Armour of God

[GodChaser]

Armour of God

Ephesians 6:10-18¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  ¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  ¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  ¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  ¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  ¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;   - KJV
Also see: http://www.armsofchrist.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=229#1962 for additional scriptures

[gjt1214]

My reading of these passages from Ephesians produces revelations which give me pause about the true nature of our existence and also some motivation to apply those revelations to some of the issues of our secular life.

First, what are we? The Book of Genesis tells us that we are created in the image of God. We are SPIRITS like He is. We have souls, and we live inside of bodies made of flesh and blood. If "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but rather "principalities, powers" and "the rulers of the darkness of this age" - all spiritual entities - then it seems to me that Christians ought to revisit showing any allegiance to initiating or perpetuating violence or warfare that is based on the flesh. Skin color, gender, national origin, ethnicity and denomination are criteria that divide humanity based on things of the flesh.

Second, are believers not called to place the values of the Gospel ABOVE secular national and cultural values ? As I read scripture, the answer is "yes." On that basis, believers would be reconciled to the Word and our world would be better served if we reconcile our secular values with scripture on matters pertaining to warfare.

The verses from Ephesians cite the "breastplate", "shield" and "helmet" as defensive - not pre-emptive - weapons against our SPIRITUAL enemy. Verse 17 cites the Word of God as the believer's offensive weapon - the "sword" of God's Spirit.  We must take care to "walk according to the Spirit," to avoid becoming unevenly yoked to a secular society and culture which has all but lost any semblance of its spiritual compass.

Christians are all that God has in this world to witness for Jesus Christ. Can He count on us? Peace, and God bless!

Sincerely,
gjt1214

[Anonymous]

I like this. Good Job.

[sia]

I will be with you, For I am the Lord!

thanks for sharing this with us...

[GodChaser]

Scott:  you gonna lead us w/some stuff on this one of these days?

[revs]

I just might , before long. Eating supper right now. When the LORD leads me to, I will.
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More diplomats get shot at than dictators, thats why I wear a bullet-proof vest.

[GodChaser]

Well, I'm waiting for you Reverend Scott!  How am I supposed to know how and what piece of armour I am taking off?  

[revs]

With being a warrior for Jesus Christ, things can happen even when we take off just one peice of the armour.
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More diplomats get shot at than dictators, thats why I wear a bullet-proof vest.

[GodChaser]

I was speaking with a brother of mine the other day (Juan), and I was once again reminded how important it is to speak scripture into our lives.  i.e. to use scripture first person; especially this one upon wakening.

I have yet to memorize this scripture, as I think it is important for all of us to KNOW it; so, I thought I would activate this one this week, as it has been a while.

[GodChaser]

Excerpt from RBC:  http://www.rbc.org/questionsDetail.aspx?id=52016&Topic=716

2. Using the metaphor of a well-equipped Roman soldier, Paul told us how we could be prepared for spiritual warfare. We are to put on the armor of God  (Ephesians 6:11-18), which includes:

The belt of truth. Since Satan depends on deceit to maintain his power, our first line of defense is always truth. We must never distort or misrepresent the truth, regardless of any advantage we might gain by doing so.

The breastplate of righteousness. Any sin in our life leaves us open to Satan’s attack. Even though we are given the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), we must still continually put on the protection of holy living.

The shoes of the gospel of peace. With our feet firmly planted on the truth that we are at peace with God and that He is on our side, we can stand firmly against Satan’s attacks.

The shield of faith. In order to quench the “fiery darts” of Satan’s temptations, we must trust and believe what God has said about every area of our life.

The helmet of salvation. This is the confidence that there is coming in the future a great victory celebration. It is also referred to as the “hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). This helmet protects us against Satan’s missiles of discouragement and doubt.

The sword of the Spirit. Since the Word of God is the basis of our faith, we need to learn how to wield it with authority. Scripture is our best offensive weapon against the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:12).

   After he described the various elements of the armor, Paul said that we are to be in constant prayer. Prayer expresses our dependence on God. We can fight against Satan only “in the [strength of] the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). In the power of Christ and with the armor of the Spirit, we will be victors.
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