“Put on the full armor in
the Lord so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians
6:11 NIV).
Are you prepared for the
temptations of life? It is so important to put on the full armor of God. I love
this reference to what the Roman soldiers wore during this time frame. It gave
the Ephesians a visual on what they should do to be prepared to face the
devil’s schemes. The most important thing to remember is that you just can’t
have one of these, but you need all of them. Let’s see what a Christian should
wear as armor.
First, Paul states that we
should have the belt of truth buckled around our waist and a breastplate of
righteousness in place. The belt of truth is centered around our belief that
God is truth and never lies. (Isaiah 45:19) The breastplate protected the
soldier’s heart, just as living in righteousness will help us to have faith
during times of trials. When your heart is broken, God will heal it and give
you strength to carry on without losing hope. Your feet need to be “fitted with
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15 NIV). We should
be ready to bear up to trials and temptations with peace, knowing that God is
with us and will fill us with His peace when we need it. “Take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”
(Ephesians 6:16 NIV). It is so important to have faith that God will be there
to protect you and give you courage to withstand the temptations that befall
you. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the
Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 NIV). Read the Bible to help you live the
Christian life.
It is important to
remember that you have to have on this full armor if you are to stand your
ground against the evil one. You just can’t have one, because then you are vulnerable
in the other areas. The devil knows your weakness and will hit you with a
flaming arrow right at that weakness.
Let’s review what you need. You must have truth, righteousness, peace,
faith, salvation, and knowledge of the Word of God. If you have all of these in
place you will be successful in quenching those flaming arrows from the evil
one. Take on this full armor and know that God is there to help you fight your
battles in this life. Trust Him.
Dear Lord,
Help us to put on the full
armor of a Christian each day, knowing that you will always be there for us
when we are faithful. Help us to remember that you always need to be first in
our lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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