Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil's schemes. . so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground. . . (Eph.6:11-13).
These verses come from a wonderful passage that vividly conjures
imaginations in our minds of Holy Armor and Righteous warfare. Anyone with an imaginative
flare for the days of shields and swords might see themselves in fierce battles with
demonic forces, seeking to save the lives of lost souls fallen prey to the wiles of Satan.
That might not be what you see, but you probably have some sort of strong mental image
that is drawn as you read Paul's description of the figurative armor he encourages us to
don.
Paul talks about a belt of truth, helmet of salvation, a shield of faith, a breastplate of
righteousness and the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God), and feet fitted with
readiness. Paul is trying to help us to understand how we need to be protected from the
"fiery darts" of the enemy. But what about the enemy within? What about the
enemy inside the armor?
The greatest enemy we shall know is a selfish heart. As we put ourselves before God we
will find that, were we to have our armor on, it would be useless. Wrong attitudes will
remove the edge from our swords, and complacent spirits will drop our shields of faith to
our sides. Even if we don our armor daily through reading the Word and praying, if the
armor is not in good repair or donned carelessly, we might as well be going without. Half
hearted quiet times filtered through the distractions of the day are no match for the
devil's attacks.
But let's not forget about our other armor. It is the armor of self-will. God cannot use a
stubborn, selfish heart, but He will try to change the heart to make it usable. His Truth
is a cutting knife. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the Word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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."
What happens when we resist the piercing Word? We begin to don a different armor, girded
with the belt of ignorance and hidden behind the shield of self-confidence. We become numb
to God's penetrating Word, and in turn, we develop an armor that defends us against Him.
It should be evident to us, then, that what is on the inside will oppose what is on the
outside. If God is allowed to penetrate into all of your being, then you will have His
strength in you to oppose the devils attacks. But if worldliness is allowed in, then it
will be a shield against God, and you will become numb to God's influence. You must choose
what or Who you will allow in, you cannot have it both ways. Jesus was very clear when He
said, "No man can serve two masters" (Mt.6:24).
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