Putting on the Armor

Ephesian 6:10-17  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This morning, I attended church and the Holy Spirit challenged me to make some necessary changes in my life to further my growth and maturity in the Lord.  Upon my return home this evening, I was once again drawn to this passage in Ephesians.  Pastor Arte briefly eluded to this passage today.  However, since the sermon was focused on loving others as God loves them, we did not spend a lot of time focusing on the message of the armor of God.  Whenever I have pondered this passage in the past, I always walk away encouraged.... challenged, yes, but oh so encouraged!   Today as I read this passage again, I once again am challenged, yet encouraged.  

Here are some thing I discovered today in re-reading this passage:

Notice that we are instructed to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."  This is a command, not a suggestion.  "Be strong".  Now Paul is not saying to us, "I think you should be strong...", or "Try to be strong..." or "You should strive to be strong."  No.  Simply put, Paul declares, "Be strong".  Then comes the second half of this command, "in the Lord".  Ouch!  He isn't saying to me, "in your self" or "in your own abilities", but rather, "in the Lord."   For the Lord is where I am to get my strength.  He is the Source of my strength.

Once I swallow this truth, there is immediately another command.  "Put on,".  Not "Hope for"," not "Pray for," and certainly not "Wish for,".....no, I am to "Put on".  How often I forget that as a warrior I must take the necessary steps to prepare for war.  Once my oh-so-human brain begins to wrap itself around this truth, I come to the second half of this command; "the full armor of God."  Yes!  It is when I put on the full armor of God that I will be fully protected!  Yes, indeed!  I am feeling encouraged at this point in the passage.  Next comes the challenge.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,".  Immediately, I am convicted.  Who is it that I have labeled as 'enemy'?   Who is it that I think I am going to be up against in this battle?  Who am I going into this battle against....really?   For if I go into a battle without realizing in my heart who my true enemy is in the situation, it is much like attacking the wrong enemy in a military war.  I must always remember in times of struggle exactly  who the enemy really is.  As I read through the passage a bit further, I come across verse 13 and read, "so that when the day of evil comes,".  Notice, is does read, "if the day of evil comes," nope....."when the day of evil comes."  Paul is reminding me, just as Jesus did, that in this life I will have struggles and strife.  Here is the encouraging part of this segment of the passage: " you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  I am to be bold and courageous and strong in Him and then stand my ground against the true enemy of my soul.  Since I am 100% human, this is something that I can only due through the power of my loving Father.  While I know this in my head, knowing this truth and living it out in my life is another thing all together.  Anyone with me on this point?

The scripture goes on tell me exactly what pieces of the armor I will need.  One interesting sidenote to the armor, is that there is really no protection to my backside.  All of the armor is worn in such a way as to face the enemy head on!  Full steam ahead!  So as I read this today, I was pondering in the depths of my heart.  Some of the questions I feel that the Lord is asking me are: What part of the armor do I most struggle with putting on?  Who is it that I have somehow labeled incorrectly as 'enemy'?  When others look at me, what part of the invisible armor do they see evident in my life?  Do they see His truth around my waist, His peace upon my feet, His salvation upon my head?  What about the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit or the shield of faith....are they visible in my life?

After answering these questions today during my prayer time....just between Him and I, I have a renewed strength; a strength that comes from the Father.   I prayed also that His life would be evident in my own on a larger scale than before.  And that each day I would be a person dressed to battle the things of the enemy that are allowed to come my way.  There is a new sense of expectancy as I head into what He has ahead for me.  I cannot wait to see what He has for me as I ready myself with His strength, His power and His love.  Asking Him in prayer that He help me to see things as He does...see others as He does....and yes, love others as He does.  To live and move and have my being in Him in such a way that others are drawn to Him.  This is my plea, my desire and my prayer. Looking up first and then looking forward to what He would have for me today!