Are you wearing your full protection?
Are you wearing your full protection? The full armour of God protects you against the onslaughts of our time
Every day, attacks on the Christian faith, and believers, are becoming more frequent and more intense. This is nothing new, as Paul experienced this in his time as well. The difference is that in his time there were several things that still had to happen, as he points out in 2 Thessalonians 2. They did not occur in his time, but this makes his message for us even more important. A few weeks ago, we posted an article titled What Coat Are Your Wearing?. We are commanded to be fully clothed at all times. Read on and see how to protect yourself from today’s assaults:
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: – Ephesians 6:10-17
Paul most likely had Isaiah in mind when he wrote the above:
17For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. – Isaiah 59:17
I remember when my children attended Sunday School how they were taught this valuable lesson from Scripture. My son had to dress as a Roman soldier – the various parts which we had to make at home. He looked very cute in his armour, wooden sword, oversized helmet that dropped over his face, and all. Nevertheless, the lesson taught the kids the value of Paul’s teaching. Paul uses the example of a Roman soldier, that all his readers would have been familiar with.
In the last two chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he gives instructions to groups of people – wives (Ephesians 5:22); husbands (Ephesians 5:25); children (Ephesians 6:1); fathers (Ephesians 6:4); servants (Ephesians 6:5); and masters (Ephesians 6:9). Then he addresses “my brethren” which collectively refers to all believers (Ephesians 6:10). He tells them to do the following:
Be strong
We are instructed to be strong, but only in the Lord and through His power. To do this, we have to complete the following process:
Put on the whole armour of God
If we miss this vital instruction, the process is not going to work. Too many of us are wholly unprepared for the onslaughts of life and then wonder why things go wrong. We must remember that the devil’s attacks come from various directions. If he realises you have overcome him in one area, he will find another way. He is always looking for weak spots to attack. So, be fully clothed, at all times. The second part of verse 11 explains why we have to be fully clothed – to stand against the attacks of the devil. We do not fight a war by sitting down. We stand upright, face the enemy, and then let the armour do the work. Verse 12 makes one thing very clear. Our struggle is not against people (flesh and blood), but against:
- principalities
- powers
- rulers of the darkness of this world; and
- spiritual wickedness
We often have conflict with humans (flesh and blood). However, we must remember that the conflict is not driven by the person, but the powers that operate through them. For every argument you may have had with someone else, the true source is something done which is not in line with the Word of God, and the devil is going to use this gap to attack not just you, but also the other party. The devil uses others, even Christian believers, to sow dissention. This is why all of us should at all times be clothed with all of the armour given below. Verse 13 emphasises that we need to be fully armoured if we want to succeed in the day the attack comes. This will keep us standing. Standing indicates success and the word is used no less than four times. Let us look at the various pieces that make up the full armour:
Your loins girt about with truth
Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. In all things you do, clothe yourself with His truth.
32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. – John 8:32
The truth is the gospel of Jesus, it sets you free of the condemnation of others, and this prepares you for attacks. When the attacks come, do not use worldly methods to fight them, but remain in the truth, the Word of God.
Practical application: The truth of Jesus is His Word, the gospel of salvation. How well do you know the Bible? Can you defend attacks from other religious groups by countering their false beliefs with the truth as is contained in the Bible? Do not just read the Bible to satisfy a guilty conscience. Study the part you are reading in context of the rest of the text.
Breastplate of righteousness
Jesus is our righteousness, as beautifully explained here:
30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. – 1 Corinthians 1:30
The breastplate covers the vital organs – heart, lungs, kidneys, main arteries and so on. When the vital aspects of your faith are attacked, the righteousness you have in Jesus Christ will protect you.
Practical application: Read and mediate on the following verse:
10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
Do you believe that you are covered with a robe of righteousness? Are you wearing it as a robe? Together with this, are you also wearing it as a breastplate? Put faith in action and start doing it today.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
This is an interesting one but can be summarised like this: the best way to defend the gospel is to spread it. A soldier’s shoes were always important as it allowed easy movement in difficult terrain. Wherever the Roman army went on land, they walked. In the same way they conquered territory through their quests and spread Roman ideology, we should spread the gospel of Jesus Christ by proclaiming it wherever we go. Paul travelled thousands of kilometres during his missionary journeys, most of it on foot.
Practical application: When last did you share the gospel, or even just what God has done for you, with others? They cannot come to salvation if they do not hear the truth. The truth appears to them when someone goes to them (sent). Paul brings the same message to those in Rome as to those in Ephesus:
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! – Romans 10:14-15
Shield of faith
Your faith is the shield between you and the enemy. With it you ward off attacks. God Himself is our shield but we should understand it in the context that the faith we have in Him is the shield we have:
1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. – Genesis 15:1
Practical application: Start learning how to use your faith as part of the armour you have, to protect yourself.
Helmet of salvation
Our salvation is precious, but the devil will always look for ways to derail you. The most common is to attack your thoughts – the things in your mind. He hates people that have come to salvation and will make you doubt the reality of your salvation. Your helmet is the most important part of your armour. This is your salvation. The question is, are you saved through the blood of Jesus Christ? If not, armour of God will avail nothing.
8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. – 1 Thessalonians 5:8
Practical application: Protect your thoughts by not allowing anything that is not from God. Think again of what you watch on television or online, or what you listen to. Does it honour God? If not, turn away from it.
Sword of the Spirit
A sword is used to attack, but the user has to be trained to use it properly. The sword here is the Word of God, the Bible. We have to learn how to use the Word of God effectively. See how effective the Word is:
12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Practical application: Use the Word to protect yourself from the lies of the devil. Learn to separate out the truth of the Word from false messages.
Conclusion
In the end, since all the aspects given here relate to Jesus Christ, clothe yourself with Him so that you are fully protected in these perilous times. There is a lot of information available online and we encourage you to search more, read more, learn more and be totally comfortable in your full armour.