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Battle Ready – The Full Armor Ephesian 6:10-17
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 their evil 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 people 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. 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 of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
Belt of Truth – Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.
Our Instruction –
We must suit up correctly, the belt of truth is the foundation for the rest of the armor to stand on, it provides strength and stability. The truth that’s referred to is God’s truth, his word. It provides the firm foundation necessary for defeating our enemy. A weak core not only increases our chance of injury, but it also hinders our progress. Without God’s word, it’s impossible to hold our armor up and be successful against our enemy, we must have a strong core. A warrior must know what God’s word says in order to silence the enemy. our belt of truth helps us decipher truth from trash. We use our belt of truth to whip the enemy back by boldly declaring God’s truth. When we keep the belt of truth wrapped around our lives, we will be able to stand firm on the battlefield.
Breastplate of Righteousness – With the breastplate of righteousness in place.
Our Instruction-
This piece of armor is designed to protect the heart. One of the most important aspects of our breastplate of righteousness requires us to acknowledge that it’s impossible to achieve any level of righteousness without the blood of Jesus Christ. His blood was shed for our unrighteousness, purifying us from the sin that separates us from God, so we can declare righteousness before God. When our hearts are weighed down with fear, addiction, bitterness, shame and rejection, etc.… we are not wearing the breastplate correctly. This will leave us vulnerable to incoming attacks. The breastplate is worn not only to protect our hearts but also to display God’s acceptance of us which deflects incoming attacks. righteousness is truth in action. A single weak spot in our armor will give the enemy the foothold he is anxiously waiting for.
Shoes of Peace – And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Our Instruction-
Shoes are created for the sole purpose of protecting our feet while we are in motion, our peace shoes need to be in motion with us. When we chose peace in the midst of difficulty, we are taking a firm stand against the enemy. We are not to be fearful, worried, intimidated, or stressed. The enemy will not let us claim our peace without a fight; we must be alert and ready for the enemy’s attempts to steal our peace. God knows our days; he has won the battle for us. What we do between those bookends is up to us. No one can choose peace for you; you must be the one to act in standing firm over the lies of the enemy.
He trembles at your presence – so live in peace and strength. Walk out your purpose!
Shield of Faith – In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Our Instruction-
Understanding the word ‘faith’ is imperative to use our shield correctly. It is a verb, an action, not a belief. To truly have faith, an action must accompany it. It is evident by our actions. Faith must be in motion for our shield to be raised up in defense. A warrior understands the importance of their shield. If one shield goes down the rest of the soldiers would be compromised. Every single shield matters! It is not only for the protection of ourselves but the protection of others. God has created each of us with unique talents and gifts. You have an irreplaceable role in the war, every single one of us brings something unique and incredibly necessary to the battlefield; not just to fight our enemy, but also to encourage those who are fighting alongside us. When we’re not living out our faith and attaching actions to our beliefs, we’re not only leaving ourselves vulnerable but also those closest to us. The enemy does not want us to realize the potential God created within us because he knows what a fierce warrior you would be against him. It is our job to hold our shield of faith up for the world around us, to be strong enough until they can do it on their own. The shield will not raise itself; it is useless without a warrior to grip its handle and lift it up for protection. A warrior who puts their faith in action can stop every arrow that the enemy throws our way.
Helmet of Salvation – Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
Our Instruction-
Our Helmet protects our head from the voice and lies of the enemy. The enemy will assault your thoughts with the sole purpose of tearing you apart, to keep you distracted from your real purpose. When we allow the enemy to infiltrate our thoughts with lies, we’re literally strapping the baggage of slavery back on. Our freedom was already won through Christ, but we are not living within this freedom. Our thoughts direct our actions, the enemy knows this. By not wearing our helmets we are leaving our minds exposed to the enemy’s purpose. Our identity is in Christ, when we realize this, the enemy cannot win. (This is why the enemy wants to strip you of who you are – creating no identity)
Sword of the Spirit – Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
Our Instruction-
When Paul was talking about the sword, he was referring to a double edge dagger that was designed for close combat, because it could be drawn quickly, taking its opponent by surprise. God’s word is offensive. (That is why our culture rejects it with such venom) The strength of our sword is compromised when we are not engaging Truth – God’s truth, not man’s. If we are going to win the war, our sword must be used in its entirety and not just parts that are noncontroversial to today’s culture. The sword belongs to the spirit, but we were given authority to summon its presence, every time we activate our sword by declaring God’s truth, the holy spirit is fighting for us in the spiritual realm. When the enemy attacks, we must stop and ask for wisdom and strength for the battle at hand.
Battle on our knees – Prayer
Our Instruction –
Daniel was a great example of how we can be a fierce warrior for God. There is a battle raging in the heavenly realms, the devotion Daniel showed on his knees was an incredible example of how we must activate our battle plan that we will be engaged in. When we pray it activates the battle in the heavenly realm, God will send his mightiest angels to fight on your behalf. For us to take victory, it is not always up to us to speak against our enemy. Some of our biggest battles we are going to face can only be won on our knees. Prayer activates our armor; without it, we are vulnerable to the enemy. God has given us our armor so we can defend ourselves, if we don’t suit up every day it will be useless. God has defeated the enemy by winning the war, but the outcome of the battles is in our hands.
The Warrior We Are Called to Be –
It is no mistake that you were born to be in this exact moment in history. As a Christian when you made the life-changing decision to follow Christ, you were transformed. Part of that transformation even if unaware; was that you were born to be a Warrior. Being in the family of God comes with a responsibility, what we do while here in our earthly home will decide our heavenly rewards. Yes, he calls us to pray and pray daily on our knees, however, he gave instructions to then get up off our knees and ACT, we have forgotten how to put on the FULL armor of GOD!
So, therefore, as a Christian, if we believe what we say we believe then why are you living for man and not serving GOD? Why are you allowing fear to control your behaviors? We must live fearlessly! Satan is fearful of you! When you take your authority and suit up, he trembles in fear. What are you waiting for?
God created you; he knows the date of your birth and the date you will go to your heavenly home. What you decide to do in between those bookends is what you will stand in judgement for.
Revelations 12 depicts a day when the invisible warfare in the heavenly places will break out in a very visible form. Verse 7 shows us who the enemy is in this conflict.
“And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waging war.” The archangel Michael and the holy angels are fighting Satan and the angels who rebelled with him. The battle is angelic, but they are fighting over the earth. Thus, the war in heaven directly affects what is happening on earth.
We are in the midst of an angelic conflict, a satanic rebellion, in which Satan is seeking to bring this whole world under his rule.
That means when you were born into the kingdom of God, you were born into a war.
YOU WERE BORN A MIGHTY WARRIOR! ARE YOU BATTLE READY?
In The Fight and on the Front Lines,
Christie Hutcherson
Battle Ready