Strong in the Lord - Part 4
The Full Armour
Ephesians 6v13-18
22nd July 2016
In Ephesians 6v11, Paul tells us to "Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." He returns to this idea in verses 13-18, saying:
Ephesians 6v13-18
Therefore put on the full armour 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.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil
one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Fight with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. To fight, we need the truth - real truth - Biblical truth. And also honest-to-goodness, plain dealing truth. Jesus promised us that "the truth will set you free" (John 8v32). Start here. Jesus is the Truth (John 14v6).
We have knowledge of the truth. I know the truth about God, and about Man, and about forgiveness, and about the cross, and about salvation. We know the truth about what is right, and what is wrong, because the Bible tells us. Put the truth on every day. Be sure in your heart that the Bible is 100% truth, containing no error whatsoever. We can rely on it as a soldier relies on his belt.
Stand and fight with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Know that, through the redeeming blood of Jesus, you have righteousness. Through faith, you've come into right relationship with God, because Jesus paid all of the penalty for all of your sin, and you're 100% forgiven. You're righteous in God's sight. And, every day, choose to live righteously, choose to live properly, like a good Christian. As Paul said earlier in this letter, "life a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4v1).
Righteousness is a breastplate - it protects your heart. And you need it because you have an enemy. Your enemy will tell you how useless you are, how wicked you are, how pathetic you are, how lazy you are, and how sinful you are. With your breastplate in place, you can say, "But I've been 100% forgiven, and although I'm not perfect, I'm not what I was. God has made me a better man that I used to be, and He's still working to make me a better man yet."
And have your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. A soldier needs good boots. You can't run quickly to where the action is without good boots. And when you're engaged in hand-to-hand combat, you can't keep your balance, you can't stay firmly rooted to the ground, without good boots. You'll slip and slide all over the place. Do you want to stop slipping and sliding in your battle for the kingdom of God? Then be ready with the gospel of peace. When humans, or demons, or circumstances stand against you, know that you have peace with God, because Jesus has won it for you.
And because we have peace with God, we can have peace with ourselves. And we can offer peace to others, including to our enemies. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5v9). We can know peace, whatever is happening around us. God promises us "the peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4v7). The good news - the gospel - is that we can know God's peace, whatever is going on around us. That's why Paul could say in Philippians 4v12 that he has "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" while he was being held in a Roman prison. Put the peace of God on every day.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. You have an enemy who is firing flaming arrows at you - arrows like fear, unworthiness, guilt, embarrassment. "You can't stand up for Jesus. You're too this, or too that or too the other thing". "Who are you to think you can stand up for Jesus? Look what you did last Thursday!" "God doesn't really love you. God doesn't care. That's why he didn't answer your prayer. That's why a bad thing happened to you. He's not bothered about you. Who do you think you are? What makes you think you're worth God's love?" "If God really cared, this would happen, or that would happen." "Look at your sinful life. Look how little faith you've got. Give up! Turn tail and run! It would be easier." "Have a break from God. Do what you want to do for a while."
We can extinguish all these flaming arrows with the shield of faith. Faith says, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1v12). God will keep me safe until the day He calls me home. He loved me enough to send Jesus to die for me. God is absolutely committed to me, even though I'm not always absolutely committed to Him. He's faithful, even when I'm not. He'll never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13v5, quoting Deuteronomy 31v6, 8).
Take the helmet of salvation. Our minds need protection. The mind is where most spiritual warfare takes place. Demons whisper into our minds. Our helmet is salvation. I know that I'm saved. I know I've been born again. I know I belong to Christ. I know these things will always be true. The assurance of salvation is the birth-right of every believer. Don't let any thoughts enter your head that cause you to doubt that Jesus is your saviour, and He's coming back for you.
And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." A sword isn't just for defence; it's for attack. We're supposed to be taking territory from the enemy. Jesus promised "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16v18). And part of that process involves you and me, using our swords, fighting with the word of God.
The truth of the Bible changes lives. The amazing story of Jesus, who went to the cross because He loves people enough to pay for their sin and set them free, changes people's hearts and minds, and revolutionises their lives. And you and I have the sword of the Spirit. Study it. Know your Bible well, so you'll know exactly what to say. Keep it sharp. Polish it. Don't compromise it. Compromising the Bible dulls the blade, making it ineffective.
And, finally, pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Nothing we do is more valuable than prayer. And when you pray, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and inspire your prayers. Let some of your prayer time be quiet, so you can hear His voice. Ask Him to help you to pray.
God calls us to fight. When we fight, we'd be daft not to wear the right armour and carry the right equipment. And if we're involved in God's service, we'd be crazy not to pray.