How can we be sure to be victorious in our everyday walk?
We put on the Armor of GOD.
What is the armor of GOD? Lets find out.
The following verses will tell us why we need the armor of God.
EPH 6:10-13 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Lets interpret this:
First thing we notice, is that it says: Be strong in the Lord, not ourselves. In other words our strength comes from God not ourselves.
Second thing we notice is: We are to make a stand; we don't let the enemy intimidate us.
Third thing we notice is: There is more to it then everyday life and the things we see. There is a spiritual realm we do not see that we are fighting against. We cannot beat the spiritual realm without God's help.
Scripture uses the armor of a soldier as a comparison. Lets see what it says.
Here are our instructions:
EPH 6:14-15 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
When a soldier had his belt tight around his waist it showed he was ready for battle. It was there to hold his tunic and breastplate in place. In the same way our belt of truth symbolizes us standing for truth and integrity.
The breastplate protected the heart of the soldier. In the same way our breastplate of righteousness, our uprightness and moral character will help protect us and get us ready for battle.
The shoes where there to protect the soldier's feet on long marches etc. This same way our shoes of the gospel, as in us knowing what the gospel message is, will help protect us.
EPH 6:16-17 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The shield helps fend of attack. For the soldier it could block flaming arrows, because it was made out of leather and soaked in water. The devil plants thoughts in our mind, which the bible refers to as flaming arrows. One way for the devil to control us is by planting thoughts. The shield of faith, which is our faith, can protect us from this.
Study of the scriptures will build our faith. With faith we can be strong, because we are sure about what God's promises are for us.
The helmet was there to protect the head of the soldier, usually given to the soldier by an attendant or his armor bearer. The same way this represents the salvation "given" to us by God.
The sword, which is what we use to do battle, also handed to the soldier by an attendant or armor bearer, will protect us. Our sword is the sword of the spirit, which represents God's living word for us, which is the Bible. In the same way the soldier was handed the sword we where handed the Bible
We need to know the word of God to be able to do battle. Even Jesus in the dessert, being tempted by the devil, referred back to scripture to validate his answers. MT 4:4-10
It could also be a word given to us by the Spirit.
MT 10:19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say.
Conclusion: If we clothe ourselves with the armor of God, we will be successful. It takes an effort on our part to be victorious in our walk. God does not just hand it to us. But we are guaranteed, that if we put on the full armor of God, we will succeed.
Remember what your armor should consist of:
Belt of truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes of the gospel
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the spirit
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