In part one, we looked at the fact that all believers are involved in a holy
war and that's why we need the armour of God. In part two we discussed briefly
the nature and reality of our enemy.
This morning we'll begin to examine the most well known pieces of the armour
of God. Once, we've finished that, we'll then look at some pieces of God's armour
that many Christians don't even know exist.
In the epistle to the Ephesians, we see the verses most believers think of when
the topic the armour of God is mentioned.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour
of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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 evil
in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour 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. 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 on all occasions with all kinds
of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying
for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
These verses open with a set of commands
- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
- Put on the full armour of God
Putting on the armour of God isn't a suggestion. God knows full well that we
are in a battle that we will lose of we attempt to fight it in our own strength.
The victory over Satan has been accomplished. It is a fact. However in the wind
down, there are still skirmishes to be fought.
The battle with Satan and his demons reminds me of the war against Japan. At
the end of the conflict, Japan surrendered. That did not stop many of her soldiers
from fighting on, some of them for decades. Now, I'm not suggesting that the people
of Japan are still our enemies, just pointing out a historical case where the
"war" was over, the outcome determined, but the battle waged on for an extended
period of time. So it is with the battle in the heavenly realms.
Too often Christians, take the stance that Satan is defeated, we needn't worry
about him anymore. Yes He's defeated but we still battle him. That's why we're
commanded to put on the armour.
Without God's protection, we're sitting ducks. We're unarmed combatants facing
a wily and dangerous enemy bent on our destruction. With the armour, we're protected.
We're instructed to put on the armour for a very specific reason so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. We put it on to stand against the enemy.
Until next time, rejoice that the victory has been won and we are equipped to
handle the mop up skirmishes.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed
Kevin