
Spiritual
warfare is not a subject we discuss very much. To be honest, it always feels
strange to bring it up because most of us tend to avoid the whole idea of evil
and the Devil. However, it is true.
We have an enemy, and we are at war. I just finished teaching a series
called Greater is He where I dealt
with the reality of spiritual warfare (to watch visit
www.imperfect.tv). One of
the under-utilized gifts of God is known as the Armor of God. God has given us
everything we need to “take our stand” against the attacks of Satan. Just
imagine taking your stand instead of falling to temptation over and over.
The
armor of God is strategically designed to protect us where we are vulnerable to
temptation. This list is found in
Ephesians 6:10-20.
The Belt of Truth: The belt was known as the
central and most basic piece of the armor – it was how everything was held
together. The truth of God acts in a similar way. It should surround us and hold all things in our lives
together. When we wrap the truth
of God around us, we find great stability and clarity. We are vulnerable to lies and deception
so the belt of truth protects us from the attack of confusion.
The Breastplate of
Righteousness: The breastplate was a large covering protecting a soldier’s most vital
organs. God’s armor provides us with His righteousness as protection. We don’t find any protection from our
own righteousness. His righteousness allows us to stand, not based on our own
merit but His (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). Depending on our own righteousness is a
dangerous form of pride. We are vulnerable to pride, which always drives a
wedge between God and us. The breastplate of righteousness
protects us from the attack of conceit.
The Shoes fitted with the
Gospel of Peace: A foot soldier needs sure footing in battle. God has provided for His
followers the traction and solid foundation we need in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus establishes for us peace with God. We are so vulnerable
to the lies of Satan that we are not worthy of God’s love and forgiveness, and
the shoes of the Gospel of peace protect us from the attack of condemnation.
The Shield of Faith: A shield is a covering that
serves as a “catch-all” protection from attack. Satan fires temptations in our
lives seemingly out of nowhere to cause us to question our trust in God and
doubt His goodness. We need the refuge of faith so that we might trust God, who
is unseen, no matter what we see in our circumstances. We are vulnerable to
temptation through difficult circumstances. The shield of faith protects us
from the attack of circumstances.
The Helmet of Salvation: The helmet guards from the
most fatal blows in battle. Our minds are the constant battleground. Our
salvation is God’s forgiveness of sin and promise of eternal life. Salvation is
our new identity in Christ. Salvation is a renewal of our minds (see 2
Corinthians 10:5). We are vulnerable to Satan’s attack on our minds. All sin
begins in our minds leading us away from God’s will. We must cover our minds
with God’s salvation to be protected from the attack of compromise.
This
list covers what we could call the defensive armor of God. Paul then turns the
discussion to the offensive weaponry…but that’s another blog!
Take your stand.