces of God's armor, being careful to be properly fitted with them and learning how to wield them effectively against our enemy. Scripture declares, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are MIGHTY before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMP).
Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, Romans 5:9-11 (AMP),
*All quotes are taken from NIV unless otherwise noted.
BELT: Isaiah 5: 27, Isaiah 11:5, 1 Kings 18:46, Psalm 109:19 BREASTPLATE : Isaiah 59:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:8 FEET: Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 4:26, Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15
SHIELD: Genesis 15:1, Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 91:4, Proverbs 30:5, 2 Samuel 22: 3,
HELMET: Isaiah 59:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:8 SWORD: Leviticus 26:6-8, Deuteronomy 33:29, PRAYER: Romans 8:26, Mathew 6:5-8, Mathew 26:41, 1 Corinthians 14:14,15, Philippians 4:6, Jude 1:20.
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