The Belt Of Truth And The Breastplate Of Righteousness Series

THE ARMOR OF GOD: PART ONE

THE BELT OF TRUTH AND THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

EPHESIANS 6:14

WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING PAUL’S TEACHING ON SPIRITUAL WARFARE, AND HAVE, OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEEN CONCENTRATING ON THE FIRST THREE VERSES OF THIS PASSAGE.

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE ACCEPT CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, THAT WE ARE BEGINNING A LIFELONG SPIRITUAL BATTLE AGAINST SATAN AND HIS FORCES. HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

BECAUSE HE DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME POWERS AS GOD, HE EITHER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE HIS DEFEAT AT CALVARY, OR HE KNOWS HE HAS BEEN DEFEATED AND IS TRYING TO TAKE AS MANY SOULS WITH HIM AS HE CAN.

AS CHRISTIANS, WE REPRESENT CHRIST TO THE WORLD. WHEN PEOPLE SEE US THEY TRANSFER WHAT WE DO AND SAY AS BEING THINGS THAT CHRIST WOULD DO OR SAY. THEREFORE SATAN WILL ATTACK US, AND IF HE IS SUCCESSFUL, DESTROY SOME OF THE REPUTATION OF GOD IN THE PROCESS.

THE FIRST STEP OF ANY SUCCESSFUL MILITARY CAMPAIGN, IS TO LEARN AS MUCH AS WE CAN ABLOUT OUR ENEMY. THIS IS WHAT PAUL TEACHES US TO DO IN THE FIRST THREE VERSES. WE ARE TO STUDY SATAN, WHO HE HAS TO HELP HIM, AND THE WAYS THAT HE CAN ATTACK. WE MUST ALWAYS KNOW OUR ENEMY, AND ALWAYS WORK UNDER THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT OUR ENEMY KNOWS MORE THAN WE DO, AND THAT OUR ENEMY CAN ATTACK AT ANY TIME AND ANY PLACE.

THESE ASSUMPTIONS ARE SO TRUE ABOUT SATAN. HE DOES KNOW MORE THAN WE DO IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE. GOD HAS BEEN THE ONLY ONE TO DEFEAT HIM, SO LEFT TO OUR OWN DEVICES WE DO NOT STAND A CHANCE. SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS ALWAYS LOST FOR ONE OF TWO REASONS:

1. WE EITHER TRY TO FIGHT THE BATTLE IN OUR OWN POWER

2. WE FAIL TO PROPERLY PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD, LEAVING US VULNERABLE TO ATTACK.

EPHESIANS 6 IS THE MOST DETAILED ACCOUNT OF PAUL’S TEACHING CONCERNING THE SPIRITUAL ARMOR OF GOD. EQUALLY IMPORTANT ARE THE PIECES MENTIONED, AND THE ORDER THAT THEY ARE MENTIONED IN. EACH PIECE IS WOVEN INTO THE FRAMEWORK OF ANOTHER AND IT PROPERLY APPLIED, WILL GIVE THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER MULTIPLE LEVELS OF PROTECTION WHEN ENGAGED IN SPIRITUAL CONFLICT.

LET US ALSO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE AS WE STUDY PAUL’S TEACHING. PAUL WAS IN PRISON WHEN HE PENNED THESE WORDS TO THE EPHESIANS. A PRISONER AT THAT TIME WAS NOT ONLY LOCKED IN A CELL, BUT WAS ALSO CHAINED TO A SOLDIER AS WELL.

UNKNOWINGLY, THE ROMAN LEGIONARY TO WHOM PAUL WAS CHAINED BECAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS TEACHING. EVERY DETAIL OF HIS UNIFORM WAS PRESSED INTO ACTION BY THE GREAT SPIRITUAL INSIGHT AND IMAGINATION OF PAUL.

EQUALLY IMPORTANT IS THE REALIZATION THAT OUR SPIRITUAL ARMOR MUST BE PUT ON BEFORE GOING INTO BATTLE. NOW IS THE TIME TO LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY PREPARE TO DEFEND AGAINST SPIRITUAL ATTACKS FROM SATAN, NOT WHEN THEY OCCUR. SATAN IS DECEPTIVE AND MOST TIMES WE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE A SPIRITUAL ATTACK UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP IT. IF A SAILOR PUT OFF LEARNING NAVIGATION TILL THE WIND WAS HOWLING AND A REEF LAY AHEAD, HIS CORPSE WOULD BE CAST ON THE CRUEL ROCKS.

LET US UNDERSTAND THAT OUR GOAL IN PUTTINT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD IS TO MAKE A SPIRITUAL STAND AGAINST SATAN. GOD HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED THE DEFEAT OF SATAN AT CALVARY AND WE CANNOT ADD TO THAT DEFEAT. DONN ING THE SPIRITUAL ARMOR, INCLUDING THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, IS ONLY FOR DEFENSE AGAINST THE ATTACK OF SATAN. SATAN ATTACK THOUGH IS ALWAYS PERSONAL, AND SOMETIMES THE OFFENSIVE THRUST OF THE SWORD OF THE WORD OF GOD BECOMES A PROPER DEFENSE AGAINST HIS ATTACK.

IT TAKES NO SMALL EFFORT TO KEEP OURSELVES IN AN ATTITUDE OF DEPENDANCE AND RECEPTIVITY, WITHOUT NONE OF THE GREAT GIFTS OF GOD COME TO US, AND LEAST OF ALL THE HABITUAL PRACTICE OF CHRISTIAN VIRTUES.

THE MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY INVOLVED IN THE HABITUAL EXERCISE OF CHRISTIAN VIRTUES WILL GO FAR TO MAKE THE SOUL UNASSAILABLE BY EVIL. A MAN, BUSILY OCCUPIED AS THE APOSTLE WOULD HAVE US TO BE, MAY BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL, THOUGH LESS FREQUENTLY THE MORE HE IS IN THE MISSION, BUT ONE WHO HAS NO SUCH OCCUPATIONS AND INTERESTS TEMPTS THE DEVIL.

IF OUR LIVES ARE INWARDLY AND SECRETLY HONEYCOMBED WITH EVIL, ONLY A BREATH WILL BE NEEDED TO THROW DOWN THE STRUCTURE. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BECOME SO ACCUSTOMED TO THE CALM DELIGHTS OF GOODNESS, THAT IT WOULD NEED A MORAL MIRACLE TO MAKE A MAN FALL INTO SIN.

THE ARMOR OF GOD IS ONLY PUT ON PROPERLY WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE ARMOR OF OLD DAYS COULD ONLY BE PUT ON WITH THE HELP OF ANOTHER PULLING STRAPS, AND FIXING BUCKLES, AND LIFTING AND BRACING HEAVY SHIELDS ON ARMS, AND FASTENING HELMETS UPON HEADS; BUT WE HAVE, THROUGH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO CLOTHE OURSELVES WITH GOD’S GREAT GIFT, WHICH IS OF NO USE TO US, AND IN NO REAL SENSE OURS, UNLESS WE DO.