The Armor of God

Yesterday I was reminded, yet again, about how important it truly is for us to put on all of God's armor daily so that we may be able to stand against the enemy. I think many times we feel as though we are impervious to the schemes of the enemy.

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us about how we need to use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil so that after every battle we will be standing firm. Imagine dressing your self as a knight while you read this next scripture, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:13-18).

These words paint a perfect picture of what our every morning "dress" should look like. There are days that I mentally picture myself putting on every single piece of God's armor and I will walk out the door of the house with such confidence, knowing that I am "armed" for the battle that day. And it seems that over time, I can be in such a hurry and am too busy to stop and put it all on. That I am "half-dressed" at times. Some days I am missing parts of my armor, I will forget to put on my "helmet" or my "shoes" because I was distracted by one thing or another. There are days that I "look" like someone just pieced me together.

We must remember that the enemy doesn't necessarily come running at us, screaming "I'm gonna get you, you'd better be suited up." Rather he comes to us in more subtle ways, and many times we don't even realize what has even happened until it has passed. Then we look back and are awestruck by the chain of events that occurred before us. It is in those times we have to truly reflect back upon how those situations transpired.

The enemy will use ANYTHING to keep you distracted from the things of God. For some of you it might be the company you keep, the things that you look at, the life you involve yourself in, or even the things you don't do (e.g. not keeping in God's word). Sometimes it can even be in the "good" things that we are doing. For example, if you are passionate about serving others and all you do is serve at your workplace, in your church, or your neighbors, and you don't focus your time and attention to God's word or the people that need you most in life. Then you are allowing the enemy a foothold in your life. You are allowing yourself to be vulnerable to his attacks.

Donning the armor of God is a choice each and everyday. It is our personal responsibility to "guard our hearts above all else (Proverbs 4:23)" and "dress" ourselves each and every day so that we may be protected from the enemy. As much as we want to help and protect others, know that only they can do that for themselves. We each have our own responsibility of clothing ourselves and when we don't go into battle with our armor, we may get hurt. Remember today and everyday to put on your helmet of salvation, your breast plate of righteousness, your belt of truth, your shield of faith, your shoes of peace, and draw the sword of the spirit (the word of God). Don't get too busy, that your "half-dressed" wardrobe isn't shielding you from the strategies and tricks of the enemy.