Wed, Apr 29, 2009
How to suit up and where to begin
Suiting Up
Every great warrior movie ever created, such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, 300, and Gladiator, all have something in common. Behind each fight scene, the lost romance from a village sweetheart, and the final death of the warrior there are those few things each warrior holds close. That is their armor and weapons. Every great warrior lives through pain and every great warrior goes out to fight, whether it is for their country or their family. Being a fellow believer in Jesus Christ and someone who considers himself a Christian, I find myself in the place of a warrior. One that is on the battlefront, lined up side by side by fellow fighters, preparing for our attack and our defense. In Ephesians, Paul makes a statement that all Christians must be “suited up” spiritually like a Roman soldier. As I read this I wondered what he meant by “suiting up”. I read into the book of Ephesians and tried figuring out on my own. I had the basic understanding of what he meant, but I wasn’t sure how we were to relate to this today. He noted we needed the Gospel of Peace (resembled by sandals/throngs), the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Sword of the Spirit, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, the Belt of Truth, and Prayer. The passage just briefly explains how each of these pieces of the full suit of armor is seen in today’s world and how we are to use each of the pieces of God’s armor. So to better understand today’s concept of the Armor of God I did a little research to figure out how I can use each of the pieces of the Armor of God and where to start when I finally decide to suit up.
When “suiting up” for our daily battle against sin and temptations in today’s world, every person should start with the Belt of Truth. This piece of armor is most important because every piece relies on it to be safe and secure. Having the belt allows you to understand the truth behind God and Christianity so that you will be able to pick out the wrong in the world and make it right in God’s eyes. Warren Wiersbe, in his book Be Rich, had mentioned that a soldier would put the belt on first because it held all the other pieces together and was to be fastened safely as well as tight because it gave them assurance in truth, stability in truth through living truthfully in our lives, and kept them decisive by providing peace in God’s truth. Today, there are people denying and fighting against Christianity left and right. Understanding the truth of God and his word will help us defend against the attacks of the enemies and most importantly, Satan.
William Barclay, author of The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, stated in his book that, “When a man is clothed in righteousness, he is impregnable. Words are no defense against accusations, but a good life is.” What he is saying is that even though you know the truth and can use the truth to attack the enemy, you need a defense against the words and temptations of the enemy upon yourself. The breastplate is the next piece an individual needs in order to be prepared for battle. The breastplate is to be seen as righteousness, morally right or justifiable. As I was reading both Barclay’s and Wiersbe’s books I saw that both of them agreed in saying that the breastplate, not only covered the chest, your heart, it also covered the entire body. Having righteousness is being morally right and the breastplate resembles our Christian character. As Barclay said before, “Words are no defense against accusations, but a good life is.” And that is why after knowing God’s truth, revealing a good Christian character comes in second and is the second piece of the armor put on.
When preparing for something like battle or even as simple as a sports game, your adrenaline starts pumping and you are very anxious to get the game or battle going so you can reach your final goal of winning. The sandals of peace are the third piece of the armor you need whens “suiting up”. God wants us to be ready to go at anytime. It says at the beginning of Matthew 28:19 to, “Go therefore and make disciples of every nation”. The sandals allow us to be ready and prepared to GO! In Matthew 28:20 God finishes by saying, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God calls us to be ready with his truth, be Christ-like in our actions and in everything we do, and go out into the world and teach everyone of Him and know that He, the creator of all, is with you no matter the situation.
When in battle, the enemy looks for the easiest ways to attack you. For them, distance is the easiest way to attack you without hurting themselves. Satan throws arrows from a distance so that you are left stranded in the middle with no where to move or go. You are basically stranded in the wide open space vulnerable to all attacks. However, Paul includes another very important piece of the armor and that piece is the shield of faith. Barclay and Wiersbe both stated that the armor was a very effective piece of armor because it wasn’t a small shield, like that of Achilles in the 2004 movie Troy, but rather a fairly large shield that interlocks with the shields of fellow believers. These shields together form a strong wall against the flaming arrows thrown from Satan himself as well as those thrown from his followers. Having the shield interlocking with fellow believers shows unity in our faith and how we cannot work alone as an individual Christian, but we, as a whole, must work together as a strong force to minister to the bruised and fallen.
Temptations and other forms of sin come in many different forms, but the most effective form is through your thoughts. Thinking that it is okay to do this, this one time is the most effective form of sin possible because people get in this mind set that they can do this one thing and then know that God will forgive them. Satan puts those thoughts in our heads to make us think it is okay when it really is not. The helmet of salvation is God’s counter against those thoughts. The helmet blocks out what Satan tries to say and keeps in God’s thoughts of how God offers freely the forgiveness of our sins and the strength to conquer through thick and thin.
When I was reading Ephesians 6, I noticed a slight change in the theme of the armor pieces. Paul had been explaining how to protect ourselves, how to hold together as one against Satan, and which pieces to use for such defenses. Then Paul began talking about we must attack against Satan and his schemes. Before heading out to battle we must make sure the sword of the spirit is secured tightly to the truth of God. The sword of the spirit is God’s word. It is our offensive weapon to attack Satan. However, Satan knows God’s word and uses it falsely and incompletely to confuse us. Paul knew exactly what he was doing when he chose these specific pieces because we know that if we are equipped with the helmet of salvation and belt of truth, then when Satan tries using the word incorrectly, we can “stand firm”, as Ephesians 6:14 starts, and prepare for battle against him.
Our last piece of armor we need before entering the battlefield is prayer. Prayer is our need for strength when the going gets tough. Paul says that praying for everything, for everyone, and for God to be with us is most important because it is our strength and energy to fight against whatever Satan throws at us. God is our rock on which we stand and gives us a foundation in which we cannot and will not falter.
Acquiring each of these pieces is important because each of these pieces will protect you from everything Satan has to throw at you. If you are missing one the pieces you might as well be missing all of the pieces because they all rely on you acquiring every piece. God is always there to protect us and allow us to be filled with his peace as we enter to the battlefield. Paul ended with a warriors prayer securing our faith in God, the peace He provides us, and the protection He shadows over us daily.
“Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”
-Ephesians 6:23-24
Every great warrior movie ever created, such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, 300, and Gladiator, all have something in common. Behind each fight scene, the lost romance from a village sweetheart, and the final death of the warrior there are those few things each warrior holds close. That is their armor and weapons. Every great warrior lives through pain and every great warrior goes out to fight, whether it is for their country or their family. Being a fellow believer in Jesus Christ and someone who considers himself a Christian, I find myself in the place of a warrior. One that is on the battlefront, lined up side by side by fellow fighters, preparing for our attack and our defense. In Ephesians, Paul makes a statement that all Christians must be “suited up” spiritually like a Roman soldier. As I read this I wondered what he meant by “suiting up”. I read into the book of Ephesians and tried figuring out on my own. I had the basic understanding of what he meant, but I wasn’t sure how we were to relate to this today. He noted we needed the Gospel of Peace (resembled by sandals/throngs), the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Sword of the Spirit, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, the Belt of Truth, and Prayer. The passage just briefly explains how each of these pieces of the full suit of armor is seen in today’s world and how we are to use each of the pieces of God’s armor. So to better understand today’s concept of the Armor of God I did a little research to figure out how I can use each of the pieces of the Armor of God and where to start when I finally decide to suit up.
When “suiting up” for our daily battle against sin and temptations in today’s world, every person should start with the Belt of Truth. This piece of armor is most important because every piece relies on it to be safe and secure. Having the belt allows you to understand the truth behind God and Christianity so that you will be able to pick out the wrong in the world and make it right in God’s eyes. Warren Wiersbe, in his book Be Rich, had mentioned that a soldier would put the belt on first because it held all the other pieces together and was to be fastened safely as well as tight because it gave them assurance in truth, stability in truth through living truthfully in our lives, and kept them decisive by providing peace in God’s truth. Today, there are people denying and fighting against Christianity left and right. Understanding the truth of God and his word will help us defend against the attacks of the enemies and most importantly, Satan.
William Barclay, author of The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, stated in his book that, “When a man is clothed in righteousness, he is impregnable. Words are no defense against accusations, but a good life is.” What he is saying is that even though you know the truth and can use the truth to attack the enemy, you need a defense against the words and temptations of the enemy upon yourself. The breastplate is the next piece an individual needs in order to be prepared for battle. The breastplate is to be seen as righteousness, morally right or justifiable. As I was reading both Barclay’s and Wiersbe’s books I saw that both of them agreed in saying that the breastplate, not only covered the chest, your heart, it also covered the entire body. Having righteousness is being morally right and the breastplate resembles our Christian character. As Barclay said before, “Words are no defense against accusations, but a good life is.” And that is why after knowing God’s truth, revealing a good Christian character comes in second and is the second piece of the armor put on.
When preparing for something like battle or even as simple as a sports game, your adrenaline starts pumping and you are very anxious to get the game or battle going so you can reach your final goal of winning. The sandals of peace are the third piece of the armor you need whens “suiting up”. God wants us to be ready to go at anytime. It says at the beginning of Matthew 28:19 to, “Go therefore and make disciples of every nation”. The sandals allow us to be ready and prepared to GO! In Matthew 28:20 God finishes by saying, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God calls us to be ready with his truth, be Christ-like in our actions and in everything we do, and go out into the world and teach everyone of Him and know that He, the creator of all, is with you no matter the situation.
When in battle, the enemy looks for the easiest ways to attack you. For them, distance is the easiest way to attack you without hurting themselves. Satan throws arrows from a distance so that you are left stranded in the middle with no where to move or go. You are basically stranded in the wide open space vulnerable to all attacks. However, Paul includes another very important piece of the armor and that piece is the shield of faith. Barclay and Wiersbe both stated that the armor was a very effective piece of armor because it wasn’t a small shield, like that of Achilles in the 2004 movie Troy, but rather a fairly large shield that interlocks with the shields of fellow believers. These shields together form a strong wall against the flaming arrows thrown from Satan himself as well as those thrown from his followers. Having the shield interlocking with fellow believers shows unity in our faith and how we cannot work alone as an individual Christian, but we, as a whole, must work together as a strong force to minister to the bruised and fallen.
Temptations and other forms of sin come in many different forms, but the most effective form is through your thoughts. Thinking that it is okay to do this, this one time is the most effective form of sin possible because people get in this mind set that they can do this one thing and then know that God will forgive them. Satan puts those thoughts in our heads to make us think it is okay when it really is not. The helmet of salvation is God’s counter against those thoughts. The helmet blocks out what Satan tries to say and keeps in God’s thoughts of how God offers freely the forgiveness of our sins and the strength to conquer through thick and thin.
When I was reading Ephesians 6, I noticed a slight change in the theme of the armor pieces. Paul had been explaining how to protect ourselves, how to hold together as one against Satan, and which pieces to use for such defenses. Then Paul began talking about we must attack against Satan and his schemes. Before heading out to battle we must make sure the sword of the spirit is secured tightly to the truth of God. The sword of the spirit is God’s word. It is our offensive weapon to attack Satan. However, Satan knows God’s word and uses it falsely and incompletely to confuse us. Paul knew exactly what he was doing when he chose these specific pieces because we know that if we are equipped with the helmet of salvation and belt of truth, then when Satan tries using the word incorrectly, we can “stand firm”, as Ephesians 6:14 starts, and prepare for battle against him.
Our last piece of armor we need before entering the battlefield is prayer. Prayer is our need for strength when the going gets tough. Paul says that praying for everything, for everyone, and for God to be with us is most important because it is our strength and energy to fight against whatever Satan throws at us. God is our rock on which we stand and gives us a foundation in which we cannot and will not falter.
Acquiring each of these pieces is important because each of these pieces will protect you from everything Satan has to throw at you. If you are missing one the pieces you might as well be missing all of the pieces because they all rely on you acquiring every piece. God is always there to protect us and allow us to be filled with his peace as we enter to the battlefield. Paul ended with a warriors prayer securing our faith in God, the peace He provides us, and the protection He shadows over us daily.
“Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”
-Ephesians 6:23-24
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