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The Armor of God

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

I struggle.  I don’t like to admit it, but it’s true.  What do you struggle with?

Lately, I’ve been struggling with patience.  God creates us with certain longings of the heart, and then there are other sinful ones we fall into, and I have some of each.  I know that God has greater things in store for me, but He’s been pretty clear that it’s not time yet.  Yet my heart still desires these things, and I’ve been having trouble waiting.  I’ve been struggling with this “time in between,” so to speak.

Sometimes I forget that Satan knows my weaknesses just as much as God does.  So when something small happens, something mundane and seemingly insignificant, I break down.   It can be a few harmless words, a curious question, or even an accidental event.  I collapse into self-pity and get upset because I’ve forgotten how to fight the battle for my heart; that there is more going on every day then what meets the eye.  Every battle is deeper than worldly possessions: every battle is for the soul.  But God brought to mind a certain passage:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  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.

 

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.  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 saints.

 

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

-Ephesians 6: 10-20

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really understood this passage.  How do I put on God’s armor?  What does all this mean?  I’m no Hebrew or Greek scholar and I didn’t study at a seminary, but I can tell you the words that God has spoken to my heart through this passage as I dove into it more deeply this week.

I should prepare myself for spiritual attacks at all times: that means I need to spend time strengthening my faith in good times, bad times, and everything in between.  While God knows every move Satan is going to make before he makes it, we certainly don’t.  This about it this way: the government doesn’t send just anyone into battle.  They spend time training physically and mentally to prepare a soldier for battle.  It’s the same with us:  we are in spiritual warfare!  We need to be prepared for battle at a moment’s notice.  So we have to keep our faith in shape by practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, fasting, spending time in God’s Word, seeking God, etc.  We have to get ready for battle by putting on God’s armor!  If I’m ready to fight at a moment’s notice, then when Satan sends his spiritual attacks I won’t fall apart (as I’ve been doing lately), but instead I can fight for my heart along with the Holy Spirit.  This is how I can “guard my heart” from Satan’s attacks (Proverbs 4:23).

The goal here is to stand our ground fighting the battle for Christ.  We need the full armor of God, not just part!  God doesn’t work in half-measures; He gives His all, just as we should.  We need Him in all of our lives in order to be able to stand against Satan’s attacks, not take them sitting down.

 

Let’s take a look at our armor:

  • Note that the belt of truth comes first.  Satan is called the “father of lies” (John 8:44).  It’s one of his oldest tricks in the book, literally.  When he tempts Eve in the Garden of Eden, he asks: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1)  How many times does Satan do this to you?  He does it to me all the time.  I need to arm myself with God’s truth in Jesus Christ! (John 14:6)  It destroys Satan’s seed of doubt before it can take root.  God’s truth holds us up!
  • A breastplate guards the heart, therefore God’s breastplate of “righteousness” (or being in line with God’s will) guards my heart.  This means that if I am in line with God’s will with my life then I can have confidence during an attack.  This is a big deal.  Think about any sports movie you’ve seen lately: how many times is the key to winning simply to believe in yourself?  Not that we believe we can win on our own in a spiritual battle, but we know that if we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, then God sees us through Jesus-colored glasses.  He forgives us when we sin and loves us anyway when we simply ask, (Hebrews 4:14-16) and longs to fight for us if we would simply ask.  We can have confidence that God will fight for us (redeemed sinners) by walking with Him!  We are not alone!
  • I’m ready to move with my feet if I have the peace in my heart of the knowledge that I have God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  It is by God’s grace that I am saved, not of my own doing (Ephesians 2:8-10).  Jesus willingly gave up His life for me while I was still a sinner and an enemy of God (Romans 5:6-8)!  I can rest at peace knowing that God loves me more than I could ever grasp, and that nothing can separate me from this love (Romans 8:38-39).  If I have this peace in my heart, Satan won’t trip or paralyze my feet with his lies.  God is on my side and nothing can separate me from Him!
  • Faith is my shield.  I have to trust God and believe in Him even when I don’t understand and even when I’m surrounded by uncertainty (Hebrews 11:1, Proverbs 3:5-6).   God is in control of my life- and as much as I try to take over I need to remember that God’s plan for my life is way better than anything I could ever come up with.  He is all-knowing, all-loving and unchanging which is much more than I can say for myself.  I have to trust in God and His plan.  This fights off Satan’s flaming arrows!
  • The helmet of salvation:  The brain controls every voluntary and involuntary movement of our bodies.  We can’t function without it.  I know that I am saved- salvation is mine!  I’m no longer a slave but I’m an adopted heir and child of God (Galatians 4:1-7)!  This knowledge controls every movement of my life, and brings new life to my heart!
  • Note that the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon on the list here; everything else is defensive.  Without God’s Spirit, I can’t strike back at Satan.  I need God’s help, and He promises that the Spirit dwells within me- my body is His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Amen!  We can fight back with the Spirit by praying at all times, being spiritually alert and aware of divine moments and the spiritual realm at work beyond the physical realm.  We can fight back by filling our hearts with God’s word so we are prepared and confident at a moment’s notice.
  • Be fearless.  Our words come from God, not ourselves, when we bear God’s armor.  What a relief!  We have an amazing, mysterious, life-giving message in the gospel of Jesus Christ so we need not fear!
  • We are ambassadors:  Christ’s representatives here on earth.  Others see Jesus in me.  So I need all the help I can get because people are watching even when I don’t know it.  So I’d better get on my armor and fight!  Even when the world “chains” us up and holds us back- we can fight for God without fear because we are loved and nothing can separate us from salvation in Christ!

Armor.  We need it.  Where are you struggling?  What lies has Satan been whispering to you?  What armor have you been wearing lately?  Is it God’s armor, or is it your own?  Without God’s armor, we will lose the battle every time.  So examine your heart and ask God to help you as you put on His armor and enter the most important battle:  the battle for the heart.  Let’s fight together in God’s army!

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Grace, Life, Love, Peace, Prayer, Sin, Trust, Truth, Word | No Responses »
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Inside

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

            Is this weather confusing you as much as it is me?

            I’ve got to get out and rake the leaves, but I’m inside writing Christmas cards instead.  The snowstorm awakened something in me, I guess.

            What is it?  A spirit of anticipation?  Of hope?  Of joy?

            In my defense, the card for my sponsor child does need to mail early, in order to be translated and delivered to Ethiopia before Christmas.  Picking the right card for her wasn’t easy.

            I love those cards with the winter scenes of cottage-type houses covered in snow, the soft glow of light shining out of all the little windows.  Do you know which ones I mean?  In some of them you can see Christmas trees in the windows, or logs burning toasty warmth in a fireplace.

            But that’s not the right kind of card to send.  I’m afraid it would leave my sponsor child  feeling like she is on the outside of something wonderful looking in.

            Have you ever felt that way, like you are on the outside of something, looking in?  Perhaps you have been on the outside of a relationship, wishing someone would let you into their life.  Are you outside of employment right now, wishing you could find a job?  Maybe poor health has kept you out of the mainstream of life.

            Or maybe you are on the outside of The Church, looking in.

            That’s where I was, twenty plus years ago.  Church, I thought, was a magical, wonderful place where worthy people belonged.  When I finally mustered up the courage to step inside a sanctuary, in a church near my college campus, it was only because there was no one else inside at the moment.  I remember creeping up to the front pew and just sitting there in silence, feeling very much like an intruder but wanting desperately to know what it felt like to be there – inside.  At some point I started actually attending services, but always sat at the back and snuck out before the service ended because I was so afraid to meet the minister.  He might ask me what I was doing there!

            Now that I am very much inside of Somerset Hills Lutheran Church, I can look back and laugh at myself.  I know now that our Lord Jesus Christ was born to usher outsiders like me in!  In fact, The Church is made up entirely of outsiders.  Adopted children, all of us, we are forgiven, saved and brought into The Kingdom – into God’s family – by His grace alone.  Church is a wonderful place, that’s for sure, but it’s not about being worthy.

            It’s about believing that Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered and died on The Cross, and rose again to life for you, because He loves you!

            Because He wants you in here with us.  In here, with Him.

Posted in Advent, Christians, Christmas, Grace, Light, Love, Outreach, Witness | No Responses »
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Different and The Same

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

           A friend of mine, weary of the race to achieve in society, broke out of the box around herself and her family by celebrating mediocrity!  Her point was that we all matter, even those of us whose abilities are just average.

            Interesting.

           I appreciate people who think differently, don’t you?  They challenge us to think differently.  Different thinking is like a crisp, fresh breeze blowing through stale, stagnant air.

            God made us all unique.  All you have to do is take a look around to see this!  So I guess this means that God appreciates differences too.

            Now and again I’m at church while preschool is in session.  Seeing the children reminds me of the days when my daughters were at Gentle Shepherd.  I like to watch the kids (they’re soooo little!) as they walk along in a line behind their teachers to chapel.

            They are all so different!

            Some of them have curly hair and some straight.  Some of them dress fancily and some rather plainly.  Some of them look all around or whisper to a friend as they walk, while others seem far, far away in their imaginations, or sleepy, or timid.

            I just know that God cherishes them all, particularly because they are so interestingly different from one another.  I’m sure their teachers appreciate their differences too.  (Of course, should one of them choose to break the line and run about the church in order to be different, well, let’s just say that would NOT be appreciated!)

            It is precisely then, as the children follow along one and the same in a neat little line, that their differences really stand out. 

            I love that passage in John (Chapter 10, verses 1-18) where Jesus calls Himself “the good shepherd”.  I love finding myself there – the “other sheep” that has been brought into the fold.  I love the image that comes to mind of Jesus calling his sheep “by name”.  He leads them as a group, but He knows them individually. 

            Think of all those sheep, all different and yet all following along because they know The Shepherd, they know His voice.  They would never follow another!  They know that The Good Shepherd knows best, and that with Him they are safe.  They follow along because they know that He loves them and will care for them!

            Different as they are, together they belong to Him.

Posted in Christians, Faith, Grace, Life, Love, Priorities | No Responses »
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