Are you putting on The Full Armor of GOD?

My aunt had a 49cc Honda moped in like 1983. When I was in the fifth grade starting at a new school and living in a new town, which happened to be next door to the town I lived in for four years and was a small town rival. I was living with my aunt in town when school started, due to our house was not finished and ready to live in. My aunt and uncle insisted that I wear a helmet when operating the moped and to stay within the few blocks within the neighborhood. I am embarrassed to admit that for a few times, I did not wear a helmet, and it caught up with me! I was followed home by a police officer, who knew the red moped of my aunt and uncle, and he told my aunt and chastised me thoroughly! Needless to say, I was not allowed to ride the moped anymore. The officer made it a point to inform me that a helmet was not a suggestion but the law, and it is much better to get a scolding than a head injury. Since that time, I have ridden several moving type vehicles and I always wear a helmet or the appropriate equipment. I wonder how many believers do the same thing with the whole Amor of God? As a result of not wearing our spiritual armor, we aren't walking in the victory that Jesus bought for us with His precious blood.

Everyday we are getting spiritual scolding's, essentially, we are battling against spiritual attacks. We are unable to stand up to the wiles of the devil, unable to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and constantly being hurt and harassed by the enemy. Our problem is not that we don't have the Armor of God; our problem is that we just aren't using it. Don't just store God's armor in your head; you need to "dress" your mind and actions with it!

Ephesians 6:10-18- Describes the Armor of God and it's uses.

The Helmet of Salvation - Instead of the Hat of Condemnation

We put on the helmet of salvation when we believe that we are saved, and we confess that we are saved. We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ through faith. The gift of salvation makes us children of God. He prepares a place in heaven for us and enables the Holy Spirit to live in us.

Salvation is a helmet that we must wear. By living constantly aware of our salvation, we protect our minds from the attack of the devil. Believers have the helmet of salvation but often choose to wear the hat of condemnation. Their mind id filled with guilt or shame, they live in constant fear of loosing their salvation. But your salvation is in Jesus Christ and your salvation is secure!

Put salvation on your mind. Don't wear hats of guilt, shame, and fear; put on salvation. Confess with your mouth, out loud, that Jesus is your personal Savior. No one can snatch you out of His hand. Having salvation protects us from the wrath of God, but wearing salvation protects us from the attacks of the devil.

Breastplate of Righteousness - From Rags to Righteousness

Our human righteousness is as filthy rags, but Jesus' righteousness is bulletproof. Righteousness is more than just forgiveness. It's right standing before God. Jesus became sin so that we can be made righteous. Jesus was not a sinner, but He became sin on the cross so that I will be righteous in and through Him. I am not righteous in myself. Jesus died on the cross taking upon Himself, my sins so that I can live as a righteous person. This robe (breastplate) of righteousness is powerful protection from the condemnation of the devil. If salvation protects the head, righteousness protects the heart. If our heart condemns us, we have something bigger that our heart... the blood of Jesus Christ. The cross is greater than our heart: that's why Jesus' righteousness protects the heart.

Through righteousness, we are as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1), not easily shaken (Psalm 112:6), and we get up after a fall (Proverbs 24:16). Blessed are those who thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). God delivers the righteous man from all afflictions (Psalm 34:19). We reign in life through the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17).

Every believer has this righteousness, but not every believer puts on His righteousness. This means that they are not constantly aware of who they are in Christ. Most of us live with sin consciousness, not righteous consciousness. As a result, we get spiritual heart attacks. The devil attacks our hearts because we are not "wearing" righteousness. It's time to take off your rags of self and put on His righteousness. Believe that you are righteous. If you don't feel it, look to the cross. It's not about feeling it but believing it. Confess that you are righteous. Be constantly aware of your righteousness in Jesus Christ. That is your royal garment. That is your dress code for spiritual warfare.

The Sword of the Spirit - Spiritual Stabbing

Out of all the spiritual armor that Paul mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6, the sword is the only offensive piece of the armor that is used for the purpose of fighting. The rest of the pieces of armor are for our personal defense, for the purpose of standing in the victory given to us by Jesus. This sword of the the Spirit is the Word of God. It's not called the sword of Jesus nor the sword of the Father, but of the Holy Spirit. That means that the Word of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The power of the Spirit is released by God's Word.

Victory over the enemy is possible by using the sword. Jesus modeled that for us in the wilderness. Jesus didn't use His own name or divine nature to cause the devil to be defeated. He used Scriptures. He used the sword of God's Word. And this sword works every single time.

It's important to emphasize that Jesus spoke the Scriptures out loud against the devil. "But He answered and said, "It is written..." (Matthew 4:4). Most of the devil's attacks will be in our mind, but our fight against these attacks has to be with our mouth. When Satan throws darts at you in the form of your thoughts or feelings, don't fight back with "thoughts". Open you mouth and speak out the Scriptures as Jesus did. The Word of God declared out of your mouth has the same power as the Word of God out of Jesus' mouth. Fighting demonic thoughts with human thoughts doesn't bring victory. Demonic attacks are fought with the sword which is spoken out of your mouth.

Fight the spiritual enemy with the sword of the Holy Spirit by declaring God's Word out loud. It might sound strange and it will even feel weird at first, but remember, your words are swords in the spiritual realm: they are affecting the devil, even if you don't see it with your physical eyes. Every time you are speaking the Scripture, you are stabbing Satan. That is what is happening in the spirit realm. After a while, the devil will flee from you as he did from Jesus.

The Gospels of Peace (Just doing the Work) and the Shield of Faith

You must know the story or the gospel of Jesus Christ and practice your faith daily. We are all called to be ministers of the faith and be examples for others. Meaning that we should live our lives as living examples of Jesus Christ, by ministering to those in need. They are all around us everyday. Greeting everyone with a smile or maybe even just a Hello! We must die to self and seek opportunities to serve. You don't have to be licensed or ordained by any institution. If you have Jesus Christ as your savior, been publicly baptized, and are diligently in God's Word, then help others to find the path of righteousness. The Shield of Faith is for you to be able to block the fiery darts of doubt, anger, and regret. But we cannot hide behind the shield with people. Meaning we must share our faith with others, but living our lives as examples of Jesus Christ.

It's not about Winning but Standing!

It is vital to notice that spiritual armor is not for winning a battle, but is used for standing firm in the victory. Your spiritual armor enables you to stand in the victory that Christ has already won. It enables you to firmly withstand the attacks and the fiery accusation of the wicked on, the devil.

It is true that the Bible says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but do wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual hosts, but we wrestle from a position of victory.

We don't fight for victory; we fight from victory. The main purpose of the Amor of God is not for fighting but to enable us to stand firm in the victory of Jesus Christ. Just stand and do not move from your position of victory!

Don't Fight People!!!

It's important to notice that we don't put on God's armor to wrestle against flesh and blood. In other words, we are not at war with people. It is not possible to live victoriously in the spiritual realm while clashing with people in the flesh. That is why Paul reminds us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

God anoints us to win spiritual battles, not arguments with people. We are not called to squabble with people. The devil entices us to engage in battles that are not ours. Do not fight people. The wicked one tempts us to fight our brothers and sisters so that we forget to fight him. Don't waste your anointing on battles that God didn't call you to.

To walk victoriously in the spiritual realm, we must stay focused and walk away from conflicts with people, no matter how enticing those battles may be.

Put on the Full Armor of God daily!