REFLECTIONS #132: WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?PART ONE
We all seem to live such busy lives these days. Even those of us who are retired! We wake up in the morning and immediately start thinking of everything we need or want to get done that day. We hop, or crawl, out of bed, get our coffee or tea or juice, get dressed in clothes appropriate for the tasks, and dive in to the activities of the day.
ARE WE FORGETTING SOMETHING?
I think far too many of us Christians, far too often, walk out the door half-dressed. At least I know I am guilty of that! But the Lord is speaking to my heart that it is more important than ever that we take time to stop and purposefully and with intention put on the spiritual armor He has given us. Without it, we are like a soldier in the middle of a battle without his helmet or his weapons. Holy Spirit just said, “You’re not like that soldier, you are that soldier.”
That explains a lot, because we are in a battle. every. single. day., whether we realize it or not! As we talked about in REFLECTIONS #131, satan has declared war against GOD and against GOD’s people. And satan and his demons and foot-soldiers don’t take days off. Why are we not living victorious, overcoming, conquering lives? Maybe it’s because we aren’t dressed for the battle! The battles are only going to get more intense in the coming days. And by the way, satan makes no distinction between soldiers and civilians, so even if you think you aren’t a soldier in Christ’s army, satan will attack you as viciously as any soldier in the field. The truth is, if you are a Christian, you are a soldier for the Kingdom of God. You may be thinking, as some recruits do, “Hey, I didn’t sign up for this!” Well, my friend, Jesus did say to count the cost, because the cost is your life, offered as a living sacrifice daily (see Romans 12:1). We lose our lives so we may have His (see Matthew 10:39). By the way, don’t think there’s safety in rejecting God or just going AWOL. Satan does hate God’s children, but he also hates those who are not God’s children. He is an equal-opportunity destroyer, murderer, and thief of all men, because God loves all mankind.
“That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8 AMP.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO PUT ON OUR ARMOR?
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:11-12
on: endyo, Greek, Strong’s #1746—to sink into, clothe one’s self
able: dynamai, Greek, Strong’s #1410—to be able, have power, to be capable, strong and powerful
stand: histemi, Greek, Strong’s #2476—to make firm, fix establish, to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything
against: pros, Greek, Strong’s #4314—to the advantage of, motion towards
wiles: methodeia, Greek, Strong’s #3180—cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery
wrestle: pale, Greek, Strong’s #3823—a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck; the term is transferred to the Christian’s struggle with the power of evil
So we must put on our armor to have the power and the capability to establish, enforce, and uphold Christ’s victory and authority over satan! Our armor gives us the power and capability to go toward and confront and DEFEAT the cunning arts, deceit, craft, and trickery of the devil! We are always in a wrestling match—either the devil will hold us down with his hand on our neck or we will throw him down and pin him with our hand on his neck! If we want to be the victor instead of the victim, we MUST put on, “sink into,” our armor, and learn to use it! I really like that “sink into”—it’s as if we are being told to become one with our armor.
Whether we are going out or staying home, one of the very first things we must do in the mornings is to check and re-dress ourselves in our armor. We are engaged in spiritual warfare as much at home as anywhere we go, maybe more so, but we often forget that and get careless. When we are careless, we are giving that fiercely hungry lion an opportunity to attack. It is so important to understand that we should NEVER walk in fear of satan—but we shouldn’t walk in STUPID, either! We have an actual enemy, and we must realize that and be prepared to resist him at all times. When we Resist, he RUNS!
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7 KJV.
resist: anthistemi, Greek, Strong’s #436—to stand against, to withstand, to oppose, to set against.
flee: pheugo, Greek, Strong’s #5343—to run away, to vanish, to escape, seek safety by flight
We are not to fear satan, because Jesus has already thoroughly and completely defeated him! And Jesus has given us, His Church, His authority to trample on the serpents and scorpions (See Luke 10:19)! But like any enemy, if we don’t resist and withstand and set ourselves against him, he will make mincemeat of us. Some of us are walking in the spirit of fear and some of us are walking in the spirit of stupid, and neither of those are from God! When we resist the devil, he flees. He is afraid of the Christian who knows his or her authority in Christ.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7.
spirit: pneuma, Greek, Strong’s #4151—the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one; the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
fear: deilia, Greek, Strong’s #1167—timidity, fearfulness, cowardice
power: dynamis, Greek, Strong’s #1411—force, miraculous power, strength power, ability, inherent power
love: agape, Greek, Strong’s # 26—brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence, a love-feast
sound: sophronismos, Greek Strong’s #4995—discipline, self-control, sound mind
To me this verse is saying that our primary disposition is not one of fear but of knowing we have inherent miraculous power because of Whose we are and Who dwells within us. We are living in the love of God, a veritable love feast, and experiencing His benevolence (kindness, compassion, and generosity) all the time! We have self-control and self-discipline, and we take captive and throw away any thoughts from the enemy, keeping our mind stayed on the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?
Do you have on your armor at this moment? Beloved, we need our armor more than ever in these last days. And we need revelation about what constitutes our armor and how to skillfully use each piece. There are many needless casualties in any war caused by carelessness, poor training, missing or defective equipment, and poor planning. These are casualties that don’t have to happen; these are casualties that should not happen!
We will be taking a closer look at each piece of the armor the Apostle Paul tells us to put on in the next post. Pray that the Lord will give us a deeper revelation about the importance and significance of each piece and how to use it skillfully. Go to Ephesians 6 and start to do your own study. Share with us what the Lord shows you.
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We are all in this together, brothers and sisters!
Victory in Jesus!
Love, Hugs, and Blessings,
Syandra
His will, His way, whatever the cost!