Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 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 Lord’s people. ~ Ephesians 6:10-18 

 The armor of God described in Ephesians above is not the typical protective gear that one would expect to find on a battlefield. This is because God's ways are not our ways.  Is a belt of truth buckled around our waist really going to protect us? A breastplate of righteousness? Are you serious? Why are we talking about the gospel of peace when we are battling evil? Will a shield composed of faith really extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one? Wouldn't a motorcycle helmet be a little stronger than a “helmet of salvation”? And just how powerful is this spirit if it's only made out of paper?

My friends, all we have to do is look at the history of God's people in the Bible to see just how effective the armor of God is. The enemy cowers when He sees you approaching wearing your protective gear. As long as you are wearing the complete package, evil cannot defeat you.


It is not enough to simply dress up. Your super secret weapon is prayer. Pray in all circumstances and you will never be caught off guard. In good times, focus on prayers of gratitude, and in bad times, pray that your suit of armor will hold up in battle. Pray for the warrior standing at your side on the battlefield and remember that when two or more are gathered in His name, the Lord is with you  and you will be  victorious.

 

 

2 comments:

Marcie said...

When Ryan left with the Marines for the Persian Gulf, I blessed him and told him to put on the Armor of God. Then I realized him to God.....no matter what.
<3 A. M.

Michael Mulligan said...

A.M., Thank you for letting go of Ryan so that he could defend our freedom. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to do that. "Angel in the Outfield #15 has been reserved in your name. Please send me a quote to go with your name in the book.

God Bless you and your family,

Mike