To protect ourselves from the attacks of the enemy, we need to put on the full armor of God each day. In Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV, Paul states:
Finally 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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood (individuals) but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Each day, in addition to saying The Lord’s Prayer and covering friends and family, my travels, and property, with the blood of Jesus, I put on the Full Armor of God, described in Ephesians 6:14-17. I say a little shortened version of the scripture:
I put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith. I gird my loins with truth, wield the sword of the Spirit, and speak continuously in the Spirit.
There is so much that could be said about this passage. Here are just a few comments that may be helpful.
The Helmet of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation protects our mind. We don’t have to fear or worry – God has a plan to get us through every crisis. The worst that can happen is that we die and go to heaven, the paradise that God has prepared for us. However, premature death is not of God. He wants to give us long life and has a plan for each of us to accomplish much in His Name.
Breastplate of Righteousness
When Jesus died, He restored our relationship with the Father. He took our sins and exchanged them for His righteousness. When we are born again, God doesn’t see us and our past and present, He sees the Jesus who is inside us. We are now His sons and daughters. We didn’t need to get cleaned up before we accepted Christ. In fact, it is almost impossible to get free of addictions, sickness, fears without His help and guidance. All this is available to us, once we are born again.
The Shield of Faith
When evil comes against us, the shield of faith quenches the devil’s fiery darts. We are not battling against individuals, i.e., flesh and blood, but evil forces from the demonic realms. God has given us authority to trample on these enemies (snakes and scorpions) and over all power of the enemy. The devil may win a few battles but armed with faith, God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, we will win the war!
Loins Girded with Truth
The belt of truth covers our belly, our inner being where the Holy Spirit resides and bubbles out of us. Truth brings light and light exposes the darkness. Hiding things in our lives such as sin, unforgiveness, hatred or anger eventually causes sickness and disease. Jesus through the Holy Spirit exposes these things, healing the holes in our hearts with His infinite power and love.
The Sword of the Spirit
The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. When the enemy artfully lies or twists Scripture to trick us, as he tricked Eve, we will know and use God’s Word to counteract the Devil’s attack. The Bible is not just words. These words have anointing, power and life! Even though many men wrote the different Bible books, each was inspired by God. Scripture cuts directly to the heart of the matter and accomplishes what it was sent out to do!
The Gospel of Peace
When we have peace despite what is going on around us, it shows that we are walking with God. We may be traversing a mine field but we have confidence that God will show us how to avoid each mine, each trap. We have peace because He is meeting our needs so our main task is to spread the Gospel of Peace to those around us. There are so many who are searching who don’t even know what they are looking for.
Praying in the Spirit
Praying in our personal prayer language (tongues) allows us to communicate directly with God, through the Holy Spirit. Through tongues we communicate our desires and needs and He provides His inspiration, protection and direction. Tongues renews our strength, filling us with the Holy Spirit. When we don’t know what to pray, we receive the answers we need. Tongues is God’s best gift to us and is the gateway to all the other Spiritual Gifts. Praying in the Spirit keeps us safe from the devil’s plan and instead gives us God’s plan. And His is the best!
DLH – March 16, 2016