Out of the Fire Practical Insights for the Passionate Christian

Lee Ann Rubsam

An eye-opening report on our Peruvian missions trip: The Peru Chronicles   On the Funny Side Our family-friendly Boomer humor section: Over 50, Still Kickin'   The Blogs! A wealth of articles that never make it to this web site: refinedinthefire.wordpress.com (Christian teaching) leeannrubsam.wordpress.com (for the funny stuff)

Jesus Is the Armor! Ephesians 6:10-11, 13-18 -- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ... Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, so that you are able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. I was a young mom, up to my earlobes in baby wash, and thoroughly frustrated because I had not been able to get my prayer time in that morning. "God, it's so hard to find time to pray today. Why, I never even got a chance to put on my spiritual armor this morning!" His answer was quite calm and distinct: "I am your armor." It was new revelation for me. Jesus is the armor. The Lord then explained in detail how each piece of the armor of God mentioned in Ephesians 6:11-18 is a depiction of Him. Many of us have been taught to start the day off right by mentally putting on the whole armor of God. It's a good spiritual exercise, but if we are walking moment-by-moment with Jesus, we're never without our armor. It doesn't mysteriously disappear while we sleep, so that we are unprotected until we once again go through the mental ritual of putting it back on in the morning. We stay clothed in it constantly. Galatians 3:27 says, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Wearing the armor is the same as abiding in Jesus. When we abide in Him, we are kept totally safe from all the attack of the enemy. 1 John 5:18 promises us, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who is begotten of God [this is speaking of Jesus] keeps him, and that wicked one does not touch him." Being clothed in Jesus keeps us from sinning. We don't want to sin when we are abiding in Him. And Jesus Himself keeps us, so that the enemy cannot touch us. Let's take a look at the armor, and see how Jesus is present in each piece of it: The Belt of Truth Ephesians 6:14 -- Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth .... Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life ..." (John 14:6). Jesus not only gives us truth; He is the truth! When we are wearing the belt of truth, we are wearing Jesus around our middle, the place where our vital organs are located. Wearing (abiding in) Jesus the Truth keeps our spiritual vital organs protected from harm. The belt and the sword are closely associated. When we are not actively wielding the sword, it rests in its scabbard, which hangs on the belt. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the sword is the Word of God, and Jesus said of the Scriptures, "Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth (John 17:17). We are sanctified (cleansed and made holy) through living in God's truth. There is a time to actively wield the truth of God's Word in spiritual warfare, but there is also a time to dwell in it, to rest in it, to stand firm and unmoved in it. This is the equivalent of the sword being in its scabbard, hanging on the belt. The Breastplate of Righteousness Ephesians 6:14 -- ... having on the breastplate of righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6 says, in speaking of the coming Messiah, " ... This is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jesus is our righteousness. We cannot be saved by our own good works. We must be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Himself. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, ... which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5, 6). The breastplate covers the upper torso, where the heart is located. Jesus is the covering for our heart, the seat of our spirit-man -- where our affections, attitudes, and loyalties are located. When we are abiding in Jesus, we become conformed to His holiness and purity. The old bad attitudes just don't seem able to hang on inside of us anymore. We change into Jesus' likeness. Jesus, the Boot Ephesians 6:15 -- And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The gospel is the good news, and of course, Jesus is The Good News! He is all our hope of salvation. The armor of God in Ephesians is a picture drawn from Roman fighting gear. Roman soldiers did not wear flimsy sandals; their footwear was closer in appearance and function to a boot, with heavy hobnails driven into the bottoms. In Genesis 3:15, God said of the "seed" which was to come (which was the Savior), "It [the seed -- Jesus] shall bruise your [the serpent -- Satan's] head, and you shall bruise his heel." Jesus was bruised for our sins (Isaiah 53:5), and now is the covering for our heels so that the devil cannot bruise us! We are not only protected from the enemy's attack by Jesus, but it gets better yet. Romans 16:20 tells us, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly ...." Jesus crushed the head of Satan for all time by His victorious death and resurrection, but we are privileged to participate with Jesus in crushing the enemy's head in ongoing victory. Shoes cover the feet, and those feet are intended for walking. We must carry the gospel of peace (Jesus) to the nations, for He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) through Whom the nations receive peace and reconciliation with God the Father: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Through being clothed in Jesus the Boot, as we spread the gospel message and establish His Kingdom here on earth, we tread on Satan's head. In the sense of trampling the enemy underfoot, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace are as much an offensive part of the armor as they are defensive in nature. The Shield of Faith Ephesians 6:16 -- Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Psalm 119:114 says of the Lord, "You are my hiding place and my shield: I hope in your word." Psalm 28:7 affirms, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped ...." Notice that Ephesians 6:16 exhorts, "Above all, take the shield of faith ...." Faith is critical to successful Christian living. Hebrews 11:6 states, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him." Faith, essentially, is about whether we believe He is Who He says He is, and whether we trust Him to do what He has said He will do. To not have faith in God is to insult Him -- as though we question His integrity. The Roman infantry shields were full body-length shields made of leather and wood. To make sure they were not set ablaze by flaming arrows, the soldiers soaked them in water before going into battle. As we thoroughly drench ourselves in the Lord's Presence by spending time communing with Him, we strengthen our faith so that the enemy's assaults cannot succeed in causing us to waver. And we know that the blood of Jesus is our shield of complete protection from the assaults of hell. Romans 10:17 instructs us in yet another way to build our faith: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith is closely tied to God's Word, and, as we will see when we get to the sword of the Spirit, Jesus and His Word are one with each other. Speaking the Word of God over ourselves increases the shield of faith around us. The Helmet of Salvation Ephesians 6:17 -- And take the helmet of salvation .... Believers understand that Jesus is our salvation: "... You shall call his name JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The helmet of salvation covers the mind. Our minds and emotions are the main battlegrounds where the enemy tries to render us ineffective and thereby defeat us. If he can get us to think things that are not truth, he can keep us from establishing God's Kingdom on earth. Doubt and fear are the most common agents he uses against our minds. This is why Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid ...." Psalm 140:7 assures us of Jesus' desire to personally protect our minds: "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle." When we have Jesus, our helmet of salvation, firmly in place, we are immune to the devil's doubt and fear tactics. We trust and are not afraid. Trust and the determination to not fear take a conscious effort on our part. We cannot simply expect Jesus to do it all for us without our cooperation, but it is Jesus our Salvation Who makes it possible for us to repel the enemy's attacks on our minds, through the use of His Name. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). The believer's other role in maintaining victory in his mind is to constantly fill it with the Word of God. We are transformed (changed into the likeness of Jesus) by renewing our minds with the Word (Romans 12:2). The Sword of the Spirit Ephesians 6:17 -- ... And [take] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword is an offensive weapon in the armor. We have been taught to wield our sword, to oppose the enemy of our souls, and take territory for God's Kingdom by speaking the Word of God. But many of us have not caught the full impact of this concept. The Bible identifies Jesus as being synonymous with God's Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ..." (John 1:1, 14). Essentially, God is saying, "Jesus and My Word are one. The two cannot be separated." This is why there is so much power in the Scriptures. This is why devils tremble and flee when the Word of God is spoken with authority. When the powers of darkness hear the Word, they understand that that Word packs the very essence of Jesus Himself, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The Word carries all the backing of Almighty God. If only we would as fully understand this as the devils do! The Apostle Paul encourages us, "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). Jesus is that Light. He is our salvation, our righteousness, our truth, our peace and good news, our shield, and the invincible Word of God. When we are clothed in Him, we need never be afraid. The Seventh Piece Ephesians 6:18 -- Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance .... Although the seventh piece in our spiritual armor is not a picture of Jesus, it is essential for effective life in Christ. Praying in the Spirit, in the Holy Spirit's perfect understanding of the will of the Father, is both a defensive and offensive part of our armor. It is a mighty force to be reckoned with. Romans 8:26, 27 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities [weaknesses]: for we don't know what we should pray for as we ought to: but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he who searches the hearts [God the Father] knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Those of us who are Pentecostal or Charismatic understand "praying in the Spirit" to mean praying in tongues. We know that when we do, the Holy Spirit prays perfectly through us, according to Father's will. As a result, His Kingdom is established on earth in the arena we are praying about. 2 Corinthians 10:4 tells us, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." The prayer language is a powerful weapon of our spiritual warfare. Praying in the Spirit complements the shield of faith, faith being both defensive and offensive in nature. Jude 20 encourages us, "building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost." Abundant praying in tongues strengthens our faith. We are speaking spirit-to-Spirit, bypassing the mind, with all its tendency to doubt. When we use our prayer language we are speaking the counsel of God, and faith is a by-product of speaking His truth. I believe that even when we pray in our natural language, however, we can "pray in the Spirit." I ask the Lord to guide all my praying, both in tongues and in English, so that all of it is according to His will. This is a maturing process. As we grow in sensitivity to Him, we become adept at praying in the Spirit with our understanding, as well as with our prayer language. We come closer to hitting the bull's eye of praying perfectly in the Spirit at all times, whether we are praying in tongues or in our native language. Every part of the armor of God is integrally connected with every other part, and no part is unnecessary. This is why we are told to put on the whole armor of God. The breastplate protects our heart attitudes, which are closely connected with what we allow ourselves to think; our thoughts are protected by the helmet, but also by both abiding in (being girded with) and actively wielding (the sword) God's truth; our faith (the shield) keeps us from doubt and fear; and having our focus on carrying the gospel to the world will assure that we do not get sidetracked into idle thoughts and temptations. Finally, praying in the Spirit assures that we will advance the purposes of God effectively, as a good soldier in His army should. © Copyright 2009 by Lee Ann Rubsam. All rights reserved.

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