Ephesians 6:13-18 - So
use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and
when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will
need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear
shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with
God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield
to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you
will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the
Word of God. Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in
line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your
needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.
Paul embeds in his last words of this letter to the Ephesus
church the key to his great faith and strength. Paul wears the full armor of
God….and he doesn’t just wear it for show…he prays while he wears it….all the
time. Paul dressed for battle with the world every day…even from a prison cell.
Once again my Life Application Bible shed great insight into
the 6 pieces of armor Paul says we need to be fully protected. Truth is satan’s
enemy because he fights with lies. God’s breastplate of approval protects our
hearts from attacks. The shoes we wear keep us ready to move out for God’s
purpose. The shield of faith keeps our perspective
aligned with God’s will...allowing us to see beyond our own circumstances into
the full plan of God. The helmet of
salvation protects our minds from doubt. In addition to these defensive weapons…God
gave us one offensive weapon. …the sword of the spirit…the Bible.
Paul tells us it is not enough to wear the armor…we need to
pray constantly for the spirit to release the power that it contains to help
us. Without prayer…the armor will be ineffective…we might as well have never
put it on. Prayer gives us the courage to keep seeking till we find the truth…and
rest in God’s complete love at all times. Prayer teaches us how to tie our
shoes and hold that shield up in just the right place. Prayer gives us the strength to look at the
back of that shield and rest in complete trust that God has a purpose and a
reason for the struggle we picked up the shield in the first place. Prayer
keeps the strap on our helmet of salvation secure….so that we always seek our
next move in his sword of the spirit.
I will testify that as many times as I have forgotten I have
these powerful weapons…and let the darkness cave in and hide me from success….it
was prayer that finally gave me the strength to put the armor back on again.
Satan knows that if he can separate us from God…we will forget that we have the
most powerful weapon that exists to fight his evil. And when I put that armor
back on…and begin to pray for its power to work in my life….amazing blessings
and peace wrap around any problem I am facing.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you gave me all I
need to fight any power of darkness that satan can form against me. Forgive me
for the times that I forget to put that armor on…and pray for your power to
protect me from all that satan thinks up. Help me to really understand and
begin to use the power of prayer that can release the supernatural powers you
have given all of us in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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