I haven’t posted much on this blog since Nathan added me as a co-author; to be honest I have been in a major writer’s block. However this week has been tremendously powerful and I seem to have been lifted out of that rut. If you have read my blog at all some of this will be on a topic I wrote in there, in fact, my most recent topic in there. But I have had new revelations regarding it, and I am going a bit further.
I would like to open with the Armor of God, and the purpose I believe it holds.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6: 10-20 ESV
There is so much in these verses to look at! I will start with the obvious. To be strong in the Lord we need the armor of God, we cannot do this on our own, and we need Him to stand against the Devil. The battles we fight are those in which our physical bodies and weapons are of little to no use.
Now we dive right in to what the armor of God is.
First up we have the belt of truth. Imagine what you use a belt for; I am sure you have already said that it is to hold up your pants. And this is correct. Our belts help us keep on the clothing that protects the area of our body that we are not supposed to show publicly, our secret areas. God wants us to protect the secret parts of our lives, our alone time, and anything we don’t typically share with others, with His truth. If we can hold to the promises and truth of God in the parts of our lives that only we see, we can also do it in the parts that everyone sees.
Now that our pants are firmly secured we take up our breastplate of righteousness. For those unfamiliar with ancient armor the breastplate would protect our body and vital organs. Scriptures tell us that who we are comes from an overflow of the heart. So if we protect our heart with righteousness, it stands to reason that the overflow of our heart will be righteousness.
So we find ourselves standing in truth and righteousness, it is about time we started taking this battle out to the enemy, therefore we must put on the shoes of readiness which is given by the peace of the Gospel. We need to keep in mind when we go out and forward why we are doing this. We are bringing the peace and love of God to the world, and without that as our motivation, we stand outside of the will of God.
Now that we are moving we are sure to invite attacks from the wicked one, therefore the shield of faith is needed next. We need a strong faith to stand in spiritual battlefields, because with faith we know we can trust in the Lord, our strong tower, to protect us from our enemies, and to keep us safe.
The battle has begun, so we need to be sure we have on the helmet of salvation. To keep our mind focused on the end goal of salvation, as well as a purity of thought and focus that allows us to stay on task for the kingdom.
Now we take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This is the only weapon we need. God has equipped us with the knowledge and power that lie within His words, and these tools are far more powerful than any weapon we can make ourselves. Plus, unlike a normal weapon, the word of God builds up, and adds to the Kingdom.
The next thing we are asked is to enter with the Spirit into prayer and supplication, for our own walks, and that of all the saints. Paul also asks that we pray for his boldness in preaching the word. I want to park here for a moment, digest what we have been asked to do with all this armor.
See it? We put on all this armor and all God seems to want from us is our prayer. This is where the spiritual battles are fought. And the armor isn’t only for those on the front lines. It is for all the supporters out there too, praying for those more directly in the battle for the hearts and minds of God’s children. Paul did not expect everyone to step out and join him in what he was doing physically, and God doesn’t either. Some people need to stay back at home, they have the mighty power of prayer to strengthen those who are reaching out across cultural and social boundaries. Plus, those who maintain a more “normal” looking life usually have the ability to physically supply the needs of those such as missionaries and that of the local church. Those in ministry service rely on their brothers and sisters to carry the word of God, and power of the Spirit, to those that have never heard of it.
The Holy Spirit is such a blessing. Jesus has sent us the Spirit that we may have connection and closeness to Him. With the Spirit comes the authority that Jesus carried, and we must not neglect this. God wants us to partner with Him in prayer; we are asked so many times in scripture just to pray. Rely on the Spirit, pray whatever words you are given. I will be talking more later on some of the gifts of the Spirit, as God has been revealing more of these to me as of late. I am so excited to reach out and share this with all of you. God bless you all, and remember to pray for all those that you know in ministry service for our God and King.
