Armor… Do you have pictures of King Arthur in your head? (He’s a myth, by the way.) A handsome knight in shining armor? (A righteous vigilante, putting down evil-doers for his queen?) Romantic huh?
Armor looks uncomfortable to me. Heavy. Bulky. Restrictive. David would not wear Saul’s armor when he went out to meet Goliath. Why? You tell me…1 Samuel 17 tells the story. Take up your Sword of The Spirit (Bible) and see for yourself.
Ephesians 6:11 advises me to ‘put on the whole armor of God’. Not part of it…the whole thing. And it doesn’t advise me to come up with my own outfit. It tells me to put on God’s armor. Why? ‘SO I may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’ (verse 11) OK….so what is this armor?
Eph. 6:14 begins to tell us about it. Don’t take my word for it. Open up that Sword of The Spirit and see for yourself.
First….STAND. Decide you’re going to in fact PUT this armor ON. We can talk about what a good idea it is. That doesn’t give us a tiny little bit of protection. So…will you decide? Begin to arm yourself against the very real enemy?
Then, we must ‘ have the belt of truth buckled around our waist..’ There IS absolute truth. If you have no consistent views of truth, you are an easy target for the adversary to successfully attack. Ask God right NOW, to help you to see. Ask Him to remove the scales from your eyes, that you are not deceived or blinded by the enemy’s lies. What God says….IS. Period. Absolute.
In the time period this scripture was written, people wore long flowing garments, men and women alike. It was vital, when battle came, those garments must not be a hindrance. A belt, sometimes called a girdle, would be worn to secure all the garments in place. The loose parts would be gathered up and fastened inside a belt.
Truth keeps all of our ‘self’ grounded and in place. Truth keeps us from being tangled up in the ‘stuff’ that surrounds us on every side, the struggles, skirmishes, and outright war that we face. Truth keeps the fleshly/human part of us standing firmly, supporting us, so that we all fight on the same ground, for the same side. The enemy wants us divided, wants us confused about what IS true and right. That’s one of his best tactics. I detest him for it.
Armor. God had one tailor made for me. He has one for you…if you’ll wear it.
