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Shielding yourself with God’s armor - Ephesians 6:10-17

Written Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010
Ephesians 6:10-17 (The Voice New Testament)
10 Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God.
11 Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes.
12 We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon-princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places.
13 And this is way you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground.
14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate,
15 and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace.
16 Don’t forget to raise the shield of truth above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one.
17 Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I have only been walking in the fullness of God’s promises and love (a powerful Christian life) for almost five years even though I accepted Jesus early in my childhood. Consequently, it’s only been a handful of years that the Bible opened my spiritual eyes. In the passages above, Paul uses the striking visual image of a Roman soldier to talk about how we must use God’s armor to protect ourselves from the spiritual war that rages around believers (and everyone else). 

If you don’t think that you are impacted, think again. I was naïve to believe that my walk with Christ was going to be easy. It’s not. But unless we read the warnings that the Bible gives us, we go out to do battle in shorts and sandals instead of full armor like a soldier. I don’t know about you, but I’ve started dressing for life the way God suggests that I do.

These are things I’m learning about fighting darkness:
  • Realize that you cannot do life by yourself because evil is out there. You need God to make you strong. You must rely on his armor to empower you.
  • Understand what you can do to protect yourself against evil, and protect yourself from head to toe like a solder.
  • Put the belt of truth around your waist. (v14) The Bible teaches the truth. Know the Bible and know the truth so the enemy can’t deceive you.
  • Understand that godly and righteous living is like a soldier’s chest plate. (v14) When you live life God’s way, you are better able withstand the enemy’s attacks.
  • Like a soldier, guard your feet so you will be prepared to tell of the peace that God provides. (v 15) You can do this if you stand firm in your walk. In the movies, Roman sandals were cumbersome – for good reason. The heavy sandals enabled a soldier to take a firm stand when he was in battle. When you guard your walk with God, you are better able to withstand a satanic attack.
  • Roman soldiers carried heavy battle shields to protect themselves from deadly spears. In the same way, carry your shield of faith (v 16) to protect you from deception and schemes of the evil one.
  • Don’t forget to cover your head with God’s helmet of salvation.(v17) The head is the most vulnerable place of the human body. Guard your mind at all times. Make sure that God is first in all you do and say.
  • Finally, don’t forget that you have the most powerful sword known to mankind – the sword of the Holy Spirit. That sword is God’s Word. If you don’t read the Bible and make it your lifeline, you leave yourself open to attacks from all sides.
You cannot know how to protect yourself if you don’t know what God says about arming yourself. You can only know how to arm yourself, if you know what the Bible says.
Guard your head and ask the Lord to guard your mind, soul and spirit each day when you awaken. The battle for your soul is real. Take it seriously. Know what to do and how to protect yourself and those who depend on you.
Big God Hugs, Blanca

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