Put on the Full Armor of God
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September 06, 2015 |
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 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:10-11).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Today the world is stained with sins and it is hard to find faith (Luke 18:8). In such a world, God's children should arm themselves with the Word and stand firmly in faith, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against forces of this darkness in the world, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
In order to defeat the enemy devil and Satan and win in the battle, we must put on the full armor of God. Here, putting on the full armor means that we get everything necessary for the spiritual battle.
Let's now delve into what we have to do to wear the full armor of God and achieve victories in the spiritual battles until the Lord comes again.
1. Stand firm in Jesus Christ, having girded your loins with truth
The first half of Ephesians 6:14 says, "Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth". Here, the 'loins' play the pivotal role in support of the whole body, so 'the loins' can be said to be the source of strength. When we gird our loins with a belt, the belt strongly supports the muscles of the core along the lower spine and firmly holds them in place. We can feel stable doing strenuous work with the support of the belt.
Therefore, 'having girded your loins with truth' means that we should stand firm in Jesus Christ who is truth. If one digs deep and lays a foundation on the rock when building a house, although the rain falls, the floods come, and the winds blow, it won't fall. The same applies to our believing lives. When we stand firm on the Word, we will not be swayed by any kind of evil scheme of Satan. Only when we stand firmly on the truth can we have spiritual power by which we cannot fall, stumble, and sway in Satan's evil schemes.
2. Put on the breastplate of righteousness and obey with faith
The second half of the passage reads, "Having put on the breastplate of righteousness." A breastplate is a piece of armor that covers the torso. God tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness in the spiritual battle. The righteousness refers to obeying with faith just as Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
The knowledge of the Word of God is not enough for us to become righteous. Only when we believe the Word in heart and obey it in action, that is; only when we circumcise our hearts, cast off sins and evil, and fill our hearts with the truth can we reach righteousness. Only then can we protect ourselves from the enemy devil and Satan and boldly drive away darkness.
3. Shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace and put on the new self
Ephesians 6:15 reads, "Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." To wear the full armor of God, we should take off the dirty shoes of sin and shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Colossians 3:8-10 states, "But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self…"
Thus, when we cast off the works of the flesh and things of the flesh and put on the new self that resembles God's image, we can cover our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Satan tempts people who are in shoes of sins and evil to go the way of death. So, we should throw away sins quickly and become renewed in the Lord. Then we can enjoy victorious lives in faith.
4. Take up the shield of faith, in addition to all
A shield is a piece of armor for protection against hurled or thrusted weapons. However brave a warrior may be and however well he may put on the armor, if he has no shield, his life may be threatened. This shield in the spiritual battle is faith.
Ephesians 6:16 reads, "In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." If one is shot by a flaming arrow, he may be hurt severely, though he wears the armor. When Satan tempts us with fiery trials, faith is the spiritual shield that protects us. It emphasizes the importance of faith.
Only by faith can we receive salvation, and by pleasing God with faith we can fulfill our hearts' desires (Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 37:4).
5. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." A helmet is a protective head covering made of hard material. It is worn together with the armor during a battle. If one does not wear the metal helmet on the battle field where bullets are flying, it is like bringing death upon himself. Spiritually, the most important thing is the helmet of salvation. We should seize and hold the way of salvation until the Lord comes back.
Until we reach perfect salvation, we should be sober and try to stay in the truth all the time (Philippians 2:12). If we have assurance in salvation, we will love the Lord who saved us and with the love we will work faithfully even with our lives. In this way, if we wear the helmet of salvation, the enemy devil and Satan will not dare to trip us. Although trials come, we can overcome them and thereby glorify God more greatly.
The sword of the Spirit means the Word of God. A breastplate, helmet, and shield are all defensive weapons, but a sword is an offensive armament that attacks enemies. So it is very important.
Therefore, so as to win in the spiritual battle, we must arm ourselves with the Word enough to demolish the camp of the enemy devil and Satan. Then we can overcome tests and trials with the sword of the Word. Moreover, to become a spiritual warrior, it is essential that we arm ourselves with the Word to use the sword of the Spirit properly. It is because to the extent that we make the Word our spiritual bread for our hearts, our spiritual strength and power will be different.
In other words, to the extent that we spiritually arm ourselves with the Word, the greater strength and authority will come down from above and we can defeat forces of darkness.
6. Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and petition
Ephesians 6:18 says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." Arming ourselves with the Word of God is like the preparations made prior to putting on the full armor. Fervent prayer is like the action of putting on the full armor. We must pray as well as being armed with the Word.
If you have the knowledge of the Word but do not pray, it is like having the full armor without wearing it. Or the armor does not fit you, so it can come off of you when you are shaken just a little. But fervent prayer is like tying fast the full armor so that it fits you well. Thus, you must pray all the time in the Spirit and offer up fervent prayer with the armament of the Word. Then you can be a spiritual warrior.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you become a spiritual warrior with the full armor of God, God will walk with you and the heavenly hosts and angels will protect you. Then evil ones cannot even touch you. To the extent you resemble the Lord, you will receive God's authority and strength and thereby lead countless souls to God. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will become a spiritual warrior who glorifies God wherever you go.
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