The Armor of God

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   Upon coming home from Liberty Univerity last week, I decided that I would commit myself to studying and reading the word more.  I picked a study about the armor of God to study for this last week based on passage in Ephesians 6:10-17.  The focus is on the fact that since as a believer, we are in a spiritual battle then the believer should do what Paul said and put on the armor of God.  The armor of God consists of the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and sword.  Paul's words to us are emphasized that we should "stand".  The implication is that we can only stand up and fight when we are wearing the armor.

   One thing that I noticed about this is that it is a conscious choice for us each day to put on this armor or not.  We can try to work and live each day under our own strength, wisdom and direction or we can rely on the Lord.  We have to go back to God each day for our strength and guidance.  Trust is as much about our nurturing our relationship with God as it is anything else.  You notice that in Ephesians 6:10 it says to be "strong in the Lord."  We are only strong when we are "in" Him.

    The other thing that I noticed this week is that every piece of equipment is important for its own reasons.  The belt helps the solider to be prepared to fight.  It got the outer garment out of the way, so that the solider could freely move and fight.  The shield protected the solider against the fiery arrows of the enemy.  The helmet protects the mind, the breastplate the heart and organs.  The sword was actually the only offensive weapon and is the Word of God.  Each weapon and object is important to take into battle for its own reasons.

     The third thing that I noticed is that there is no question but that there are fiery missiles that the devil shoots at each one of us.  Paul didn't say "if the devil shoots fiery missiles at you".  Rather, the missiles are coming whether your ready or not.  If you want to get shot full of holes keep your shield down because you have an enemy and he is real and you have to use spiritual weapons to fight spiritual wars.

For a look at the study mentioned go to:  http://www.libertyonlineministries.com/index.cfm?PID=14715

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