THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

” (Ephesians 6 vs 11.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 13 - 18: 

6:13: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

6:14: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness,
6:15: and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
6:17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

6:18: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

INTIMATION: 

Jesus Christ came as a propitiation for the sins of the world and 

has given the believe the free gift of salvation. 

By confessing Christ and accepting the free gift, believers have been given 

rich and glorious inheritance in Him, as well as His power of 

incredible greatness (see Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5; Ephesians 1 vs 18 - 22). These they can access through the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of who they are in Christ, in which God has given them all that pertains to life and godliness (Second Peter 1 vs 3).

 And these are available to the believers even in t

he day of adversity or evil. The day could be any day in the life of a believer under Satan’s machinations to perpetrate evil. 

To withstand these attacks, the believer must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of His armor. The whole body needs to be armed with the strength of God’s armor through the Holy Spirit as you do battle against Satan and his cohorts. Satan and his demons are very real, not mere fantasies, hence we face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat the body of Christ—the church. 

Believers should first put the truth of God in His Word by believing and living the truth (Philippians 1 vs 27). They should do such in order that they be transformed into the strong character of Jesus, as well as be able to identify and stand against all that is error and morally wrong thereby leading a righteous life. Just as the breastplate in the soldier’s armor protects the vital organs of a soldier, living in righteousness—living in the will of God (the Word of God)—protects the vital spiritual life of a believer. 

As they have embraced the gospel of Jesus, they should adhere strictly to it knowing that it is upon the foundation of the historical event of the gospel that believers maintain emotional, mental, and spiritual stability. It is the fact of the death of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection for our hope that we can have peace of mind and confidence that Jesus has all things under control for the sake of the believers. 

Now, without faith we cannot please God. The faith of the believer is a shield to ward off the attacks of doubt, discouragement and despair. In faith the believers victory is assured: “And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” (First John 5 vs 4). By increasing faith through the study of the word of God (Romans 10 vs 17), the believer is able to stand against the deceptions or wiles of the devil. 

And just as the helmet protects the head which is the center of reference of the body, the believers are protected by the assurance of their salvation that is based, not on their works, but in the grace of God through the work of Christ on the cross. Just as the soldier can confidently keep his head high in order to engage the enemy because of the helmet, the believers, by their salvation, are assured of the victory they have already recorded in Christ (First Corinthians 15 vs 57).

The believers only weapon of attack in the armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The purpose of the sword is both for attack and defense. The believer uses the sword of the Spirit to attack the enemy of deception and also to defend himself against being deceived (see Matthew 4 vs 1 - 11). It is the responsibility of every believer to be armed with the knowledge of the word of God in order not to be tossed to and fro in a world of turbulent religious deceptions. Those who are ignorant of the word of God are fertile soil for the deceptive beliefs of Satan. 

The Word of God is His will, and communing with Him in accordance with His Word guarantees answers to our prayer (Isaiah 41 vs 21; 43 vs 26; Jeremiah 1 vs 12; First John 5 vs 14 - 15). God demands that we lead a life of constant prayer (Luke 18 vs 1; First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). One way of praying always is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. This you can do by ordering your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. 

The believers strength is maintained if he or she remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of the supernatural power to defeat Satan. They must maintain the spiritual armor of the Lord by which strength they guard against the wiles of Satan. 

Every temptation that the devil may throw against the believer can be stopped by the truth that is learned through a study of God’s word. There is no power that Satan may have that can break through the whole armor of God that the believer exercises in his or her life (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39).

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for Your whole armor made available to me in the fight against the devil, and the victory You have given me in Christ. My faith is solidly anchored in You and Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!