Put on the full armour of God.
Scripture
“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.” - Ephesians 6:11-12
Observation
The first phrase straight away lets us know it is our responsibility to put on the full armour of God. An armour is what soldiers wear both to fight and to defend critical areas of their body . This instantly makes us aware as Christians, we are in a spiritual battle whether we choose to engage effectively or not. For you to “put on” means it’s also possible to “take it off”. The word “full” also suggests it’s possible to wear some parts of the armour and leave other parts .
The scripture also gives us insight why it is in our best interest to be ready and to be able to stand against the wiles of the enemy when we put on the full armour of God. It’s evident without God we cannot stand against the enemy. The armour we need isn’t man made , it’s God made. This means whenever we try to rely on our own strength we will fail woefully. This makes absolutely sense because after all , we are not fighting humans (flesh and blood ) like the scripture makes us aware of . We are fighting evil in unseen realms. Not just any kind of evil but all manner of evil with different hierarchy.
Application
First and foremost we need to assess our lives and ask “which part of the armour do I have on ?” , “which parts don’t I have on ?” . Ephesians 6:14-18 lists out the different parts of the armour . This is very important because the full garment is needed to stand against the enemy. For instance, if you have on the helmet of salvation but you don’t have your sword how do you fight effectively ? Likewise if you have on your shoes of peace and you can move but don’t have your shield of faith how do you distinguish fiery darts the enemy throws your way? This scripture can also be applied in our everyday lives. For instance when someone is constantly provoking you or trying to get a reaction from you , ask yourself this simple question, would I be responding to the person or an evil spirit behind them using them as a vessel ? After all, our fight is not against flesh and blood .This knowledge allows us to fight differently. It’s important we remember this knowledge and apply it to truly win the battle. We need to consistently check in with ourselves and make necessary adjustments when needed. It’s in our best interest to always have the full armour on leaving no room for the enemy. Carefully study the different parts of the armour in Ephesians 6:14-18 .
Prayer
Heavenly Father thank You that You provide an armour for me to wear so I do not fall victim to the wiles of the enemy . I pray Father asking You to forgive me where I’ve been passive about wearing Your full armour. Begin to reveal to me and convict me of the parts of the armour I’ve taken off and need to pay attention to . I rely solely on You for strength and victory. In Jesus name I pray amen