Encouragement

ARE WE TRULY ARMED AND READY?

by Christian Belyea
03/03/19
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     Taken from Ephesians 6:10-19

     As we have read in the Scriptures, our real battle isn’t against other people who persecute us or wound us with their words.  No, our battle is against deadly demons using other people as pawns without their even knowing it.  These fallen angels will pop thoughts into our opponents’ heads to hurl at us, to hurt us, and to hinder our walk with our Redeemer Jesus.  These fallen angels will try to discourage us in every way imaginable by doing everything from getting other people to be rude to us, so we will sin in unforgiveness to outright attacking our thought life to undermine our confidence in ourselves and in God—and even to doubt our salvation, when the Bible so clearly states that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be saved (Romans 10:13).

     The devil hates us—that’s a fact—because we have chosen God, and he will fight us because of our faith.  He will come at us from every angle, too, shooting fiery darts at us to tempt us to sin, to wreck our relationship with God, to cause us to doubt God and our salvation, to render our testimony impotent, and to discourage us from sharing our faith with others.  It’s not a matter of if he’ll attack, but when he will attack, according to the Scriptures.  “…Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Therefore, we must always be sure we are fully armored against his assaults, so we can withstand such attacks.

     The following is a breakdown of the armor we must constantly be wearing in our Christian walk:

     “Having girded your waist with the belt of truth” simply means always telling the truth, for when we lie, we are doing Satan’s will, for he is the father of lies as Jesus said. (John 8:44).

     “Putting on the breastplate of righteousness” is knowing that our righteousness is nothing apart from God and that we must keep on doing the next right thing.

     “Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” means God is our peace and we should seek peace with others as much as is possible while imparting that peace to others.

     “Taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” just means having faith in God that He has overcome the wicked one when Christ was crucified for our sins on the cross, and that Christ can help us overcome Satan, too, when he sends those fiery darts meant to tempt us to sin or to doubt God in some way.

     “Taking up the helmet of salvation” really means knowing our salvation is secure and that Satan’s doubts about our salvation are lies.  When we are under this form of attack, we must remember God’s Word says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

     “Taking up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” is to know God’s Word and live by it, as well as wielding it against Satan when he attacks us with doubts, desires, and discouragements.

     “And above all to stand” means we must wait and trust on the LORD to deliver us when the enemy attacks while we stand firmly, wearing our armor.

     Finally, “Praying ceaselessly” means living a life of obedience which is a prayer in itself, while at the same time praying for others each day and talking to God throughout the day.

     If we wear our armor constantly, the devil will not only fume; he will fast turn tail and flee from us.  For as the Word says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).  So, as we can see, God has not left us defenseless against the devil.  Nor has He left us ignorant of the devil’s wily devices.  Thank God.  Do we have our armor on?  Or are we setting ourselves up for an attack from the assailant of all assailants?

     All Scriptural references taken form the NKJV Bible 1985.