Put on the armor of God so that you can withstand the Devil's evil tricks!
Every Christian
is in constant warfare against numerous powerful
spiritual
foes. These enemies will use all sorts of methods, plans and
schemes to deceive,
entrap, enslave and ruin the souls
of men. The purpose of the armor of God
is to protect us
against the
destruction
of our bodies and souls.
"The thief comes
only in order to steal, kill, and destroy." (Joh
10:10)
The enemy has power
all over the world.
"They do not believe, because their
minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this
world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on
them, the light that comes from the Good News about the
glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." (2Co
4:4) "We
know that we belong to God even though the whole world is under the rule of the
Evil One."
(1Jo 5:19)
Some of the enemy's
terrains are as follows.
The worldly economic systems.
The worldly political systems.
The worldly education systems.
The worldly religious systems.
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"Put on the armor of God so that you may be
able to stand firm against the tactics of
the devil. For our struggle is not with
flesh and blood but with the principalities,
with the powers, with the world rulers of
this present darkness, with the evil spirits
in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor
of God, that you may be able to resist on
the evil day and, having done everything, to
hold your ground.
(Eph 6:11-13 NAB)" |
Without the armor of
God, you will have
absolutely no chance against the enemy.
"There is nothing
in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of
doing this work.
The capacity we have comes from God." (2Co 3:5)
"A branch cannot bear fruit by
itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine.
In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain
in me." (Joh 15:4)
"You can do nothing without me."
(Joh 15:5)
Our strength is in
Christ, clothed with the armor of God.
"Build up your strength in union with the Lord and by
means of his mighty power." (Eph 6:10)
"I have the strength to face all
conditions by the power that Christ gives me." (Phi
4:13) "He is
able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and
joyful before his glorious presence." (Jud 1:24)
"He is able, now and always, to save
those who come to God through him,
because he lives forever to plead with God for them.
(Heb 7:25)
You will need the
complete armor of God, and the skill to use it.
"Take up the
weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying
attention
to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires." (Rom
13:14)
Put on the
armor of God!
The Helmet - to
protect your face and your brain.
The
Breastplate - to protect your heart and your
other internal organs.
The Shield
- to protect your whole body against swords
and arrows.
The Sword - to
destroy the enemy.
The Belt
- to keep your clothes together.
The Shoes -
to protect your feet.
The Robe
- to protect your back.
Prepare
yourselves for combat!!
When
describing the armor of God, Paul referred to the armor of the
heavy troops among
the Greeks, those who were to sustain the most
powerful
attacks, storming cities and breaching the city walls.
"The weapons we use in our fight are
not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons,
which we use to destroy strongholds." (2Co 10:4)
The armor of God that
you must wear,
is the same armor that God himself
wears for battle.
"He will wear justice like a coat of
armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe
himself with the strong desire to set things right and
to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer."
(Isa 59:17)
You will need
much strength and courage to keep your post, stand your
ground and continue in the station in which you are
placed.
"Be strong and courageous! Let's fight hard for our
people and for the cities of our God.
And may the LORD's will be done!" (2Sa 10:12)
"Be alert, stand firm in the faith,
be brave, be strong." (1Co 16:13)
Remember these
words of God,
then you will not desert the army of Christ,
nor its
cause.
"Today you are going into battle. Do not be afraid of
your enemies or lose courage or panic.
The LORD your God is going with you, and he will give
you victory." (Deu 20:3-4)
So then, put on the full armor of God...
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