The Fight (Spiritual Battle) Part 12
Last week we talked about the Lord’s Prayer and how it helps us join with Jesus in the spiritual battle. This week we are going to do an introduction into the armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
10 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.
Paul is telling us that we are in a spiritual battle and that we are not going to be able to do it in our strength. We need to be utilizing the armor of God.
The Armor of God
The armor is amazing. You should be praying it on every day. Praying on the armor is a great reminder of who we are in Christ. It is a reminder that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. I believe that we often forget this. We get back to the old self so quickly in the busyness of our days that we forget who we are, whose we are, and we slip back into a sort of selfish, old nature mindset very quickly. This armor helps us to stay present and to stay focused as we go through the day.
I think it is important that we see that the pieces of this armor have roots in the Old Testament.
Belt of Truth
Isaiah 11:5 (NIV)
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Helmet of Salvation and Breastplate of Righteousness
Isaiah 59:17 (NIV)
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
Feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Shield of Faith
Proverbs 30:5 (NIV)
5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Sword of the Spirit
Deuteronomy 33:29 (NIV)
29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.”
Looking at the Old Testament connections with the armor we can see that the Lord is in each piece of armor. By putting on the armor, we put our faith in God and not in ourselves.
The Schemes of the evil one
Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Being aware that we are in a spiritual battle allows us to understand that the enemy has tactics he tries to use against us. These are devil’s schemes that Paul is referring to. While the enemy has a number of these schemes I believe there are two major schemes we need to be be constantly vigilant about.
We will be digging deeper into both of these this weekend at Keys Vineyard. If you can’t make it in person, please be sure to watch our live stream at your convenience.
Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the lead pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.