  
|
| About Us | Short Sermons About Him! | About His Word! |
| Topical Studies | Songs of the Church - MP3 | Bible Studies |
| Devotionals | Thoughts on The Life of Christ | Daily Humor |
The Whole Armor of God Ephesians 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Paul in his summation of the book of Ephesians encourages those saints to be strong in the Lord and to walk in the power of His might. At the beginning of the epistle he went to great lengths to explain just what the power of His might meant (Eph 1:15-2:7). He prayed that these saints would receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, that they might know the hope of His calling and His inheritance in the saints. He also prayed that they would comprehend the exceeding greatness of His power which He demonstrated by raising Christ from the dead and enthroning Him on the throne of heaven. Here Jesus is far above all principalities and power, might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come. All things have been placed under His feet. Not only that, but God quickened us, as undeserving as we are, and seated us together with Christ in heavenly places. In the Old Testament, parting the Red Sea was the ultimate demonstration of God’s power. In the New Testament it is the resurrection of Jesus and I would dare add the resurrection of our old sinful nature to a rebirth that causes us to be conformed to the image of our Lord. That pretty powerful. I wonder just how much we really comprehend it all? I know that I need more wisdom and revelation to determine just how big our God is. We do not accomplish anything for the kingdom of God by our own power and might, we must rely on the Spirit of the Lord (Zec. 4:6). Anything else is unacceptable in His sight. When we recognize our own weakness, God’s strength is magnified (II Cor. 12:9). As the apostle said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php. 4:13). He could have just as well said, “Without Him, I’m an utter failure.” Ephesians 6: 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. We must stand in the power of God’s might to stand against the devil who is our constant adversary. He goes to and fro seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Using his guile, he caused Adam and Eve to fail in the garden. He has the gall to tempt our Lord on the Mountain of Temptation, so we need not think we are immune from his attacks, or that we are not subject to fall. Of course if we recognize the power of God’s might that has been entrusted to us, it will be the devil that is on the defensive, not us. There are vast legions of organized evil spirits, referred to as principalities and powers. We are no match for them in our own power, but thank God we have access to a far greater power. We need only to recognize and utilize it. Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Paul describes the battle dress of a Roman soldier for defense and offence. Everything is protected except the soldier’s back. Remember that Jesus said that the person who put his hand to the plow and looked back was unfit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). That sounds pretty harsh, but thank God for His grace and forgiveness. We are in a battle as soldiers of the Lord. Just as a soldier in the army must wear the uniform that is issued to him, we must wear all of the spiritual uniform that God has issued to us. We can’t pick and choose, we must use all that God has provided. Ephesians 6: 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Our first line of defense is truth. God’s truth is eternal and unchanging. John said that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Jesus said that He was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and Ephesians 4:21 tells us that the truth is in Jesus. I would say then that truth is an excellent defensive weapon. The breastplate of righteousness is much like the body armor that the modern day soldier wears. When we are surrendered to the Lord and His righteousness is working in and through us, we are well protected from anything that Satan can throw against us. If we try to walk in our own righteousness, watch out. Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. We all are subject to Satan’s attack. We ward off his attacks by faith. Faith in who Jesus is, He is none other than eternal God. Faith in what He has done on our behalf by His atoning work on the cross. We show our faith by following the lead of His in dwelling Spirit. Ephesians 6: 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: We know what we were, what we are now and what we will be. We rejoice in the fact that God provided our salvation by taking flesh and becoming subject to everything that we are subject to (Php. 2:7; Heb. 2:11,17, 5:2). We have an offensive weapon in the word of God. Jesus rebuked Satan by simply saying It is written and Satan didn’t argue. He knew that the Word is eternal and forever settled in heaven. Not one jot or tittle, the smallest marks of Hebrew punctuation, would pass away till all be fulfilled (Mt. 5:18). The Old Testament was God breathed as He inspired holy men of old as they were moved by His Spirit II Pet. 1:21 (See also Ps. 119;130; Isa. 49:2, 55:11, Ja 1:18, I Pet. 1:23) The New Testament was written by men who had been taught directly by Jesus (Luke 1;12, John 20:31; II Pet 1;16), and who ultimately gave their lives in proclaiming the kingdom of God. Men do not sacrifice their lives for deceptions or fables. We can rest assured that what they wrote was inspired by God also. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Ephesians 6: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Prayer is the most important of all and the thing that is most easily neglected. Martin Luther is quoted as saying that he had so much to do in a particular day that he couldn’t possibly get it done unless he prayed for three hours. I doubt that very many of us are going to pray for three hours, but how much more powerful we would be in standing up to the evil that is all around us, if we simply prayed first and allowed ourselves to be totally controlled by the power of our Lord’s might. The Church in the West today presents too easy a target for Satan. We do not believe we are at war. We do not know where the battleground is located, and, in spite of our weapons, they are neither loaded nor aimed at the right target. We are unaware of how vulnerable we are. We are better fitted for a parade that for an amphibious landing. - Ed Silvoso Free Ebooks That You Can Download. An Expository Study on the Book of Colossians The I AMs of Jesus Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@About-Him.Com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe to About-Him Devotional Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh. It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Home About Us About His Word Bible Studies Humor Songs of the Church Thoughts on the Life of Christ Weekly Devotions Audio Devotionals Topical Studies Contact  Contact us About Him! Ministries |