“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
Ephesians 6:11-18 KJV
In our previous study, we focussed on the characteristics of a good soldier.Operating as workmen relating as sons-A good soldier . We defined that a good soldier is determined by their preparation and identified by their armor. Today we dive into the armors whereby we are to be equipped.
The believer’s life is determined by strength, not just any strength but that which is derived from the Lord. In our scripture of study, Paul begins his admonition with this, be strong in the Lord. There is no other source for strength than in the Lord. He then gives us how the strength of the Lord is extracted. This he begins with to have our loins girt about with truth. Truth comes at the revelation and the person of Jesus, according to 1Peter 1:13. This reveals that our efficacy comes with the knowledge of the person of Jesus, not merely knowledge but experiential knowledge. In Mathew 16:18-20 Jesus asked his disciples about their perception of who He was. Peter had it right describing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. This opened a mystery where Jesus then proclaimed based on the revelation Peter had, “Upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The key to this mystery unveiled is Jesus being the very foundation and rock upon which we stand and by whom all things come together. What follows is the amazing part, “I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”, He said. That means all other tools are released at the unveiling of the truth in the person of Christ. To know Jesus is to have the revelation of who He is. This truth equips us to make our arsenal effective.
After comes the breastplate of righteousness, not of our own but the righteousness of God. The accuser the devil stands day and night to find faults and grounds for condemnation in the believer. When we claim a form of self-righteousness we claim a carnal self-sufficiency which only makes one a rebel. According to Romans 10:3-4 the ignorant forsake God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Proclaiming the righteousness of God is the flagship of victory for the believer. This substantiates even more, the need for the armor of God, the weapons we need for warfare as the bible speaks of, originates from a different realm and requires a high level of power to contend. The only victor to overcome these powers is Jesus.
Hence in Ephesians 1:17-22 , Paul prays that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of our understanding being enlightened; to know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.”In the kingdom of God, we reign by knowing the weapons for our victory and the consciousness of the authority we carry through the revelation of whom we have believed. In our next study, we shall discuss the other tools given to us for our efficacy. Good morning Beloved.