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The WHOLE Armor of GOD

7/15/2024

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Today, we would like to take a look at the WHOLE armor of GOD.   The armor of GOD passage is found in the Bible in  Ephesians 6:10 - 20 and is sometimes referred to as "The Armor of the Christian Soldier", let's take a look:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Up until this point, the Apostle Paul has been discussing the believer’s walk, but now suddenly he changes course.  He says that there is another way to look at the believer’s life in Christ.  That the believer’s life is like a battlefield.  He is a soldier in conflict. His calling is not to a life of enjoyment and ease, but to a life of conflict.
 
Verse 10:This is addressed to brothers(brethern) it is Christian believers who need the “charge”,not the world.
 
Verse 11: The Greek word for “wiles” is methodeia. It’s the word we get “methodical” and “methods” from.  Satan is methodical. In warfare, he is strategic. He may even step back two steps to go forward three steps. He may let you think you’re getting away with your sin. He may even seem to bless you and help you along your way. But don’t be fooled. He has made a plan to sabotage your life and your home; the dynamite is in place, the fuse is laid, the match is struck, and Satan is working on you. He is wily, and he is subtle. Apart from the leadership of the Holy Spirit of God, Satan would deceive even the children of God.
 
Verse 12: Wrestle - “Though sometimes it is used to define a form of recreational sport, here it describes the sharpness of your encounter with the enemy. Paul uses it to convey the notion of a bloody and lasting war between the Christian and his opponent.” Wrestling is not a team sport, but primarily a one-on-one contest where one opponent singles out another and enters the arena with him as with David and Goliath. Each wrestler exerts his own force and strength against the other.”  This warfare is not human or physical, but spiritual.
 
Verse 13:  This is about the duty of the Christian soldier.  We are to take on the whole armour not just the pieces that are an easy fit.   Most Christians have forgotten that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield. As a result, very few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and ready to wage spiritual battle.  Whether we ever believe it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to be successful in our work for the Lord Jesus, then we must be prepared for that battle and be ready to go to war against the powers of darkness.
 
Verses 14-17 Remember, Paul was in prison and under constant guard when writing to the Ephesian church.  He was forced to stare at the soldier’s armor day in and day out.  He was given an ideal picture of the armor needed by the Christian believer to combat the forces of evil. 
 
The belt of truth was used to hold the soldier’s clothing next to his body
The breastplate of righteousness covered the body of the soldier from the neck to the thighs.  It was used to protect his heart.
The sandals of the gospel were a sign of readiness-readiness to march and to do battle.
The shield of faith which was a great oblong shield worn by the soldier to protect his body from the fiery darts thrown by the enemy.
The helmet of salvation covered the head and the mind of the soldier
The sword of  the Spirit is the Word of God.  The sword was a weapon used for both defense and offense.
 
Verse 18-20 Paul speaks of Prayer and the great confidence and assurance and courage only comes from a spirit of prayer.  We need to maintain a one- on- one relationship with the Lord on a daily basis.  We have an enemy.  We are in a war.  If you have ever read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation you will see that spiritual confrontations occupy much of the gospels.
 
Well, Who is this enemy?  The enemy we engage in spiritual warfare is the devil.  That name devil means slanderer and accuser.  His name reveals his character.  Unfortunately, we Christians waste our time fighting the wrong enemy.  We spend time fighting with our fellow believers, when the real enemy is the devil.  He is the one who is causing the separation and spreading disagreement among us.  True, there are times when the devil might work through people at times to get to us and cause us to stumble; but the real battle is fought on a spiritual level.  Our battle is with an unseen army of spiritual enemies lead by the devil himself.
 
No one is arguing that devil and another of his names is satan.   Satan is our primary enemy in the spiritual war, however, he does not fight alone. He is the commander of legions of soldiers. This is the kingdom of darkness that is the whole realm of satanic rule, or to the darkness of ignorance and alienation from God. Ignorance of God is darkness.
 
 
We see how the devil can move in with the ignorance of man against God and began to use them in the midst of this evil and perverse world. The evil may come from within their sinful nature, the world or directly from the devil. Paul made it clear that our chief battle is not between "Flesh and blood." This is why it is a spiritual battle because not even men can see that they are puppets of Satan and it is he who is manipulating them as he pleases. That is why Paul says it is not mere flesh and blood but spiritual forces that we are coming against
 
Look around your life.  All of us can see spiritual wickedness is at an all time high. Many world leaders and members of the elite are in bed with the devil (with satan).  Deceit and lies are to trick us into following the devil or another of his names is lucifer sometimes referred to as the Luciferian doctrine. The deceit and lies are usually disguised as something good or beneficial. We are born and indoctrinated into satanic systems of control. The world is under more mind control than ever before in history. The Bible tells us to fight against spiritual wickedness in high places. Even events like he 9-11-attacks were orchestrated by wickedness in high places, planned and carried out by demonically-inspired men. The truth has become self-evident. Satan's hands have been very busy.
 
The phrase spiritual wickedness in high places refers to the devil, to satan and his demonic hordes who inhabit the spiritual realm. This is a world unseen by us that exists in our midst. These spirit beings are not friendly toward us and will use every opportunity they can find to torment us. Sometimes they plant lies in our minds that contradict the truth we learn from God. Paul said we have divine weapons to take these thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

Today, take a look at your life - have you put on the WHOLE armor of GOD?   The battle is raging, be sure to have your armor on so that you can stand firm against every attack!
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    Rev. Grace Alfieri is a retired Pastor and published author who continues to share the HOPE of JESUS CHRIST in every way possible.

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