Spiritual Clothes

     In addition to clothing ourselves with the character of Christ, the Bible gives us protective spiritual gear. As you move around your world today, remove any fear and anxiety. God will take care of the enemy of our souls. We just need to trust. Put on the full armor of God!

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet filled with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:13-18

     I want to quickly look at the armor and focus on the three I count on most every day of my life. Once we believe, the helmet of salvation will never be removed. Nothing can snatch us out of the hands of Christ. (John 10:28) We receive His righteousness, as if we have never sinned. This breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts. (Romans 10:4) We are belted with the truth of the Gospel. Jesus is the truth. (John 14:6) And it is our responsibility to bring the peace of the Gospel wherever we go. This is represented by the shoes of peace. (Matthew 28:19)

     Let’s examine the three that remain. Make sure you use them every day. The first is the shield of faith. The warriors would navigate their shields as they went into battle to fight off the arrows of the enemy. And that is exactly what our faith does for us. Do we have faith in the storm? Do we trust in our weakness? Can we give control to God even when He asks for sacrifice or change? When the enemy raises his ugly head to bring doubt and fear, move your shielf of faith into place.

And without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6a

     The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon mentioned in all of the armor. Jesus used the Word of God when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness. It is our greatest weapon. Load Your heart and mind with Scripture. Meditate on it. Study it. Hunger and thirst for it. And use it. It is alive and it is very powerful.

For the Word of God is alive and active; sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

     And finally, pray for all things, at all times, with thanksgiving. Put on the full armor of God, place the shield of faith in front of you as you wield the sword of the Spirit, praying in all things and praying for each other.

Jesus,

You give us exactly what we need for every occasion. Today we thank you for protecting us from head to toe, from heart and mind to soul and spirit. Thank You for Your protective spiritual armor.

Amen