# 32 2018 Dev. Eph. 6:12 “The Armor of God”. Read vs. 10-23.The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Paul ends the letter to the Ephesians and to the surrounding churches with a disturbing warning and a method to protect themselves and how we may protect ourselves from what Paul calls; “the devil’s schemes”. Today, do we recognize what Paul is warning us about? Given the type of entertainment that is popular: Star Wars, Black Panther, 3xmen, Apocalypse, Hunger Games, Batman vs Superman to mention a few, are we desensitized to the evil spiritual forces Paul is warning us about? I do not claim to have the answer but I am asking the question. Satan would like us to do just that and not take him seriously. For those of us who know that we do not struggle with flesh and blood but with spirits and principalities of evil, are protected by the armor of God. It is a spiritual armor and it must be put on!
Wear the belt of truth, truth sets us free. The breastplate of righteousness, protecting our vital organs: protecting our spiritual orientation. Put on the sandals of the Gospel of peace; “blessed are the feet that bring good news”. Holding on to the shield of faith, protecting us from evil spiritual attacks. Faith is the basis for what we believe and protects us from untruth. We are to put on the helmet of salvation, protecting our mind from non truth of this world. Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. God’s Word is a living book, speaking to us according to our needs.
The armor is what we wear and it should be obvious we have it on, but there are also prayer actions that protect us: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and always keep on praying”. Paul also asks for prayer that he may present the gospel fearlessly and clearly. It is a prayer that we all need and as missionaries it was a prayer we asked for from our supporters and relied on.
Let us keep on praying and keep on wearing the whole armor of God. We thank God for answered prayer!
© cgvanwyk, all rights reserved
Heavenhigh 