Armor of God (Ephsians 6:10-18) Establishment of Armor

Now that we've looked at the different pieces of armor and what they mean to us, it is helpful to understand exactly how do we put on this armor.  Knowledge alone does not do us much good.  Throughout these verses we are called to be active

v. 10:  be strong,
v. 11:  put on...take your stand
v. 13:  put on...be able to stand...to stand
v. 14:  stand firm
v.16:   take up the shield
v. 17:  take the helmet...
v. 18:  and pray in the Spirit, be alert...always keep praying

As Believers there are three of the pieces of armor that we already have on.  These are established by our position in Christ.  These are referenced in past tense within the verses.

1. having girded - belt - Truth
2. having put on - breastplate - Righteousness
3. having shod - shoes - Readiness/Peace

The protection of these pieces is made possible when we receive Christ.  We are being commanded in these verses to stand firm in these areas/items.

The last three items - shield, helmet and sword - we are told to take up (as in we don't necessarily already have them).  These three items help us to continue to win the battle.

A few additional items that may help in understanding each of these pieces of armor and how to don and wield them.

Breastplate - God justifies us with His Righteousness.  The enemy will often tell us, "You are not good enough to be a Christian."  My answer is, "That does not matter." 

Romans 8:33 - Who will bring a charge against God's elect?"  - I am God's elect!

We are in Christ, so we are already forgiven.  We are the righteousness of God in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

To confess (homologeo) means to acknowledge or agree.  As Believers we don't confess to be forgiven, we are already forgiven.  We confess in order to clear the way for the fruitful expression of righteousness in our daily lives.

Shoes - Peace/Unity
In the Body of Christ, common doctrine is not the basis for fellowship; common heritage is.  We are all children of God.  I've found some of the brothers and sisters in Christ who I've come to depend on and trust the most are the ones who I see eye to eye with the least in regards to doctrine.  That is okay, we are still part of the same body and love one another.

Helmet - Salvation
I am a child of God, and nothing can separate me from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35)

People experiencing spiritual conflict tend to question their salvation or doubt their identity in Christ.  I know, I for one have struggled with this alot in the past.  I've often thought of myself as being a "fake Christian" and thought fellow Believers were able to see right through me and see me for the fraud I was.  This was a lie from the enemy to keep me from being effective for the Lord.  As long as I was worried about whether I was truly saved and concerned with how other Believers saw me, I was not able to focus on God and the battle at hand.

Sword - Word/Spirit
In this verse Paul uses rhema instead of logos for word.  "Spoken Word" is what this means.  Why is this important?  Satan is a created being and does not know exactly what we are thinking.  He can make some pretty good guesses at times, but he can not read our thoughts as God can.  This is important for two reasons:

1. When rebuking the enemy, especially when using Scripture as Jesus did, do so out loud.  The enemy can't hear your thoughts, so you need to speak the Word of God against him out loud, just as Jesus did when he was tempted.
2. Your unspoken communion with God is your private sanctuary.  The enemy can not eavesdrop on you.

We are in a battle, Beloved and the enemy would like nothing better than for us to be unprepared.  In order to fully understand the battle we are in and the protection we have through God's armor, we must first learn to run to God and lean on Him.  The more we pursue Him, the more we will understand and be able to stand in His Power to defeat the enemy. 

I recommend reading all of Ephesians to better understand who God is and who you are in Him.  I'll be adding more from the previous chapters in Ephesians soon.  I believe this is critical because without understanding who you are in Christ, the armor does not fit correctly.  Incorrectly fitting armor leaves gaps for the enemy to sneak in and deal some devastating blows.

Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) - The Armor

At the time when the letter to the Ephesian church was written, they would have been very familar with Roman soldiers and the armor they wore.  Below are notes on each piece of armor and how important they were to the Roman soldier wearing them and how this relates to us in our battle.

One note before I start though - don't only individualize the armor.  As a church body we need to do this together and cover one another when needed.  Paul wrote this to the church, not just the individuals in the church.  We are Christ's body.

There are six pieces of armor mentioned in these verses:

• Two Offensive weapons: shoes and sword
• Three Defensive weapons: breastplate, shield and helmet
• One neutral weapon: belt

Let's talk about each piece now:

Belt (Truth)
The first thing put on by a soldier was his belt.  It held all the solidier's necessities (swords, arrows, rations, etc).  It was held/tied on in many places to keep it on straight no matter what the soldier did (run, climb, fall, etc).  If this was not put on correctly the soldier would not be efficient in battle and could loose his life.  In Roman times a tight belt menat the soldier was ready for battle.

The Truth of God's Word is what "holds" us all together while we fight.  It must be the first thing we put on every day.  We have no foundation on which to stand in our warfare with the enemy without God's Truth. 

I'm currently going to the Truth Project and the question came up the first session - What is Truth?  The answer:  God's perception of reality.  This is because our perception is always tainted.  God is Truth!

Breastplate (Righteousness)
This piece as attached to the soldier's belt, anchored to the belt by leather passed through rings on the bottom.  It was located above the belt and anchored by the belt.  This protected the soldier's heart which is the organ responsible for sending blood through the soldier to keep him alive.

If our hearts are not right with God, our spiritual lives will begin to die.  If we walk in the righteousness of God we have a defensive weapon to use against the slanderous accusations and outrageous strategies of the enemy.  Righteousness is right thinking and doing right.  We are able to do this only through God's strength, by His Truth (the belt).

Shoes (Readiness/Peace)
A soldier's shoes had spikes on the soles which provided them a strong stance and balance when fighting, especially on uneven ground.  (In martial arts the stance is one of the most important things and is what is practiced first.)  Many historians believe these shoes are one of the greatest reasons why the Roman army was so victorious.

The Peace of God will enable us to stand firm with our feet planted firmly on the Word of God.  We will be unmoved by the devil's threats, even when we are in the rough places of life.

Shield (Faith)
Roman soldiers had long, rectangular shields that reached from their knees to their chins.  It protected them from arrows and spears and could be knelt behind when the enemy shot arrows.  Groups of soldiers could get close together to make a huge circle to protect the group from fiery arrows.

The shield represents the faith in the believer in the promises of God.  The value of faith is not in the believer, but in the person whom the faith is in (God).  This faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  God is the one who fights for us and protects us.  The more we know Him and His Word the greater our faith and therefore the larger our shield (protection)!

Helmet (Salvation)
Romand had the best helmet in the ancient world.  Other nations used cloth, animal hides, bones or hooves.  The Romans had a chin strap, a visor and covered the back and sides of the neck.  They had a leather lining to be comfortable and so they would fit well.  The soldier's helmets were made of bronze cast and the officers had helmets made of iron alloy.  A well designed helmet will protect you from various angles of attack.

The greatest battefield with the enemy is in our minds.  One key area is our assurance of our salvation.  The enemy wants us to doubt this.

Philippians 4:8:  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

We need to guard or minds, the thoughts we dwell on, because this is where we can start to walk away from God.  We must have a clear mind to be discerning in all situations.  We can only do this by immersing ourselves in God's Word and in prayer.

Sword (Spirit/God's Word)
This was a two-edged sword which could inflict more damage than any other sword.  It only had to penetrate 2 to 3 inches to be fatal.  Because of the two edges it was considered to be a very deadly and powerful weapon.

The Word of God is like a deadly sword blow to the enemy.  When we speak God's Word according to His Will, there is no power in the universe that can withstand it.  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he quoted His Father's Words with authority.

In the book The Final Quest by Rick Joyner, he speaks of climbing the mountain of God while fighting the enemy.  He no longer needs the sword because the enemy is too far away and he is fighting with arrows now.  But he knows he does not want to get rid of it.  He knows this would not be wise.  So he drives the sword into the ground and tied himself to it to anchor himself to the mountainside.  God's Word should also be used to anchor ourselves to God.

Armor of God (Eph 6:10-18) - Introduction

We have begun to discuss spiritual warfare at 1Peter3 and of course these verses have popped up as part of our conversations.  A few years back my house church went through the book of Ephesians together and we spent a good deal of time on these verses.  I've dug up my notes from my studies on the verses back then and thought I would share them in a series of three posts.

Introduction  - my prelminary notes regarding things that stood out while reading the verses

The Armor - when this example was given to the Ephesian Church they would have been very familar with the Roman soldiers of the day and the armor that they wore.  There is a lot to learn and understand about the Armor of God when we better understand the different pieces of the Roman soldiers armor and the reasons behind each piece.

The Establishment of the Armor - not only is it important to understand the purpose of the armor, it is important to understand how we obtain each of these pieces of armor.

Armor of God - Introduction

Ephesians 6:10-18

The first verse regarding the armor of God says "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power".  We are being told that we are not strong on our own, we are to take action (be strong), but we are not to do it ourselves.  Our strength comes from God and His power, not ours.

Verse 11 continues by telling us to "put on the full armor".  We need to put it ALL on, not just certain items.  The words "full armor" are repeated again in verse 13.

We need to remember through all of this that people are NOT our enemies.  This is very easy to forget.  Verse 12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces.  We've heard this many times, but we often loose sight of this as we go about our daily lives.  This is exactly what the enemy wants.  If we are busy fighting other people, hating them and becoming bitter towards them, we won't be able to effectively use God's strength and power to fight him and his forces.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  12For 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.  13Therefore, 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.  14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  16In addition, to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.

Friendship with a Jealous God

This week was the final week of our Friendship with God series at SUM.  Below are links to Lynn and Dineen's posts this week - I highly recommend reading them.  I love both of these women dearly and have been honored to be part of this series.  It has been an amazing experience.

I Am THAT Woman by Lynn

Show Me Your Glory, Lord by Dineen

Friendship with a Jealous God

For thou shalt worship no other god:

for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Exodus 34:14

Names mean something, especially in the Kingdom of God. As you read through God’s Word, notice how often we are told the meaning behind the different names people give to their children. God even tells the parents in some instances what they are to name their children. And in some cases He changes a person’s name to represent something significant in their lives. Abram meant “high father” in Hebrew, but when God made a covenant with Abram and promised him to be the father of many nations, He changed his name to Abraham which means “father of many.” Jacob meant “supplanter” however later in his life when he wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord in order to receive a blessing, the Lord changed his name to Israel which means “God contended” or “he struggles with God”.

I have a bookmark that I use frequently which lists the different names of God and what they mean. The names of God are important because they reveal to us His Character. Anything in this world that is good, is good because it is consistent with His Nature and Character. Anything that is evil or wrong is so because it contradicts the very nature of God.

One name of God that I’ve discovered recently though is not listed on my bookmark – El Qanna. That is the word used in Exodus 34:14. God is telling us not only is He a jealous God, but His very name means Jealous. This posed a problem for me the first time I put much thought into it. We’ve been taught that jealousy is wrong. In fact, further down in the Ten Commandments, which this verse is a part of, it specifically talks about coveting what is not yours – being jealous! So then how can one of God’s names (El Qanna) mean Jealous? How can He be named Jealous when jealousy is wrong and we know that anything that is wrong is so because it contradicts the very nature of God?

Read more here

Friendship with an All-Knowing God

Below is an excerpt and link to my third submission as a guest poster at S.U.M. this month for the series Friendship with God.  I've also include a link to a post written by Dineen this week for the series.  These are all wonderful and it is amazing how God is working through each of us to create one cohesive series.  We truly serve an Amazing God!

Friendship through Confession

Friendship with an All-Knowing God

In my first post for this series I mentioned that one of the keys to any friendship is not only knowing the other person, their character, desires and emotions, but also in revealing your own heart to them. Friendship with God is no different. In fact, in order to truly begin to understand Him and His emotions we must first open ourselves up to Him and allow Him to change us. This is done by pouring out our hearts to Him. However, you may wonder, if God is omniscient, why do we need to pour out our hearts to Him? He already knows our desires, emotions, and character. In fact, He probably knows our heart even better than we do, so why go through all the effort? Isn’t it redundant?


Read more here

Friendship with God: David's Example of Beholding

Below is an excerpt and link to my post last week for the Friendship with God series at S.U.M.  I apologize for being negligent in keeping up here.  I'm linknig below to other posts last week in the series written by Lynn and Dineen.  I recommend checking them all out!  I will add another post with this week's articles later tonight.

Weekend Devotion - Friendship of God

Friendship with God Through Worship

David's Example of Beholding

Awhile back, a good friend of mine asked me a question that I came across again recently in a book I’m reading. I want to pose it to each of you today. Please be very honest with yourself. You don’t have to share your answer with me. My purpose is not to know your secret thoughts. But I will share some of mine with you, on the off chance that some of you share in these same thoughts.

Imagine for just a moment that you were told by a reliable source that tonight you were going to meet Jesus face-to-face and He was going to judge you – He was going to reveal the deepest parts of your life and your heart – what is the first feeling that overcomes you? Is it fear or excitement?

I’ve been on a David quest for almost a year now, or more accurately a quest for David’s heart. He is described in Scripture as being a man after God’s own heart. God Himself, describes David in this way. What made him so special? Sure he was a mighty king and ruler of Israel, but he was also a royal mess up at times. I want to know what it was about Him that caused God to look upon him and describe him in such a way, despite his failures. I want a heart like that. I want to hear my Creator one day introduce me to the hosts of heaven as “Angela, a woman after my own heart”.

Read more here

What's the big deal about Friendship? (Guest Writer at S.U.M.)

I've been asked to be a guest contributor at S.U.M. for the month of May.  Our series this month is Friendship with God.  Today was my first contribution to this series.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.

If you like this please check out the other posts made by Lynn and Dineen this past week.

Friendship with God - The Journey Starts Now
posted by Lynn - Friday, April 30th

Friendship with God: Come Just As You Are
posted by Dineen - Tuesday, May 4th

What's the big deal about Friendship?

A few days after Lynn asked me to be part of this series, I was having lunch with two of my friends at work when the subject of friendship came up. One of the ladies began to share how she’s never had any really close friends and how she often does not feel like she truly belongs in any group of which she is a part. As the two of us listened we had tears in our eyes. I’d like to say it was just tears of compassion, but in reality it was also tears of empathy because both of us knew exactly what she was talking about. We both felt the exact same way but had never had the courage to voice our feelings. This lunch was a turning point in the friendship the three of us share and I’m thankful my friend was willing to share her heart with us.

This conversation got me to thinking about how many of us, especially women, crave a deep intimate friendship with someone, but seem to not be able to ever really find it. We begin to wonder what is broken within ourselves to keep others at such a distance. Or is the problem with everyone else, why don’t they understand us? Why can’t we find that kindred spirit that understands us, loves us and accepts us – the good, the bad and the ugly? Why can’t we find that special friend who we can pour our hearts out to, share our hopes and dreams with? Someone we can be ourselves with, someone with whom we can let down our guard?

To read more click here

Wabi Sabi Christianity

I picked up a little book the other day called "The Invisible Church - A Journey into the Future of the UK Church".  I'm honestly not sure why I grabbed it other than it was very inexpensive and sounded kind of intersesting. 

It is in fact an interesting read, although at this point I would not yet consider it as being a must read, but then again, I'm only a quarter of the way through it so far.  But something did catch my attention while reading tonight.  The book is a fiction story in which the author plays the main character.  One night he is hit by lightning and finds himself transported 40 years into the future where the church as he (and we) know it in the UK has all but disappeared.  Each chapter tells the story of what he learns in this future and ends with a letter written by an individual who is back in our current time reading over the notes of the author regarding his trip into the future. 

At one point the person reviewing the author's account of his travels into the future is talking about how the early church met in homes and how in the UK many denominations can't afford some of these beautiful ornate buildings they own anymore because of dwindling congregations.  He brings up the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi.  This really caught my attention and I ended up googling wabi-sabi.  The basic concept is finding beauty in things that are simple, imperfect and humble, thing unconventional.  In the book and online wabi sabi is referenced as "a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete." 

Maybe it is just because of my recent walk with the Lord and the fact that I'm part of what some might call a house church, but this concept really resonated with me.  I've grown more in my relationship with the Lord and with my church family since we began meeting in this way about 4 years ago than I ever did in "traditional" church.  Doing "church" for us is nothing fancy - we worship together, eat together, study God's Word together and pray together.  Our singing is many times off key and usually led by just a simple guitar.  Our prayers are often filled with long periods of quiet and are not usually what one would consider flowery or polished.  They are often brutally honest and filled with raw emotion.  We don't have a set structure per se.  We have a basic schedule we kind of follow but we are open to wherever the Holy Spirit chooses to lead us.  This means that if He shows up and leads discussion, worship or prayer in a particular direction we try to follow.  Sometimes we follow our "schedule" and other times we'll spend the majority of our time in worship or prayer if we feel His leading to do so.  We are becoming very honest with one another and learning to hold one another accountable.  We are honest and real with one another without taking offense.  We look to the Holy Spirit to be our guide and teacher. Jesus is our High Priest, our Pastor.  We do have an individual we see as our "elder" but our leader is Jesus.  We are far from having it figured out, but we are all united in our desire to pursue our God together and follow His leading the best we can.

So this concept of a wabi sabi church spoke to me.  People make up the church (the body of Christ) not a building, not traditions, not a denomination.  We are all sinful people and therefore imperfect and incomplete.  As I grow closer to the Lord, I'm beginning myself to see more beauty and meaning in simple things.  Jesus was not a flashy preacher who used a fancy sound system and colorful lights.  He was a simple carpenter who was humble and felt no need to use fancy advertising or marketing campaigns to draw people in.  He hung out with simple people and met them where they were.

As I get older I begin to be amazed at how we as humans make things so difficult.  I think many times things truly are much more simple than we make them.  I find it amazing how God and His Love for us can be so complex and yet so simple at the same time.

Bottom line for me?  I'm not saying that tradtional church, traditions, fancy buildings, sound systems, etc are bad, because they are not in and of themselves.  However, if we begin to focus on these things in such a way that our focus comes off of Jesus, then they are a stumbling block.  Even if our intentions are good and noble, they can derail us if we stop focusing on Jesus and following Him instead of our ideas of how things should work.  The concept of house churches can be a stumbling block if the focus becomes defending what we do and how we do it rather than on worshiping and pursuing our God.  In the end, I think I agree with the character in the book when he says at the end of one of his letters -

"I should like to see some wabi sabi worship; modest, humble, unconventional.  It would take place in wabi-sabi buildings; simple, domestic, ordinary.  And it would reflect perhaps, a wabi-sabi God; a God who delights in things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, and who wants to bring them permanence, perfection and completeness."

Fruitcake & Ice Cream

I have my house to myself tonight - no kids, no husband - so I pulled out a DVD that I bought months ago called "Fruitcake and Ice Cream - An Unlikely Collision of Friendship and Grace".  In it Louie Giglio  shares the story of a young college student named Ashley and her "fruitcake" roomate.  With permission he shares this story by reading excerpts from Ashley's journal. 

Ashley was a typical college student in her final semester of college, trying to balance a life of partying and studying.  Events in her life have caused her to look for a new roommate and the girl who moves in with her is different from anyone she has ever known.  She is a fruitcake, a Christian.  Ashley's journal details her life over the semester and tells a powerful story of God's Grace.

At the beginning of the DVD Loui shares from 2 Corinthians 5 and how it talks about God's Grace.  He defines grace as being "God working".  God working, not us.  God working to do what we can not do.

He also explains in the talk about how those who claim to not believe in God, many times do this as a defense mechanism.  They think that God does not believe in them, so in order to protect themselves they choose to not believe in Him.  Wow - that really got me to thinking about how important it is for us to understand grace and be able to share that with others.  To really share God's Heart and His Love for us and for others with those who think He does not believe in them.

If you have a chance to watch this DVD I highly recommend it.  This is the most powerful story of grace I believe I have ever heard.  Even more so because the story is not being told from her perspective after the fact.  It is Louie actually reading her journal entries which she wrote during this period of time when she wanted nothing to do with a God who she believed had no time for her.  A period when she thought her new roommate was nothing but a Fruitcake.

268 Store Fruitcake & Ice Cream DVD
Amazon.com Fruitcake & Ice Cream

Fear - Part 1: My Champion

I've been looking up verses regarding fear recently.   God is dealing with me on the issue of fear and how it affects my trusting Him.  One verse given to me was Deuteronomy 20:1-4.  At first I glanced over this verse, quickly dismissing it.  After all, it is all about going to war which doesn't apply to me - or so I thought.

The Lord drew me back to these verses and as I reread them He began to open my eyes.  Now these verses which I so recently dismissed, have become some of my favorites.

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.  When you are about to go into battle the priest shall come forward and address the army.  He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies.  Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them.  For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."  ~ Deuteronomy 20:1-4

So, how does this apply to us?  First, we are all in a battle, a war against the enemy and this world he currently controls.  We are constantly battling the temptations and lies of the world.  Sometimes, or many times, these circumstances of our lives may seem so large as to be impossible to defeat, but the Lord tells us to not be fainthearted or afraid.  He is the God who delivered us from Egypt.  "But wait!" you may say, "I've not been to Egypt.  God hasn't rescued me from there."  Oh, but He has, Beloved.  Egypt signifies our lives before Christ, our lives of slavery to sin, to the world.  He has rescued us from this!

Further in the verse it speaks of the priest who stands before the army.  He tells them to not be afraid and assures them of victory.  How does he know this?  How can he be so very confident?  How can we trust him?  We can be confident because our priest, our liaison between us and God is Jesus himself.  He stands confidently before us amidst all the circumstances of our lives and tells us not to fear because He knows the final chapter of this story.  We are victorious in Him!

The Lord pointed out one more small detail to me regarding these verses.  A small detail, easily missed, but with huge implications.  Read that last line again.

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (v.4)

The Lord is not just telling us we will be victorious, He is fighting for us to give us that victory.  I recently watched the new Alice in Wonderland movie.  In it the White Queen is looking for a champion to fight on her behalf against her sister, the Queen of Hearts.  This is how things used to be done.  The Kings (or Queens) did not fight, they were too valuable.  Instead they would choose a champion to fight on their behalf.  The fight between David and Goliath was such as this.  Goliath was the champion of the Philistines and David was King Saul's.

But our God likes to stir things up a bit.  His logic and ways of doing things many times fly in the face of the world.  You see, as the King of Kings, He doesn't call for a champion to fight on His behalf.  We are not called to be God's champions.  Instead, the King Himself chooses to be our Champion!  He is not saying "Trust me because you will win."   He is telling us "Trust me because I have already fought the battle on your behalf and gained the victory!"

If God, the Great I AM, the King of Kings, is our Champion, what more can we possibly ask for?  What could we possibly have to fear?