“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
In our fight of faith, the Bible says “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). That’s why we are enjoined to dress ready for battle; put on the whole armour of God.
Did you notice the Scripture doesn’t say, “Pray that God would put the armour on you”? Instead, it says you’re the one to put it on. So it’s no use praying and crying to God to protect you from the wiles of the devil; He has told you what to do: put on the armour of God. That’s another way of saying, “dress ready for battle.”
Also, the Scripture emphasizes that you put on the whole armour of God, not just some of it. The Weymouth New Testament version says “Put on the complete armour of God….” I like the word “complete.” You’ve got to make sure that you don’t leave any part of that armour out. So, it’s up to you to have your loins covered with truth, have righteousness as your breastplate, have on your feet the gospel of peace, have on the helmet of salvation, and then have on the shield of faith—the one he says you should put on above others.
We aren’t shielded from the works of the devil and that’s why we have been given a shield to extinguish all his fiery darts. The armour of God is available to you today, but you have to make a conscious choice to put it on. God isn’t going to put it on for you, no matter how much you pray and fast for Him to.
Stand firmly with your whole armour on as a good soldier of Christ; and remember, once you put your armour on, make sure you keep it on at all times; don’t ever take it off! Dress ready for battle—it’s a fight of faith, and the good thing is you were already declared winner ever before the fight.
Confession
I take unto myself the whole armour of God and stand firm as a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ, dressed ready for the fight of faith. I have truth as my belt, righteousness as my breastplate, the gospel of peace on my feet, the helmet of salvation and faith as my shield. I am fully equipped to extinguish all the fiery darts of the devil and render all his stratagems futile and empty. My armour is ever on as a soldier of Christ! Hallelujah.
Further Study
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. [7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. [8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”
Ephesians 6:13 (GNB) so put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.
(Taken by permission from Christ Embassy Church , aka Believer’s LoveWorld Ministries , Lagos, Nigeria. www.ChristEmbassy.org )
