The Whole Armor

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

 

The whole armor of God is an absolute necessity for every Christian who is a fully devoted soldier in the army of the Lord — no one needs that armor unless he is fighting the Lord's battles. Satan will not bother to oppose us until we forget about ourselves, sell all, pick our cross, and follow Christ. Why should he bother? As long as we are concerned about ourselves and the world, the devil has us right where he wants us. God doesn't care about our political, religious, cultural, or social concerns one bit — and our commitment to "Christian liberties and principles" is a nuisance to Him. He cares about Christ and nothing else, and Christ is the whole armor of God.

Professing to be Christians means little in the spiritual realm but living like Christ will cause all hell to come against us. Once we are walking with Him, we are sure to meet the fiercest resistance from Satan and all his wily forces. The Apostle Paul knew all about this, because the demons went mad every place he went. His very presence threatened worldly powers and principalities, whether political, religious, cultural, or any other realm not submitted to Christ. The same is true of you and me; and we, like Paul, will experience intense challenges in the world (and in the worldly church) according to the depth of our identification with Christ. That is why Paul implores us to put on the full armor. If you are truly in Christ, you will need it.

Let’s Pray – Father, I will daily put on Jesus Christ, the Armor of God. He is my covering, my protection, and my strength. He is my rock and my salvation, and I stand victoriously on Him and in Him. Be glorified in me today, Lord. Amen.