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The Book of Ephesians part 9 – Week 48 / November 26th
The Armor of God
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord
And in the power of His might. Put on the
Whole armor of God, that you may be able
To stand against the wiles of the devil….”
Ephesians 6:10-20
Here in this famous passage of the book of Ephesians we have Paul’s exhortation to be ready for battle by adorning the armor of God. Here then he employs an illustration that was very familiar to him in that wherever he went in the Middle East, Asia and beyond the Roman soldier was observable everywhere and every day. He was a formidable force to be reckoned with as he, together with his legions, had conquered the then known world. For Paul then he was an excellent example of what a Christian should be in a more dangerous and formidable unseen spiritual world.
Key words
Paul’s opening statement to this important passage contains some key words that we should take note of. Firstly that we should be “strong in the Lord;” God wants His people, saved by the blood of Jesus, to be strong. It is in the Lord that we can only become strong but we have pursue God’s strength and appropriate it. Weak Christians are those that have failed to fully embrace the grace of God that is flowing toward them in Christ Jesus. There are far too many of these around. God our Father wants us to be clothed with His power and might.
Secondly, we are called upon to embrace the “whole armor of God” and not just one part of it. This armor of God is made up of key Christian truths that we have to own if we are ever going to be useful to Jesus and victorious. If one piece is missing we will become vulnerable to an enemy that will fully exploit this “gap” and cause us untold trouble.
Thirdly, we are up against the devil; an unseen but very real entity that is very powerful and has stratagems in place to de-rail our spiritual well being. This is no idle threat and it must be remembered that Paul is writing to Christians. They are the target of the devil’s wiles and if they do not take up the whole armor of God they will make themselves weak and vulnerable to demonic attack and many have! Truly, we are up against vast and very powerful wicked principalities in heavenly places.
Key components
The armor of God is really vital truths that have to get from our minds into our hearts so that they become a real part of us. According to Paul an “evil day” comes to all of us and woe to us if we are not properly clad in the armor of God. A Roman soldier going into battle had to give careful attention to the condition of his armor, both offensive and defensive, and he had to ensure that it was tight fitting and properly secured to his body; if not he would be in serious trouble when the battle was engaged. For Paul the Christian soldier has to give attention to:
1. The belt of truth V14a
This truth is the truth of God’s Word in its entirety. The “belt” that the Roman soldier secured around his waist was the most important piece of his armor as it, when properly employed, held all the other pieces of his armor in place! Every Christian should live in the Word of God day and night. Jesus said that God’s Word was truth (John 17:17) and that it should be the daily food that feeds our souls (Matthew 4:4). If we have no idea of the parameters of God’s dealing with us we shall never be able to stand and fight. The sin of neglecting the Bible is rife in the Church and this is precisely why the wider Church is so weak and ineffective in the world! Consequently the powers of darkness have very little to do; the Church has already been demobilized.
2. The breastplate of righteousness V14b
The Christian must know in his heart that Jesus’ death on the cross has fully satisfied the demands of God’s character on his behalf and thus he or she has forever been delivered from the consequences of o their sins, past, present and future, and therefore God declares that they are perfect in Christ before Him and righteous (2Corinthians 5:21) . He sees nothing in us that attracts His displeasure (Romans 5:1). The devil will always attempt to undermine this concept of right standing with God in your life and so you have to resist thoughts, of any type, that undermine this blessed position that is yours in Christ. Naturally, you have to couple this with a mind that also desires for and seeks this perfection. If a “good” Christian believes that God is displeased with him then the powers of darkness will quickly neutralize him. You heart must be covered with a breastplate that assures you of your righteous position in Christ!
3. The feet shod with the Gospel V15
The powerful weapon that God has given us is the Gospel message. We walk with our feet and so wherever we go we should tell people the Good News of Jesus. A soldier cannot advance in any direction that pleases him; if he does he will be wounded or killed. No, he has a mission that drives him ever forward with his fellow fighters and in this way victory is secured. The Gospel is a message that tells the world of the devil’s utter and complete defeat and so, indeed, it is the single thing that he will resist most. You must stand up firm in your resolve to share the Gospel. This is what you are fighting for. A soldier that loses his shoes will lose his grip, falter and fail and so it is with Christians.
4. The shield of faith V16
Faith is believing what God says even if this “saying of God” contradicts what we see, feel and smell (Hebrews 11:1). This is why faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17); we need to know what God says! The Bible says that we have all received a measure of faith that we have to grow and strengthen like a muscle. God will call us into faith adventures commensurate with our growth and thereby teach us to trust Him. This is a journey that we must all welcome and embrace. It is an exciting one as the more we overcome by faith so the Jesus will gives us bigger faith hurdles to mount or projects to undertake for Him. The shield gave the Roman soldier protection when the enemy launched fiery arrows against him. In like manner if you know God’s word a fiery arrow launched by the powers of darkness will not penetrate you because you know the truth.
5. The helmet of salvation V17a
The helmet gave protection to the head and so for Paul the most dangerous “battle ground” we face is that of the mind. What gets hold of you mind will get hold of your emotions and what gets hold of your emotions will dictate and control your actions. Remember; garbage in means garbage out! It all starts in the mind. The Bible exhorts Christians, time and time again, to guard and protect their minds (1Peter1:13; Philippians 4:8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:21-24). Your mind is a veritable gateway to your soul and what gets into it is important; very important. No tool has been used more to subvert the minds of people than television and its internet counterparts. Whole generations are being destroyed by these appliances. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with them but they have to be regulated or controlled otherwise we end up feeding our minds on filth which in turn grieves the Holy Spirit. The result; a Christian that is useless to God!
6. The sword of the Spirit V17b
Christians must not simply know the Word of God they must be able to use it as a weapon. The Bible is not merely a defensive instrument, by which we protect our spiritual lives, but it is also an offensive weapon whereby we advance Christ’s Kingdom in the world. We are moving forward against our enemy and we do so effectively with the Word of God in our hands. Jesus employed the Word of God in this manner during his encounter with the devil recorded in Matthew four. It is to be noted that Paul does not give us armor that covers our backs! The reason is simple; we are always victorious because of what Jesus has done and so we always take spiritual ground for Him by going forward. We can only do this if we have the sword of God’s Word in our hands. We must use it confidently and in every which way possible because it is two edged.
7. Praying always V18
Soldiers in the Roman army, as in all armies, had war-cries and songs whereby they expressed their belief in the regime and system that they represented. These were verbalized always and everywhere and, naturally speaking, gave them confidence and courage. As Christians we have prayer as our source of strength and power and by which we depend on God’s presence to give us courage and strength. We should pray always and for everything, according to Paul (Philippians 4:6; 1Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is to be the spiritual breath that we breathe and it should encompass all that we do in life. The Church today is weak because it has abandoned prayer in favor of a slick methodology. We do this to our peril because by so doing we disconnect ourselves from our source of power and the devil knows it well! We must learn to build strong prayer lives.
Finally, Paul reminds his readers that he represents everything that he has been writing about in terms of the armor of God and so he requests prayer since he is a preacher of the Gospel, an Ambassador for Christ and a prisoner for Jesus. (6:19-20) Nevertheless, he is undeterred and desires only that he should preach more powerfully the message of Jesus. The message is clear; Paul led by example!
Malcolm Hedding
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2013Devotional