December 8 - Ephesians 5:15-6:24, Colossians 1:1-23

Good morning everyone,

With the conclusion of the epistle to the Ephesians Paul encourages them to, “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.” Now if we were to leave home every morning dressed like a knight in shining armor we would feel pretty silly. (come on, use your mind’s eye to see that :-)Fortunately that's not necessary. The full armor of God may be invisible, but it's just as real, and when used properly and worn daily, it provides solid protection against the Enemy's onslaught. 

The “Belt of Truth” is the first element of the Full Armor of God. In antiquity, a soldier's belt not only kept his armor in place, but likely it was wide enough to protect his kidneys and other vital organs. Just so, the truth protects us. 

The “Breastplate of Righteousness” guards our heart; emotions, self-worth and trust central, where a wound can be fatal. Our heart is vulnerable to the wickedness of this world, but our protection is righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ who died on the cross, in our place, knowing we could never achieve righteousness on our own.

For shoes we are to put on the peace that comes from the “Good News.” In antiquity terrain was rocky, requiring sturdy, protective footwear also the enemy might scatter barbed spikes or sharp stones to slow an army down. In the same way, Satan scatters traps for us as we're trying to spread the gospel. The Good News is our protection, reminding us that it is by grace that souls (no pun intended) are saved.

The “Shield of Faith” guards us against the enemy’s attack in the form of insults, setbacks and temptations, sending Satan’s flaming arrows glancing off to the side. Our shield holds because of the One our faith is in.

The “Helmet of Salvation” protects the head, where all thought and knowledge reside. The enemy wants to make us double God, Jesus and our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from God’s saving work.

The “Sword of the Spirit” is the only offensive weapon in the list of armor with which we can strike against Satan. There are times when we need to take to offensive against the father of lies and trust in the truth of God’s Holy Word. The more of Truth we can commit to memory, the greater our offense.

Paul adds to the armor, vs 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.”

Friends, the Christian’s life is lived out on a battle field with spiritual warfare swirling all around us every moment of every day. Whether the conflict is internal or with people who rub us wrong, or with false religion, or with temptations of the world, or ANY other thing, Christ has equipped us with the appropriate armor for the fight.  Some may argue, “But I don’t like antagonism, and I choose not to participate ….. give peace a chance.” Then to you I say would Satan has already won.  Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”  I would heartily encourage you to “suit up” get your armor going on and “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..