WE STAND STRONG WITH THE ARMOR OF GOD AS OUR PROTECTION
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“Spiritual Christians look upon the world not as a playground but as a battleground.” – A.W. Tozer –
A spiritual war rages unseen all around us. It is a fight for the souls of all believers. Every day is a day of battle. It is imperative that we set up our defenses and establish our battle lines.
Jesus has already won the final victory. He is our triumphant Deliverer. We have the power of His Spirit within us. When He returns, He will eliminate all evil forever. Until then, evil abounds in this world. We dare not be complacent.
What would the Lord have us do? He calls us to stand our ground, arm ourselves for battle, and resist the enemy through the Holy Spirit within us. We are to be God’s soldiers, fighting the battle through His presence and power in our lives.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10
Jesus’ mission is for us to have life in Him, fully and abundantly, now and eternally. Satan daily fights to steal away souls from God’s kingdom. His mission is to deceive all people… to lure them away from the truth. The enemy is well aware of his eternal fate… and seeks to take as many with him as possible to his dreaded destiny.
The apostle Paul was an expert on spiritual warfare. His life was rife with trials. He well knew that as soldiers of God we must prepare for the battles daily waged against us.
Paul’s time in prison allowed him to become well acquainted with Roman soldiers and their armor. Roman soldiers knew the critical importance of their armor in battle. They trusted this protective covering to defend them and save their lives. Paul drew an analogy between this armor and God’s spiritual armor.
“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” – Ephesians 6:10-11
Each day we are to suit up with the armor of God. All parts of this spiritual protection are designed for our fight against Satan and his evil army. We place our trust in the Lord and the armor He has provided to defend us and save our lives in the battle for our souls.
“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.” – Ephesians 6:14-17
† Belt of Truth – Knowledge of God’s truth, the Word of God, is our foundation and defense. Armed in this way, we recognize when the master of lies is deceiving us and twisting the truth.
† Breastplate of Righteousness – As believers, the righteousness of Christ is in our hearts. We are holy and approved in God’s eyes. His righteousness protects us from the enemy’s attempts to lure us into sin.
† Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – Christ is our Rock upon whom our feet are firmly planted. We stand strong against the adversary and stand ready for our marching orders to share the good news of salvation.
† Shield of Faith – Our faith in God and His promises protects our spirits. As we place our trust in Him, we resist Satan’s fiery darts of deception, manipulation and temptation.
† Helmet of Salvation – Our hope of salvation protects our minds from the doubts the enemy attempts to plant there. We remember God’s love, His promises and His protection.
† Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God is our offensive weapon. When we use the powerful words of Scripture against the adversary as our counterattack, he is forced to flee.
Our heavenly Father seeks to protect us, His beloved children, from the enemy of our souls. He arms us with strength for the spiritual battle with His Spirit and His mighty armor. God’s protective armor is our defense, allowing us to resist the attacks of the enemy and his army of evil. We wield our offensive weapon of God’s Word in combat to force the enemy to flee.
As soldiers of God, let us daily put on all parts of our spiritual armor. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in our lives, to help us in the battle against our archenemy. We are on the winning side. Jesus has already triumphed over all evil. We, too, will win the victory through His mighty power and protection.
