The Armor of God

    6:10 -18    

And after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with

Buckled around your waist,

in place, 

and your feet fitted with the

In addition to this, take up

with which you can extinguish all the

flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take  

 and 

which is  

You may ask, "How do I put on the Armor of God?"  It's actually quite easy, once you understand it. 

The "belt" is foundational for battle, as it holds all the weapons that allow a soldier to fight.  The belt is a reminder that Jesus is the foundation for spiritual battle: Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life.

The "breastplate" covers all of our vital organs, especially the heart. The enemy attacks our heart with condemnation and lies.  If we start to believe that our own righteousness and/or good works makes us worthy of God's protection, that will only benefit the enemy because our own righteousness is worthless in battle.  Jesus is our righteousness...we must keep our eyes on the provision of the cross and the righteousness that comes with a right relationship with Him.

Having our "feet ready with the gospel of peace" means we are to spread the good news of the gospel where ever we go: The good news of Jesus's life, His death, and resurrection, and that the work of Jesus here on earth brought us peace with God. Jesus is our preparation and peace.

The "shield of faith" signifies that Jesus is the focus of our faith; we trust Jesus alone as our shield. We should not rely only on our own abilities for this battle. In other words, our faith in Christ will shield us from the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The "helmet of salvation" means that we have been "saved" from our sins...that we believe that Jesus came and died on the cross.  We can be delivered from every situation: spiritual, emotional and physical, but we cannot deliver ourselves.  He has to become our guide, our source, our way out.  Jesus is our righteousness.

The "sword of the spirit" is the word of God.  When Satan temps you, it is beneficial to know the Word.  Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  And taking that a step further, John 1:1 says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

  

John 1:14 says: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."   Jesus is the Word of God!

So, I close with these simple words:

Romans 12:14   Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  (New International Version)

Although the NIV is usually my Bible of choice the New Living Translation says it quite well too:

Romans 12:14  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

                          ~Have a great week~