The Spiritual Realm is Real and Active - Putting on the Armour of God
Over the last few weeks I have written five articles to date discussing the spiritual realm and how it affects us. You can probably tell that I take the spiritual realm very seriously and I maintain that it is not something that you want to play around with. Just as a military general takes his responsibilities around defences and battle plans extremely seriously, we should do the same regarding our spiritual defences and battle plans.
To that end, I think there is at least one more matter that I need to address before I teach you how to battle in the spiritual realm. No soldier enters into the battle without first preparing his equipment and readying himself, and that is what we are going to look at today.
Modern warfare is very different from the warfare of Bible times. As such, in our modern culture we have lost the understanding of the armour that a soldier used to put on in order to maximize his protection and his attacks. Modern soldiers wear helmets and maybe some light body armour which also holds their munitions and supplies, but there is very little actual hand-to-hand combat today like there has been in the past. Wars are now fought over a distance, firing projectiles of different types and sizes to try to defeat an enemy that you likely can't even see. This was not the case in Bible times, and this is also not the case in spiritual warfare. It is true that you cannot see your enemy, but he is right in your face when you engage in battle with him, and he will destroy you if given the opportunity.
We find our instructions on the preparation for spiritual warfare in the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. The first thing that we should note is that Paul is not talking specifically about entering a planned battle against spiritual enemies. The verses that we are going to look at are given in the middle of instructions that he is giving the church for every day life, and this goes all the way back to the middle of chapter four. Paul is telling the church what it looks like to live as one who claims Jesus as their Lord. He says don't lie to each other but be truthful in all things; don't steal; help those in need; watch your language that it lifts up others; don't be angry with and slander each other.
In chapter five he continues, telling us to be imitators of God and telling us what that looks like. Then Paul goes on to compare the marriage relationship with the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church.
We finally get to chapter six, but Paul is still talking about what our daily life is supposed to look like, teaching us what a Christ follower does as a child and as a parent, and as a slave and a master. It is in this context that he begins to speak about the Armour of God. This should tell us that he is not talking about preparing for a specific encounter, but that we should always be prepared and preparing for whatever spiritual attacks may come at any time, from anywhere on any given day. This is supposed to be a matter of daily living.
So let's look at what Paul tells us about preparing for the spiritual onslaught that a follower of Christ should expect. We find these instruction in Ephesians 6:10-17, where we read, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Paul begins this section of his letter with "Finally,". This proves that this section goes along with the previous things that he has written; things which are to be a part of everyday life for the believer and which should set us apart from those around us who do not believe in Jesus. He tells us to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might". It is not by our own strength and might that we are able to stand, but it is by the strength that we receive from Him through our relationship with Him.
"Put on the full armour of God". We are told to suit up completely. We are not to take only one piece here and one piece there. These are not accessories to our outfit that we can pick and choose what goes with the image that we want to reflect to others today. All pieces work together and if any are missing, then our protection is compromised. And why are we to put on the whole armour of God? "So that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Does the devil come against us only on occasion? Do we get prior notice that he is planning to assault us? This isn't like we read of in the Bible where armies would travel by foot over potentially hundreds of miles in order to line up across a field from those whom they came to attack. The defenders typically had notice that something was up for at least several days in advance if they were paying any attention at all. The devil will come against us at a moment's notice, through surreptitious means.
Speaking as a man, I will state that a significant tool that the devil can use against men is to place something in front of our eyes and tempt us with it. Men are visual creatures. We learn best when we are shown something and we react the most when we are able to see something, even if we see it in our mind's eye. If we are prone to jealousy and our interests lie in things such as cars, motorbikes, boats, etc, the devil can cause us to notice someone else has a nice whatever it is that appeals to us. He can stir up jealousy for that thing or even hatred towards a person that we think doesn't deserve to have such a nice thing. Another significant temptation, especially in our world of modern information technology is if the devil draws our attention to a beautiful woman. Depending on our personal weaknesses, she may be half naked or fully dressed but nicely done up. This can happen in real life out on the street or in the office, or it can pop up on our social media feeds. These are all attacks that the devil will use against us, but this is barely scratching the surface of the tricks that he has developed over the millennia. So we need to be prepared at all times for any attack that may come against us. For this reason we should walk clad with the Armour of God at all times.
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to
resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." We can resist the urges of the different types of temptations that will come upon us when we are prepared to do so. If we are tempted to lie to protect ourselves or someone else. If we are tempted to slack off on our work in order to negatively affect a coworker or a boss. These temptations come in myriad ways, but if we are wearing the Armour of God, then we remain equipped to stand firm against the attacks that come against us. It will still require effort on our part. The armour is a tool that is to be used. You don't set it up in the field in front of your enemies and expect that your armour alone with stop their attacks while you stand back and watch from a distance.
Now we begin to see the list of the equipment that makes up the Armour of God beginning in verse 14, but again, the first thing that we read is that we are commanded to "Stand firm therefore, having" already prepared for what we are about to face. We have already taken the steps necessary to ensure that we are ready for whatever may come upon us. Paul is being emphatic in his instructions that we are to intentionally take the steps to prepare ahead of time for the imminent battle that we face at a moment's notice. I know that I am beleaguering this point, but Paul does it, so I will make sure that I do it too. Obviously it was important to him so it should be important to us.
Let's look at the equipment that Paul lays out as our spiritual armour. The first item that he mentions is the belt of Truth. The belt of a soldiers armour had multiple purposes. First of all it restrained and held tight the tunic that was worn at the time. Think of the pictures that you have seen of what the clothes looked like in that time. The tunic was a loose covering that would extend from the shoulders to at least just above the knees. They didn't tend to wear pants and shirts as separate pieces. This material was loose fitting and fastening a belt around the waist would restrict the amount that it could flail about and would allow the wearer to move quickly and aggressively without the need to concern himself about what his clothes were doing or getting caught on. The belt also held other equipment that the soldier would bring with him, most notably, his sword and likely another dagger would be held on his belt in sheaths. Other soldiers may wear a horn to sound signals or other equipment. The belt potentially also acted like a modern weightlifter's back belt does, supporting the torso and helping the body to carry the weight and the burden of a prolonged battle.
So we see that the belt is a primary piece of equipment and that it's purpose extends to other pieces of equipment which we will soon look at, but we must note that the belt is referred to as the belt of Truth. The Truth is the Word of God and the testimony of His Son. The proper use of this belt of Truth is attained only through the regular reading and study of God's Word which leads to familiarity with it and the rightful use of it. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." To be diligent means to have spent time studying and examining God's Word to the point that you can accurately handle the truths therein and to not be ashamed of what you have stated because you are able to strongly defend what you are saying due to your knowledge and understanding of God's Word. This is only attained through time and effort; there are no shortcuts.
The next piece of equipment is held in place by the belt of Truth, and this is the Breastplate of Righteousness. The breastplate could be made of a thick leather or it could be made with metal. It consisted of a front and a back portion with coverings for the shoulders and a hole that the soldiers head would go through. It would also come together at the sides under the arms. It's purpose was to protect the vital organs and the muscles of the torso from blades, spears and blunt impacts. The breastplate would be held in place at the waste by the belt, hence, the belt is the integral piece of the two, since without the belt the breastplate would shift around on the body of the soldier and could interfere with the use of his arms and his weapons. There was also often a diagonal piece attached to the belt that would help to hold the breastplate in place and which could also hold additional equipment.
The Righteousness that the breastplate signifies is that which is imputed to us through the gift of Jesus' sacrifice and the salvation that we receive by our acceptance of that gift. Righteousness is our right standing with God in spite of our failures. It does not come to us by our own means but by the righteousness of Jesus Himself who places His righteousness on us, which is what it means for Him to impute it to us; the righteousness is His but He extends it to us. We can do noting to earn it. It's like the breastplate is His own which He gives to us to wear, much like what King Saul tried to do for David when he was about to face Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38), the difference is that Jesus' breastplate fits us perfectly.
The next piece of equipment that we see mentioned is the footwear, which represents the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Footwear is important to protect the bottom of the feet from hazards on the ground and to provide some protection from getting stepped on in the heat of battle. While we picture Bible sandals as being largely open footwear consisting of a sole with a few straps to keep it on the foot, the Roman military footwear was more robust with numerous strips of leather going across the foot to protect the top and sides of the foot while it appears that the sole of the sandal had knobs to improve traction, the better with which to push back against an opponent.
The Gospel of Peace that is represented by the footwear is, of course, the story of Jesus' life and sacrifice that brings us into God's family. But it is not the Gospel itself that the footwear represents but rather the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, which I take to mean that we are always ready to present the Gospel message when the opportunity presents itself. In Paul's second letter to Timothy we see Paul tell Timothy to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." We are not only to be ready to preach the Gospel to those who may not yet know it, but to use the Gospel to teach and correct those who do already know it, but who may be handling it improperly, but to do so with patience, not using the Word as a bludgeon to silence your critics.
We next read of the Shield of Faith. The shield is a simple tool which we will all likely understand, especially since we still use the word shield both as a noun and as a transitive verb. We recognize the actual piece of equipment; it may have been the Romans who truly first put the shield to it's maximum advantage, but the knights of the medieval period also carried shields into battle, which may be the more commonly recognized shield. Shields could be long and wide or short and round or maybe squared, depending on the purpose for which it was used. The shield is largely a defensive weapon, but alterations were made to it over the years that allowed for it to be used offensively as well. The transitive verb use of the word 'shield' means to actively protect against something, to stand as a barrier between a threat and that which you want to protect, and thus we understand the purpose of the shield.
The shield represents our Faith in the gift of salvation and in God's love for us. Standing firm in the knowledge that "If God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31), and knowing that He holds all things and all events in His hand, we can stand strong in the knowledge that He "causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28), so that even if things seem to be going wrong for us, we can have assurance that His plan will always win out and that regardless of the outcome in our life on earth, we will be with Him in eternity if we remain faithful. We use the shield of our Faith to defend against the lies that the devil fires at us, like fiery arrows, trying to undermine our trust in God and our faith that He loves us.
Next we have the Helmet of Salvation. Of course the helmet protects the head from injury, again from both sharp and blunt force blows. Nowadays, we see helmets used largely in professional sports and racing, but we also see them used on construction sites. Wherever there is deemed a danger to the head and the all important brain, we see the use of helmets. We recognize that the brain controls all of our bodily functions, but it is also the seat of our consciousness. This is where our personality stems from. This is where we store the memories that make us who we are. My mother's family has a history of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It is horrible to watch someone you love slowly forget who you are and later to even forget who they are. It eventually eats away at the person's ability to care for themselves and eventually the body just gives up the fight to live, almost like the brain finally forgets that it needs to keep the body functioning for it's own survival. This is a picture of what happens when our head, our mind, is not protected.
The helmet represents the knowledge of our salvation, the assurance of our right relationship with God, and the confidence that He is our Father. We need to be confident of these things, not only in our heart but also in our head. When the world comes against us and the challenges of life cause us to wonder if we are really doing as God has called us to do, heart knowledge is not enough to keep us going. We need to know in our head, in our brain, that we are obeying God and that His plan for us is good. I speak from experience in this. I have been battling for years with these exact thoughts. I have to look back and remember the ways that God has carried me and my family through the hardships that we have had to endure, and I have to decide to continue on this path, trusting that God will bring His good plans for us to fruition. That requires conscious decisions on a regular basis.
The final piece of equipment is the Sword of the Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that He would send a helper to them, so that they would remember all that He taught them and to strengthen them on their paths. This helper is the Spirit of God and He is available to all who accept the gift of Jesus' salvation. He indwells us and teaches us and guides us. When we pray to God, it is the voice of the Spirit that we hear whispering God's answers to us. He brings the Word of God to our hearts and minds when we need it. We will wield the Word as a sword as well. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Word is living and active because it is the Spirit that uses the Word, bringing it to us when we need it. It will convict and encourage us right down to the marrow of our bones. We wield the Sword of the Spirit when we submit ourselves to His leading and guidance.
But now we need to understand how it is that we are to put on the Armour of God. It isn't a physical act but rather a spiritual act, so we may not understand how to do so. I asked God this very question one day during my devotional time with Him, and told me that we put on these items through prayer. For example:
You can copy the above down and use it yourself if you like, but I would encourage you to simply use it to make notes for you to follow using your own words. This is not a ritual; rituals belong to religion and what I am presenting to you is not religion. My goal is to bring you closer in relationship to God the Father. Jesus warns against simply repeating the same phrases over and over, thinking that it somehow brings you closer to Him. In Matthew 6:7 He tells us, "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words." We do not talk to our friends and loved ones in memorized phrases that we repeat every time we see them, or even repeat over and over in the same time spent with them. God does not want this any more that they do. Talk with Him. Tell Him your heart and hear His heart for you.
As I said before, we are to put on the Armour of God as a part of our daily walk. I don't want you to take that to mean that you need to pray this daily; again, I am not pushing for ritual. You can pray it daily if you want to, but do not think that it is necessary. I think it is a good idea to pray this on occasion, but I have not done a good job of making a habit of this myself. To put this on daily is more the choices that we make to spend time with Him daily and to strive to make our lives available to Him everyday for anything that He asks of us. If this is our goal, then I believe that the Armour of God will remain firmly in place.
I will end with the same message that Paul ends with, which is not to mention another piece of armour, but to encourage you, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," (v.18). When you pray, seek the Spirit's will as you pray that you will pray for right things; remain alert in the same way that a soldier is alert when he is in the field of battle, because we are always in the field of battle, and pray for the believers around you and particularly those who are in your life. Lift each other up in our victories and our struggles. This is the desire of the Spirit of God.
As always, the comments section is available if you have any feedback for me, and please feel free to visit my home page to see if there are any other articles that you may find of interest.
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