‘A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.’ Ephesians 6:10-18(NLT)
‘Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘ Zechariah 4:6(NLT)
‘So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ‘ Galatians 5:16-25(NLT)
Over and over again, the Bible teaches us to “take courage,” “do not fear,” and “be strong in the Lord.” But how do we do that? Certainly not in our own strength. Scripture teaches us in Ephesians 6 that we must daily put on the “whole armor of God.”
So let’s talk about the armor of God and maybe look at it with new eyes. When introducing the armor of God, Paul exhorts us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” He goes on to say that we need to put on the whole armor of God, so that we “may be able to stand against… the devil.”
What is the armor of God, and what does each piece represent? Well, we have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece is powerful, potent, and necessary to live a victorious life. I encourage you to put on, pray over, and study each piece carefully.
I want to encourage you to look at this familiar passage in a new way by seeing Jesus Christ as the armor of God. Think of it as Paul’s way of encouraging us to put on Christ each day. Now let’s think about it and break it down.
Christ is truth. Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace! We place our faith in Christ. It is Christ who is our salvation. And Christ is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Bible calls Christ the “Living Word.”
When we are clothed in Christ, we are powerful and potent and the enemy fears us. When we move, breathe and operate out of His might, His glory, His strength, and His gospel and are clothed in His armor—His very being—we can conquer our fears and be overcomers.
The key is to do this daily and to remember that we cannot do this in our own power. We must put on Christ and live under His protection and follow His guidance. This is the key to the Christian life: clothing ourselves in Christ and walking by the Spirit.
from Take Courage by Greg Alkinson