"Finally, 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."I noticed two things from this passage today that I hadn't noticed before. Normally, when I read about the armor of God, I picture the Bibleman movies when Bibleman puts on his armor before going out into the world. It's almost like I view this passage as only for kids. It's the passage that excites them, one of the first passages they memorize. All that thinking was turned on its head today when I realized what is being implied behind these verses.
First, God gives us a command to be strong, but then He doesn't just leave us to accomplish it by our own capabilities, he gives us the means to carry out the command. "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." We're not in this fight alone.
Second, the passage gives a clear warning and implication that there will be trials. There will be a battle. There will be hard times ahead. Like I already mentioned, it's easy to picture Bibleman when I read this verse and simply end with that. God's warning us and commanding us to be strong on purpose. This is real life. These are real battles that can only be withstood by daily being strengthened by the power of God and protected by the armor of God.
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, 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. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
[Ephesians 6:10-18]
1 messages:
I love this scripture! One I cling to as I enter the prison weekly. What stood out to me is that everything but two pieces of armor are stationary. They are there to protect and not to be taken away or moved. The shield moves and the sword. Sometimes our armor feels weak in an area (say our mind) we can move the shield of God there for extra protection against Satans attacks. The sword moves to pierce the enemy where needed. Just thought I would share my findings and thank you for sharing yours!
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