Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For ye wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in
bonds: That therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
I can tell when I've forgotten a piece of armour, or maybe it fell off in battle, lol. When I'm speaking anything else but the direct Truth from God's Word (such as my opinion or feelings which run contrary to God's Word, or believing heresay without confirmation, etc), I find myself entangled in word wars, especially with those who are not Christians. It's bad enough when conversing with other professing Christians who don't quite see eye to eye with me, but most times those can be worked out--even if we only agree to disagree--convictions of truth do not happen the same way to every one at certain times, if at all. However, when conversing with non Christians who find fault with my words (real or perceived), oftentimes the conversations become destructive and pointless.
When I misplace my breastplate of righteousness, I forget that I am not bound to sin and its consequences. When I confess my sins and repent of them, God is faithful to forgive and FORGET them. Those sins no longer have a strong hold in my life! However, Satan can be pretty clever to remind me of the condemnation my former sins can bring; I can't allow him to succeed! Jesus has already died for my sins and He imputed HIS righteousness within me. I am a child of God and can confidently proclaim that righteousness.
My peace shoes is what enables me to speak to others about my faith. Chances are, when I forget my peace shoes, I've also forgotten my belt of Truth. Sometimes speaking the Truth can lead to kicking off my shoes and getting into a senseless battle; peace shoes do not have sizes in pride, judgment, or condemnation. Before I know it, not only did I not convey the Truth properly, but I've caused discord among the audience. A peaceful person is able to walk away from battle with prayers for others and a desire to still help someone else. I believe a peaceful person is able to present the Gospel and let God convict the heart as and when He sees fit, loving the audience as God loves them.
Oh my goodness, I know that there have been a few times in my life I've left my shield of faith in the trunk of my car or even in my closet, sometimes covered with clothes. :P My shield of faith protects me from succumbing only to the facts, circumstances and situations that I can sense in this world. My shield of faith enables me to be confident that God truly has my back...that He truly has my best interest at heart, and that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Throughout the Bible, Old Testament as well as New Testament, we are told that "the just shall live by faith." My shield of faith enables me to endure weary battles and races while looking forward to the fruits of that labour. My shield of faith knows that what I can't yet see will eventually manifest into this world, sometimes as I envision it, other times better than I envision it. My favorite life verse is Hebrews 11:1, which says:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Based on what God has already done in my life, I can truly expect more of the same--eventual results of believing beyond what I can see or otherwise sense. Satan attempts to tell us that God doesn't want the best for us, that He's already done all He's going to do, and if we fall into believing that lie, we've lost our shield of faith. Obviously I can go on, but I must move on. ; )
I don't really care for hats. Sometimes they come in handy, but they're not my favorite things to wear. However, I must remember to put on my helmet of salvation each and every day! My helmet of salvation reminds me that I have been saved!! My salvation is not dependent on sins I've already committed nor the sins I've yet to commit. My salvation is based on acceptance of what Jesus has ALREADY DONE for each and every single one of us! My spirit is the Lord's. My spirit is already eternally in heaven. I am sealed unto the day of redemption. I am His--NOTHING can take me away from His Love. The problem comes when I read God's Word and I don't obey, for whatever reason. My adversary uses this and seeks to discredit my salvation through condemnation of my sins. I must remember that God does not condemn His children. He loves me. Yes, He chastens me at times, as a good, loving father should. Chastening and conviction are not the same things as condemnation. When I take the time to read God's Word, and change my thinking according to His Word, I am in the process of renewing my mind. While I may be stupid enough to leave Him at times, He never leaves nor forsakes me.
Finally, perhaps one of the most important piece of armour we could have, our sword of the Spirit, otherwise known as the Word of God. This piece of armour is extremely vital, especially in this world. Satan has had centuries of experience in twisting the very Word of God into a weapon against us. It is OUR JOB to read and to KNOW what God's Word says. We need preachers and pastors and spiritual leaders, but it is OUR personal duty to know the Word of God...it is OUR duty to personally study the Word and know what It says--"...let God be true and every man a liar." Satan took Jesus up to the highest mountains and tried to tempt Jesus into worshipping him. Jesus' responses to virtually every test, whether Satan's temptations or the Pharisee's attempted entrapments, was with His Father's Holy Word--"it is written...." If the Word of God is good enough for Jesus to use in defense, it is good enough for us to use.
Take a moment to pray and see if you have all of your spiritual armour together. May the God of peace be with you always.
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