Put it on

Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Put on. we are instructed to put on the full armor of God here. What exactly does this mean?

When you put something on, you have the option of just as easily taking it off, generally speaking. When you get dressed in the morning, you put on a jacket. And when you come home, you take it off again. It’s always there, in your closet ready and waiting until the moment you need it. But the armor of God is not so.

FINALLY.

What does it say in the first verse of this passage? It says “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Finally. What does that mean? Does it mean “This has taken you soooooo long”? No. It means for “the rest of time, from now until forever.”

See, when you put on the whole armor of God, it needs to be done with zero thought that you might get rid of it and take it off of you at any moment. You need to be putting it on once and for all. Unlike the weather, you don’t always get a warning to know when to put on the necessary garments. The armor here is needful to be called on at any time. In any season. At any moment.

Well, what does the armor do?

According to the Word recorded by Paul, it makes us able to stand and withstand.

Withstand? Withstand what?

Verse 11: the wiles of the devil.

So today, arm yourself, friend. Put on the whole armor of God, and find yourself able to stand the testing of your patience, your resolve, and/or your dedication. Put it on without any intention of giving it up or taking it off.

He says “put on, or sink into My armor.” Let it become part of you. Let the supernatural become natural to you.

Wait, “the supernatural?”

Yes. The supernatural. God’s armor is full of supernatural tools and weapons. They are not formed with human hands and therefore are not prone to human error. They are perfect. They are beyond natural, not having been created from the dust of the earth or the might and ability of men (one of the pieces of the armor is the Word of God, which has been written and recorded by man, but authored and inspired by God Himself). And it is necessary for this armor to be supernatural, because:

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our chief “battleground” where we stand is not physical. It is not natural. Even if something you are standing against shows itself in a tangible physical way, the battleground on which you make your stand is not natural. It is spiritual.

So let’s take a look at a few of the pieces of this armor, and make sure that we have “put on” every one, leaving no holes in our defenses.

Truth
Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…

Look at a suit of armor. Here’s one:

See the flaps over the upper legs? That’s the part this verse is talking about. Part of this man’s preparedness is to know the truth. The truth about himself, about God, and about his situation. He is not moved by false teachings about how weak he is, or about how insurmountable his odds are of coming out of a trial victorious. He filters every thought and every word spoken to him or around him through the truth contained in the Word. But it has to be known truth, doesn’t it? To wear this piece, you have to know the truth by getting in daily time with the Word. If you don’t, you leave yourself wide open to believing lies that are concocted by the evil one.

Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14b
…and having on the breastplate of righteousness…
This is the chest piece on the suit of armor. It stretches the full length of the chest and abdominal cavity, where the most vital organs are housed. Life is housed in the heart, and we learn from the Bible that the heart of man is his spirit, not his mind. Your spirit is secure, if you have accepted and confessed Christ. Your most important aspect – your spirit – is made new in Christ and is in a new place and position, where no lies of the evil one or of man can tear you down, because you already have right standing with God. You are unaccusable, and untouchable by the devil’s lies about you.

The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Look at the soldier’s feet. They are outfitted with a special shoe. Actually, a better image would be that of a Roman soldier, whose feet where housed in shoes with spikes on the heels. These spikes were not like the ones worn by World Cup soccer players. They were serious things. They would dig them into the ground so they could not be pushed back by the pressure of approaching enemy forces. But I want you to consider the gospel of peace here, and consider having a readiness to not only stand on the truth of the gospel but to have a readiness to present and share the gospel with others. The armor isn’t meant to only defend you. It is meant to have offensive uses as well, to be used against the kingdom of darkness.

We live in a world where people are literally walking dead. People are struggling with sickness and disease, not aware of the fact that there is a Healer, whose name is Jesus. People are wrestling with emotional duress, crippling their minds from grasping any hope of change, thinking themselves to be not only without hope, but beyond hope. Are we seeing these people? Are we noticing them? It takes a strong person to stand for themselves, and an even stronger person to stand with and for another. Someone has to cut through the fog that people are living under. Someone has to be ready to engage with the torment eating away at the hearts of the oppressed. Someone has to show them that “life as they know it” isn’t really life at all, not the life God intended. Life doesn’t get better. Life is better. Life is found in Christ.

Someone has to share the gospel with them, from a genuine love for them. Our neighbors, our loved ones, they need that love. They need that light. John chapter 1 says this about Jesus: “in Him was life and that life was the light of men”. Without Jesus, there is no life. Only something that we have convinced ourselves is life.

The armor of God is not only meant for you and I, to wear for ourselves. It is meant for the saving of this world. No, you may not need to stand on a soapbox on the lawn of the largest town plaza you know and scream “Jesus is Lord!” from sun-up to sundown, but you should be willing to give that gospel, that light, to the neighbor whose very life – or what they know as life – is shrouded in darkness.

So take the armor with you. And don’t leave out any pieces. Bring the belt of truth on your legs, the chest plate of righteousness, and the preparedness of the gospel. Let them work in you and through you, and work for you. And as you face opposition, do what it says in verse 13:

Ephesians 6:13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Grace and peace, Leon 🙂