Stand Against

Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ~ Ephesians 6:11

The devil just needs you to put your guard down once; just one little time, one little crack, one little lie, one little thought and if he can get you to give into him, you are going to have a battle on your hands.  We are in spiritual battles everyday and just like a soldier going into war, we need to make sure we have the right equipment and protection.  This verse emphasizes the need to put on the full armor of God that is available to us.  The armor of God comes in 6 pieces and is one size fits all:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit (word of God).  What is the functionality of these pieces?  Each has a special function.  Let’s start with the belt of truth.  Identity has been lost in this woke, cross-cultural and very confused world.  The belt of truth protects us from an identity crisis.  You should know who you are.  The truth is you were made in the likeness of Christ and you were made as a reflection of God’s holiness.  You were made to be in fellowship with and to be a child of God.  Being made “right” is the job of the breastplate of righteousness, both by way of the righteousness Christ gives us and by the righteousness we have the desire to stand up too.  The enemy will use any way he can to hurt our heart and emotional being; the breastplate protects us from his sinful temptations that could, and probably would, lead us to heartache and brokenness.  Sometimes doing the right thing, or making the right choice isn’t always popular, or easy, but you won’t be so hurt by the right choice.  Disobedience can lead to destruction, but obedience always leads to peace.  This leads me to the shoes of the gospel of peace, boy; something everyone wants.  Buckling knees and weak ankles can find rest as they stand firm in these shoes.  But many times in this broken world, the enemy can cause us to be trembling with worry, anxiety, doubt and fear.  Remember, don’t worry, instead take every care and cast it at Jesus’ feet so that you may have peace that surpasses all worldly understanding.  So often the shield of faith and the shoes of the gospel work together to ward off our deepest fears and anxieties.  The shield of faith protects us and our faith is where we find the courage and hope to move through difficult times.  Our shield of faith reminds us of the promises and goodness of God and we hold them high when we believe God to be who He says He is knowing He will “make all things work together for the good of them that love God” (Romans 8:28).  Then there is the helmet of salvation; which we were granted access to the moment we put our trust in Christ’s death as payment for our sins, but the helmet of salvation also helps in the battlefield of mind games.  The brain and the heart don’t always line up with one another for the righteousness of God, but with the helmet of salvation and the shield of faith working together, God can get the two on the same page.  As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We destroy arguments of every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ”; this is the work of the helmet of salvation. The last piece of the armor of God is the sword of the spirit, or the word of God.  Let me put this plainly….the B-I-B-L-E.  Scripture.  Arguably, the most effective weapon.  The scriptures can be used as both an offensive weapon and a defensive weapon.  Years ago, I was challenged by an older woman to memorize Psalm 91.  The whole of it.  My husband and I were going through a rough patch and I evidently had the look of sorrow all over my face at this weekend Women’s Retreat.  This sweet lady had no possible way of knowing what I was going through, but she came up to me and simply said, “The spirit told me to tell you to memorize Psalm 91 for comfort.  Oh, and yes, he’s going to get you through this.”  Then with a quick squeeze of my hand, she turned and left.  I stood with my mouth wide open for a brief second before I burst into tears.  As fast as I could, I memorized Psalm 91 and you will never know, or understand how much it has been used as the first of many scripture quivers I have in my arsenal.  Memorize scripture.  Pick scripture that means something to you.  Pick scripture to fight anxiety and fear.  Pick God’s promises.  Just do it!  I can’t explain the feeling I get when I can quote scripture out loud during a battle.  It stops the enemy in his tracks.  Put on the full armor of God and be ready for the battle.  Victory is ours! ~ Amen