“Wherefore
take unto you the whole armor of God
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done ALL to stand.” --Ephesians 6:13
What
is the apostle talking about, when he says to do “all?” What are believers
instructed to do when confronted with
evil spiritual attacks, which usually manifest themselves physically, either
through adverse people or situations, or even illness or injury? Taken in
context, when believers are told to do “all,” it is a reference to putting on
the “whole” armor of God. This consists of ongoing
action rather than simply completing a few tasks (such as mentally putting on a
helmet or mentally picking up a sword). Putting on just part of God’s armor, will not win the day, and doing all, means not letting go, or giving up
the faith, most especially when the battle seems to rage sorely against us.
We
begin with fastening on the Truth. Pick it up. Belt it on tight. Own it. Jesus is the embodiment of TRUTH. He
tells us that God’s WORD is Truth. He is the living WORD. And we have his
personal admonition to be both hearers and doers
of the Word, else we cannot stand. We have his personal example of how to hold fast
to the Truth. Truth, is whatever God has to say about any given situation. And
that always begins with the Written Word of God. The Bible says, that if anyone
tries to sell us on any so-called spiritual truth, that has not already been
written about in the scriptures, then there is no light in them! God will never
violate [or disagree with] His own Word. When confronted with the devil, Jesus became
our example in how to belt on the Truth. Notice how he carefully limited his
engagement and conversation with the enemy to that of iterating and
re-iterating, “It is written…”
What
does the Word of God have to say about your situation? Regardless of what
things look like, the Word of God is
the TRUTH. Grab hold of it. Strap it on! Stand on it. Refuse to agree with
anything else. Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean NOT to our own limited
and finite understanding.
After
we learn what God has to say about our situation, and grab hold of the Truth about
it, it is imperative that we add to that the Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Why?
Because once the enemy knows that we know the TRUTH, he knows that he has
already lost the battle, unless he
can convince us that that we are undeserving of receiving God’s love, that we
do not deserve to be recipients of the promises and Truth contained in His Word.
In
a suit of armor, the breastplate guards the heart and other vital organs. We
are commanded in the Bible to guard our heart (our spirit) with all diligence,
for out of it are the issues of life. The Breastplate of Righteousness, guards
the hearts of all believers with the knowledge that we are the righteousness of
God in Christ Jesus. We are hidden In Christ. Having our sins covered, means
when God looks at us, he sees only the righteousness Jesus has clothed us with.
We stand righteous before God, because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross,
not because of anything we could do for ourselves. The Breastplate of
Righteousness, protects us from believing the enemy’s lie that we are unworthy.
Jesus has made us worthy.
Every
soldier knows, that wherever they are, whatever they are doing, it is critical,
that they take care of their feet. A
soldier is seriously handicapped, without healthy feet. How do Christian soldiers
take care of their feet?
By
always being prepared to share the good news about God’s good will toward men
and the peace he made with humanity through the death and resurrection of His
only begotten Son. That is how we shod our feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace. Always be ready to share the hope that is in us.
Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith we can extinguish all the flaming
missiles of the wicked one. Faith will put out the fires. Faith will win the
day. Faith has a tangible substance. It is the substance of things hoped for.
If we have hope, that is the evidence that we know we have faith. Make sure it
is rightly placed, securely anchored in Christ and in his Word. Then hold on
tight! Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith works by love. In
these two things all of the Law and all of the Prophets are briefly
comprehended, Love Yahweh Elohiym, love the lord or God with all your heart
soul and might, and love your neighbor as yourself.
And
take the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of
God. Putting on the Armor of God, begins with His Word and ends with His Word.
The Helmet of Salvation protects the mind. Our hearts need protection by the
Breastplate of Righteousness, and our minds need protection by the headgear
provided by God.
We
put on God’s headgear, by protecting our minds and intellect with a healthy
fear of the Lord. The Bible says, “With all our getting, get understanding.” We
cannot do that without the fear of God. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who can
destroy the body but cannot destroy the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy
both body and soul in hell.” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
Knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Protection our intellect by first laying a
secure foundation of godly fear and reverence for God’s written Word. It is
part of the Armor of God.
The
Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is an amazing sword, capable of
discerning between the soul and the spirit. Our only offensive weapon, against
a powerful spiritual enemy [who can manifest tangibly in devastating ways]. The
Sword of the Spirit, is the Word of God—faith in the Word of God. Stubbornly,
stick with the Word, agree with nothing else.
And
while we are fighting our battles, let us not forget to stand with our sisters
and brothers in Christ as they fight theirs. Praying always, for ourselves for
others.
And
when we have done all, when we have put on every piece of God’s armor, when we
have walked in it, fought with it… then stand
in it. No matter what, do not back
down from what God has to say about our situations. Let the words of our mouths
and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to God. Let His Word lead us in
the way everlasting, by agreeing with our Creator, and whatever he has to say.
Be
strong in HIS power, and in HIS might.
