Be Strong in the Lord

Tuesday, September 1

Be Strong in the Lord    

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

If we really want to take a stand against our enemy the devil, then yes, we must put on the armor of God, which is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and carrying the sword of the Spirit. We must repent from our own ways and our old ways of thinking and truly trust, depend, and lean on God. Today’s message asks each of us to consider who’s armor are you wearing?

Although in our society multitasking is the way to go if you want to get things done, one wouldn’t multitask or in this case wear multiple methods of protection if you were going into battle. For instance, you wouldn’t think of trying to put two pairs of shoes on, or two helmets, or to carry two swords in your hand. It would be silly to think of doing so, and ridiculous to see anyone wearing two sets. The fact of the matter is that, when faced with two sets of ‘armor’, we have to decide which one we want to wear. We can’t wear both, because one will always get in the way of the other.

Likewise, when it comes to the spiritual armor as written in Ephesians 6, we need to think carefully if we have already put on our own armor, our own ways of thinking and going about life, how much room do we leave to put on His (Gods) armor?

Are you wearing your own breastplate of righteousness; believing that your ‘good-living’ is enough to put you right with God? Are you wearing your own belt of truth? The truth you have chosen to believe about God and His word? Are you wearing your own shield of faith, utilizing only a little as it fits your needs and not trusting to full capacity? Or are you carrying your own sword for protection, believing you are well able to carry the battle to the enemy by yourself.

The truth is, I have tried fighting in my own armor and it has failed me many times. It became clear, I must remove self from the equation if we are to wear God’s armor. It isn’t a case of mix and match, a few bits of mine linked to some of His. In Ephesians 6:11 Paul makes that clear – we are to put on the ‘full armor of God’. All of ours needs to go, and all of His needs to take its place. Today, stop for a while and ask God what armor you might be wearing. Could there be pieces of your own which have somehow replaced God’s? If so, then choose to take them off and put on God’s. His are tailor made, just for you.