Did you think when you accepted God’s amazing love through salvation that life would be easy? Not so! Trouble is part of life for believers. Our enemy was not happy the day Jesus entered our lives. It was all hands on deck for the devil and his buddies. He uses every doubt or failure or sickness or weakness to discourage us. He is the father of lies and destruction.
Paul said, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12). Paul used metaphors from the Roman centurion’s armor to describe the protection we need every day as a Christian. He said, “Stand firm then, with:
The belt of truth buckled around your waist;
The breastplate of righteousness in place;
With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation,
And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:13-17).
THINK ABOUT IT
Did you notice that? Nothing works without prayer. It’s the glue that holds the armor together. Truth is the foundation of our faith and protects us from the lies and deceit of our enemy. It’s the piece of armor that holds the other parts in place. The weight of the breastplate on a man’s shoulders would bring him to his knees without the support of the belt. In the same way, truth supports the righteousness imputed to us at salvation. The feet were fitted with a readiness for battle. The soldier’s shoes were a combination of sandals and boots–strips of leather, adjustable, with layers of leather on the soles. Think of the gospel of peace as the shoe that enhanced the soldier’s (believer’s) mobility. Then take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Be certain, we are in real warfare, but not without protection. Each piece of armor is for our advantage, and prayer is what God uses to partner with us and make us victorious over our enemy. He is always with us and will never leave us to fight alone.
PRAY ABOUT IT
Heavenly Father, thank you for being our defense. Teach us to be aware of the snares the devil uses against us. Help us to know your presence and trust your protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tell Me the Story 