Armor of God

One of my favorite verses in the bible is Matthew 28:19-20

Matthew 28:19–20 KJV 1900

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is considered one of my favorites because it tells us “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you”.

We are told to take what we hear in this building out there and share it with everyone else. (v19)

We are told to tell them what Christ has done for them but then we are told to teach them how to live for Christ.

We see people accept Christ and come to church; praise God! They start seeing their lives change cause Christ is evident in their lives.

They will even tell you “my life has been so different”, God is evident when you walk with God. As time gets farther a long and you still are growing, Satan jumps in and tries to defer you away from God.

You may have lots of materialistic problems, like you care not starting or you get a flat tire.

Maybe you lost hours at work or even lost your job. How am i gonna pay this or that, what do I do?

Then after 6 months to a year they walk away from church, they distance themselves from God.

Christians we need to put on our battle suits, we need to be ready for what satan throws at us. We cannot walk away from church, we cannot walk away from God.

Why do we not walk away from Church?

we need help from fellow believers, Iron Sharpeneth Iron. Proverbs 27:17

Proverbs 27:17 KJV 1900

17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

We have to help each other stay faithful to God, we do need accountability. We need to help each other grow in the lord by challenging each other.

But Why shouldn’t we walk away from God?

God is our strength, God is our creator, God is our redeemer!

Psalm 18:2 KJV 1900

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 73:26 KJV 1900

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Isaiah 12:2 KJV 1900

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: For the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.

We need God in our lives because we fail, because our flesh gets the better of us.

Lets look at how we can stand for God and stay faithful, to deal with what satan throws at us.

Open your bibles to Ephesians 6:10-24

Ephesians 6:10–24 KJV 1900

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: 22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Imagine a soldier preparing for battle, ensuring every piece of armor is in place. Without that armor, he faces his enemies vulnerable and exposed. Similarly, in our spiritual battles, if we neglect to put on the whole armor of God, we leave ourselves open to attacks of doubt, fear, and temptation. Each piece, from the belt of truth to the sword of the Spirit, plays a critical role in our defense and empowers us to stand strong against adversaries that threaten our faith.

It is up to us to be ready for battle, as we see many men and women that go to battle to fight for our freedom. We as Christians deal with a different battle. We deal with SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

As we live for Christ we need to remember that no matter if your the pastor of just a believer satan doesn’t want you to do anything or stay in the will of God.

We have to be ready how can we be ready if we aren’t prepared with the right tools.

God gives us the tools for a reason so we need to use them.

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.”

We need to be strong in the Lord and put on the whole armour of God.

Lets stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11–12 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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.”

Satan is deceitful and sneaky, he does things to get you away from God. He wants you to stray away from God.

His wiles or his tricks that he does are purposeful.

Understand that satan is strong and he has been around for a long time but God is stronger. This world has gotten so dark but we as the light need to shine and share.

God is stronger and does amazing things this is why we need to stand strong.

But wait how do we be ready for them, How do we stand strong? Look at how we are told to stand strong.

Stand having your loins girted with truth.

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

In battle when you stand strong agianst the enemy, not fleeing or giving in to the enemy. This is how we should be when it comes to our spiritual battles.

We know that God is gonna stand in us when we have accepted him as our personal lord and savior. We stand on the word of God, when we live daily cause of his promises.

Now the second part to this verse says…….

Having on the Breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

When we live life by standing on the truth, we also need to put on

Having your feet shod

Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

We need to be ready to share the Gospel.

The Gospel is what will give you peace in your life.

Having the shield of Faith.

Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

In Battle times they evolved so much, they started out by shooting just arrows at the enemy then they would put tar on the arrow and shoot it so it would burn for longer.

When it comes to our faith, Satan does things that are sticky. We need to be ready to stand strong against the “wiles” of the devil.

Take the helmet of Salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

The helmet of salvation is the most important, our salvation is where it begins.

We need to be praying constantly.

Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

We need to be constantly praying and spending time with God in prayer, But we also need to be in supplication (specifically asking for a certain thing).

How do we perservere when it comes dealing with spiritual things, with the help of the lord.

It is critical to be in prayer and supplication, we need our time with God.

When it comes to our walk with God, it is important to remember that we need our battle suit ready because spiritual warfare is a real thing. We deal with things constantly but we need Gods help to push us through.

Put on the Whole armour of God and be ready for Battle.