Spiritual warfare, and Gods armor
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12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The armor of God refers to the resources that Christians possess for defending themselves against the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil.
God is the believer’s strength and shield
7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8 The Lord gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.
Believers should be rightly clothed for battle
22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Believers should put on the full armor of God
The belt of truth
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
The importance of sound teaching: a good understanding of God’s truth counters Satan’s deceit:
116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.
14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
The armor of Gods righteousness
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
Assurance that believers are righteous in God’s sight will counter Satan’s accusations:
6 Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.
1 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua.
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”
3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel.
4 So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”
The gospel of peace
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
The peace of God reassures and gives confidence in times of trouble:
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The shield of faith
16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
Exercising faith draws strength from God, guards against deception and helps overcome temptation:
17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
The helmet of salvation
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The expectation of future glory encourages the Christian soldier and helps overcome despair:
11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,
13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Our spiritual weapons
4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
The sword of the Spirit
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The Scriptures give readiness and confidence in battle and a sure defense against the evil one:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
In Conclusion:
The armor of God is worn with prayer
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Prayer ensures that believers recognize their need to turn to God and depend on him alone:
16 But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.
18 He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Are you wearing the Armor of God?