The Armor of God
The Bible tells us that if we want to do something for God and live for him then we must realize we are in a war. The believer has three main enemies: the devil, the fleshly nature and the world. In Ephesians 6:10-18 it talks mainly about the first of these, the devil and his kingdom.
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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."
Paul will say this several times here and also similar in 2 Timothy 2:1 where he tells Timothy to be strong in the Lord. He goes on several times to say to put on the whole armor of God, so that the believer can stand strong. It reminded me of something that stands even against strong hurricane force winds and stands up against that resistance. The word scheme is methodeia in the greek which means cunning arts, deceit, trickery.
Ephesians 6;13-14 "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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place."
Again, Paul repeats himself that the days of evil are coming and he wants them to stand strong. So, they are not to forget any element of the armor of God, but to put all of it on. Then he begins to name the pieces of the armor the belt of truth or certainty, fact, reality and the breastplate of righteousness or integrity (dikaiosyne) a purity, virtue. Living the way the Lord wants you to live is a protective thing that protects the vital organs of the heart and lungs.
Ephesians 6:15-16 "and with you feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows the evil one."
The New King James uses the words "having shod" instead of feet fitted, but it means the same thing. It means "put on your shoes on", "prepare for action", "be ready". The gospel of peace is the proclamation of the good news of God's grace that brings peace. The shield of faith is used the extinguish the arrows that are flaming and headed for the believer. In 1 Peter 5:8-9 it says that we are to stand firm knowing that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. With our shield of faith we can quench and suppress his attack.
Ephesians 6:17-18 "take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
The mind is protected by the helmet of salvation. The Word of God is called a living and active Word sharper than a double edged sword in Hebrews 4:12. It can penetrate all the way to the soul and spirit, the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The sword is our offensive weapon just as Jesus used to combat the devil in the wilderness. We are to hide it in our hearts. Then, also we are to pray. The believer is not meant to live life on a island without support as if we are to do all this in our own strength. Our strength is that we are the branch that is on the vine and we are dependent on Him for our strength and our hope. Phil 4:6.
Some related verses: John 12:31, 14:30; 16:11; Luke 4:6; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:19, Isaiah 14:12-14, 1 John 5:4
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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."
Paul will say this several times here and also similar in 2 Timothy 2:1 where he tells Timothy to be strong in the Lord. He goes on several times to say to put on the whole armor of God, so that the believer can stand strong. It reminded me of something that stands even against strong hurricane force winds and stands up against that resistance. The word scheme is methodeia in the greek which means cunning arts, deceit, trickery.
Ephesians 6;13-14 "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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place."
Again, Paul repeats himself that the days of evil are coming and he wants them to stand strong. So, they are not to forget any element of the armor of God, but to put all of it on. Then he begins to name the pieces of the armor the belt of truth or certainty, fact, reality and the breastplate of righteousness or integrity (dikaiosyne) a purity, virtue. Living the way the Lord wants you to live is a protective thing that protects the vital organs of the heart and lungs.
Ephesians 6:15-16 "and with you feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows the evil one."
The New King James uses the words "having shod" instead of feet fitted, but it means the same thing. It means "put on your shoes on", "prepare for action", "be ready". The gospel of peace is the proclamation of the good news of God's grace that brings peace. The shield of faith is used the extinguish the arrows that are flaming and headed for the believer. In 1 Peter 5:8-9 it says that we are to stand firm knowing that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. With our shield of faith we can quench and suppress his attack.
Ephesians 6:17-18 "take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
The mind is protected by the helmet of salvation. The Word of God is called a living and active Word sharper than a double edged sword in Hebrews 4:12. It can penetrate all the way to the soul and spirit, the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The sword is our offensive weapon just as Jesus used to combat the devil in the wilderness. We are to hide it in our hearts. Then, also we are to pray. The believer is not meant to live life on a island without support as if we are to do all this in our own strength. Our strength is that we are the branch that is on the vine and we are dependent on Him for our strength and our hope. Phil 4:6.
Some related verses: John 12:31, 14:30; 16:11; Luke 4:6; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:19, Isaiah 14:12-14, 1 John 5:4
