The Armor of God
10 Finally, 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. 14 Stand 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. 16 In 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. 18 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.
Ephesians 6:10-18
As Army spouses, we’re familiar with armor. It takes up space in our homes, and we move it from one duty station to the next. Perhaps you’ve even tried it on yourself? It goes with our husbands (spouses) downrange to protect them as they face an enemy that is known, tangible and seen.
As we stay behind and manage the home front, our enemies aren’t as tangible and many are unseen. However, we are in need of armor…it’s just a different kind of armor…the armor of God. Only the amour of God is sufficient for the fight, we can’t do it on our own…and we’re not meant to go it alone.
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| By David Ward, 2007 |
So armor up WONDER WOMEN (and men) with…
the belt of truth
the breastplate of righteousness
feet fitted with the readiness from the gospel of peace
the shield of faith
the helmet of salvation
the sword of the spirit
Spiritual attacks during a deployment (and in life) are a given. Why wouldn’t the enemy take advantage of such a ripe opportunity? There’s the temptation of loneliness, depression, infidelity (physical or emotional), pride, jealousy, feeling overwhelmed, doubt and fear. And, I’m sure you can add a few others. When we put on the armor of God we rest knowing we’re not in the fight alone.
Once we put on our armor and are battle ready, we’re reminded in verse 18 that we’re to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” It’s God’s strength that will win the battle, not ours; we need to invite him into our struggles. And just to make sure we don’t get too wrapped up in ourselves, Paul reminds us to “always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Spiritual battles are happening all around us, so once you have got your struggle(s) of the moment under control and made sense of it, keep your armor on and step in beside a friend.
It’s about the Kingdom, so don’t forget to put on the full armor of God each day along with that great pair of shoes (or in my case, scarf). It’s character that wins this battle not brute force.
It’s about the Kingdom, so don’t forget to put on the full armor of God each day along with that great pair of shoes (or in my case, scarf). It’s character that wins this battle not brute force.
What are you struggling with spiritually right now? What attacks are your friends under at this moment?
Watch over your heart with all diligence,
for from it flows the springs of life.
for from it flows the springs of life.
Proverbs: 4:23
Blessings
Sarah
This definitely spoke to me as I have been donning armor on a daily basis but only looking out for my "obvious enemies" (despite them not being tangible, they are more obvious than others). I am hoping that with each day my "hidden enemies", despite being formidable, will lose strength as I pray, accept and wield the weapons of authority that God has given each of his children.
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