The United States Marines has sent you into some of the fiercest fighting
in Afghanistan. Bullets are whizzing
over your head, bombs are exploding all around you, while you are tucked away
in a fox hole, praying for that your enemy doesn’t toss a grenade in there with
you. Yet due to budget cut backs, they were only able to equip you with a short
sleeve camo T-Shirt, a knock off brand of Nike Running shoes, a 7 round .22
caliber handgun, an Atlanta Braves Baseball cap to help keep the sun out of
your eyes, and a 20 ounce bottle of water.
How comfortable would you feel about this battle? Would you feel confident enough to engage the
enemy? My guess is no. If it was me, I would get my use out of those
running shoes while they lasted and take off as fast as I could.
Yet, this picture is where many Christians find themselves on a day to
day basis. They strap on only part of
the armor of God then find themselves battling the foxholes of temptation,
praying this temptation will slip by them without harming them.
If you find yourself asking this question a lot, “Why do I keep screwing
up in the same areas of life?” then you need to ask a second follow up
question, “is there a piece of God’s armor I am not suiting up with?”
Read through this passage from Ephesians 6 taking note of the pieces of the
armor and the role each one plays.
The
Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in
the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put
on the whole armor of God, (that’s the verse we overlook a lot) that
you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (With the whole
armor of God on, we can withstand the enemy’s attacks and his manipulative ways
to tempt us to sin) 12 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. (This is why we need more than physical boundaries and
protection in life, we need spiritual protection. For example, if you struggle with alcoholism,
it is not enough to say, “I won’t go to bars anymore”, rather the battle
primarily takes place in your mind, soul, and heart and needs invisible protection
as well as physical boundaries to withstand the devil’s schemes.) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
(Paul says it twice, it must be important not to leave any piece off) that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the
belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the
readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In
all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God, 18 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,
“Well”, you might say, “I try to
recite Bible verses when I am struggling, but it still isn’t enough to overcome
temptation.” Or, “I listen to Christian
music or pray as I am being tempted, but I still fall in certain areas
constantly.” These are only part of the
armor of God and when you rely on only these measures to withstand the powers
of darkness, you are left vulnerable in other areas.
Our struggle is against an enemy
who deploys war strategies that mankind is incapable of using, as he creeps
into the minds and hearts and captivates our emotions as he slowly manipulates
them until we believe a lie, that God is not worth our full worship and that
our adversary can satisfy us more by giving us the desires of our flesh.
So, here is a summary of what the
whole armor of God looks like.
BELT of TRUTH – This is the ability to see right from wrong through
the illumination of the Word of God.
This equips you to see the enemy’s attacks before they come against
you. You know how to recognize those certain
situations in life which lead you down a path of evil, so you know to stay away
from them.
Breastplate of Righteousness –
This piece of armor identifies
you as a child of the righteous God. It
is a great reminder, in the midst of battle, that you are already named
righteous because of the work of Christ.
This protects your heart from the false guilt that the enemy may try to
condemn you with.
Shoes of your Feet – These are not meant to just run from
temptation, but to run into the darkness with the message of Hope. Part of the battle we fight daily as
Christians, is the battle of bringing the message of the Gospel to those who
are also struggling. A good pair of
shoes gives us confidence in our step as we walk towards evil in order to
overcome with the message of the gospel.
Shield of Faith – It takes faith to say no to temptation. As Satan launches his fiery arrows at us, we
must have faith that Jesus will reward us for denying our flesh and worshipping
him. It takes faith to say no to temporary
pleasure of the world and to embrace the full pleasure of our Lord.
Helmet of Salvation - This piece of armor protects our mind from
the false guilt that Satan will use against us.
He will try to tell you that you are not good enough, that no one loves
you and that Jesus did not die for you.
This piece of armor protects our mind from these lies as we are constantly
reminded that Jesus Christ will perfect the work he began in us.
Sword of the Spirit – This is the Word of God that is given
tremendous power to defeat the enemy when it is wielded by the Holy Spirit
within us. We don’t have the proper
technique or training to use this sword rightly, but when the Holy Spirit picks
it up on our behalf, we become dangerous to the powers of darkness.
Once you have armed yourself, you
can begin to protect, not only yourself, but your brothers and sisters in
Christ who are battling next to you.
If you’re in the foxhole of life
and feel ill-equipped, ask the Lord to reveal to you what pieces of armor you
have left hanging in your closet at home, and then when he shows you, put them
on, and walk back into the battle with boldness as the Lord as now equipped you
in every way to overcome our opponent.
