Put on The Whole Armor
Ephesians 6:11-18 "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints"
Take a minute to imagine a warrior going to war without his sword, weird right? or going to war without a shield? how would that warrior protect him or herself? or a warrior going to battle with just the helmet of salvation and saying "but I'm saved" What?!
I have read this passage over and over again, but recently I was enlightened to the understanding that it is not enough to know the whole armor scripture but to ensure you are wearing the whole armor of God. Little wonder why the first verse of Ephesians 6 emphasized that! "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
You can't afford to put on the helmet of salvation and you are girded with the belt of lies or you are holding the shield of faith and your feet is shod with war. Or let's say you even have almost all the armor but your sword is the opinion of men and not the word of God... How do you want to win battles this way or stand against the wiles of the enemy?
When we find ourselves in difficult situations and it looks like the enemy seems to have a upper hand, maybe it's time to go take a step back and ensure you are wearing all the right armor...
Check that sword, is it the opinion of men or the word of God? Check your feet, don't be overcome with anger. Yes you were hurt but choose the path of peace. Check your helmet, is it truly the helmet of salvation? are you truly saved? are your actions reflective of God's saving grace? Check that shield, is it the shield of faith grounded in the word of God or it's just head knowledge?
Maybe it's time to retreat and take a good stock of your Armor, especially over that situation. Ask God to open your eyes to see what you are doing wrong and where you are wearing the wrong armor. God will show you.
Or maybe you are wearing another person's armor? "It worked for this person, it should work for me too" Remember David had to put off Saul's armor to kill Goliath...
Remember to stand against the wiles of the enemy, you have to put on the whole armor of God. You can't win a battle with a half armor. Its a complete package!
Yours in the walk....
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