So, what is the armor of God? It is the protection that we receive when we carefully & strategically put on the different parts of the spiritual armor God has given us, Notice: God has given us the Armor, and we are required to put it on - put it on - as we walk this Christian life.
In Ephesians 6:10-18, and Paul writes:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles (tricks or schemes) of the devil.
In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter said it in this way.
“Be [a]sober, be [b]vigilant;(be alert) [c]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
*So, picking up from verse 12 in Ephesians, Paul goes on to say:
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,(in other words, we are not fighting people of any particular color, persuasion or demographics) but against principalities, ( things not physical) against powers, against the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Now as fathers and potential fathers, this is a huge responsibility. I can tell you it’s not going to be easy, but “no weapon formed against us shall prosper.” Why? “If God be for us, no one can be against us.”
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (First you put on the armor. And the reason you put on the armor is to Withstand, and Secondly, to Stand.) After you have withstood the enemy, don’t, retreat but stand firm!
Paul then goes on to lists what we should put on, and where. He give very specific instructions from God. Paul says:
14 Stand therefore, having girded (tightened) your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (I want to pause for a minute here. Because it is important that we understand that the breast plate covers your heart. We are not talking about the physical heart right now, but we are talking about our spiritual heart and our emotional heart.) You’ve got to be careful who you invite into your space; Who you have an emotional attachment to. “Anyone can hurt you, but don’t you hurt anyone.” The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23 to “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
The scripture goes on to say: 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
So, God want us to protect our: Head, Chest, Waist, feet and if that’s not enough, (B & S), our entire body with the shield of Faith.
And I believe this is one of my favorite verses.
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. In other words – D.S.P. (Don’t Stop Praying!)
I cannot tell you how important prayer is, brothers and sisters! Imagine, having a wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend, and you don’t talk to them for weeks or even days!
What do you think will happen? I’ll leave that up to you to answer, but for me, it just won’t work. The relationship will fizzle out and die. Simply put. We’ve got to talk to God!
Pray, is where we receive God’s strength & protection, which in turn, allows us to give our families the protection they need. We can’t do this thing without God. We cannot.
So, Step 1: In this journey, starts with Acceptance. The first thing – brothers & sisters, we’ve got to do, is to accept the armor. They are some fundamental things about armor. The armor tells everyone which army you are in. It tells them who your commander is. It tells them that you are in a battle.
And it tells them which side you belong to. So how do you accept this armor? Well, (B&S), it is as simple as saying, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart, and make me your child.” This is the “Helmet of Salvation” Paul talked about earlier. You put it on by accepting that YOU need Jesus in your heart; in your life; to save you.
Step 2: You prepare for battle: We are in the greatest battle of our lives, and some Christians have not even showed up for it. * It’s like the story of the 10 bridesmaids, five of who, were wise enough to put oil in their lamps. You see, when you know the storm is coming, bothers & sisters, you prepare for it.
The other five were busy doing their own thing, until it was too late. They had no supply, they had not prepared. I have a favorite saying to guides me all the time. It says, “Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent Poor Performance.” We’ve got to be prepared. As fathers we’ve got to be prepared. As parents we’ve got to be prepared. Preparation takes planning, and planning prevents poor performance.
There is a popular saying that says: If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Let me tell you brothers and sisters, God doesn’t have one single failure in His Kingdom. We may fail God, but He never fails us. So, knowing this let’s go on to the final step.
Step 3: We’ve accepted the Amour, we’ve prepared for battle, now finally we’ve got to fight. Jesus made an often overlook statement in the book of Matthew 11:12. And I paraphrase. Those who are really serious about serving God, will let nothing stop them from winning the good fight of Faith, for themselves and for their family’s salvation.
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
So, the question is. Who is willing to put on the armor of God? Who is willing to take it back up again, or to tighten the armor they have been wearing for so long? Who?
I pray, that God will bless you once again, in Jesus name.