Ephesians 6:10-20
Vs 13: put on the armour so that you may stand in the evil day.
The time to put on the armour is all the time especially when things are good- keep training yourself. Even when there is no war soldiers are constantly training so that when the battle comes they’re ready. Keep exercising your spiritual muscles! ! Tim 4:8
If you don’t prepare before when the battle comes you’ll be exposed and easily defeated. A soldier does not start donning his armour when he sees the battle at hand, he does it way earlier in the barracks before he set out.
What is this armour that we are told to put on? The fact that we have to put it on means that it doesn’t come from ourselves but from God It’s actually described in the order in which it is put on by the typical Roman soldier.
The Belt of truth: Verse 14 The belt was the first item to be worn with leather strips hanging down to protect the legs. As a Christian you are supposed to live a life of practical truthfulness and honesty otherwise how else can you stand against the father of lies? Also just as a belt holds the armour together truth will hold our life together with a sense of direction and purpose
Breastplate of righteousness: Verse 14b Was made of hard leather or metal and goes all the way around the upper body. This righteousness is not just that of Christ received through salvation but the righteous, practical character of believers. Doing that which is good and right will guard our hearts whereas ungodly living brings on emotional guilt as well as judicial guilt.
Feet ready with the gospel of peace: Verse 15 The soldier wore hard studded shoes to protect his feet. The Christian should always be ready to go out to defend and spread the gospel.
Shield of faith: Verse 16 This is above all. The shield was large 4 feet long and 2 and half feet wide and offered sufficient protection for most of the body. When we put our faith in God Satan’s assaults cannot penetrate
Helmet of Salvation: Verse 17a Protects the head. A blow to the head will most likely be nearly fatal. The same way a helmet protects the head the "hope" that salvation provides can protect our minds against things like despair and fear.
Sword of the spirit: Verse 17b This is the only offensive weapon in the armour of God. In Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is likened to a sword A believer has to have an intimate knowledge of he bible and not only that but speak specific words into the specific situation
Prayer: Verse 18 It may not be part of the armour per se without prayer the armour would be of no use and we are told to “pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit” vs 18. It is a continuous process come rain come sunshine we have to keep praying. In fact when things are going well that’s the best time to stock up your spiritual reserves and build your muscles because a time will come when you will not have the strength to do it yourself and others will have to stand in the gap for you. When Joseph was in Egypt (Genesis 41:17-36) they had 7 years of plenty in which they filled their stores for the 7 years of famine that were to come. However we may not always have the luxury of knowing the coming season but if we are always prepared the battle shall not overcome us.
This message was inspired by a conversation I had recently with some of my friends about a season of trials that came my way recently but somehow before then my spiritual roots had been deepened and it was like God was preparing me for what was to come. If the battle had found me far from God I would so easily have succumbed but thank God that my shield of faith had been strengthened and was able to use the sword of the spirit to wage war. So my final word to you is keep working at it, praying, spending time in God’s word even when your life seems flat you can always stand with those in the midst of hard times and the time will surely come when they’ll stand with you.
Be blessed
P.S saw this somewhere on facebook
A Christian streaker - someone who puts on ONLY the helmut of salvation! We also need the belt of truth,the breastplate of righteousness,the shoes of readiness to share God's peace, and the shield of faith! And above all, we need ALWAYS to trust in God thru prayer. Barbara Johnson.
and that's the 1st sermon :)
