Thesis 63- We must put on the full armor of God.
The devil, we are told, is more crafty than any of the beasts of the field. It is likely the zenith of craftiness, when you are at war, to persuade your enemy that there is no war. We remember that Jesus tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, and the devil leads us to this deadly conclusion- therefore the war isn’t real. There has been a fierce war going on from Eden between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The Bible, which has every true answer to answer every lie of the devil, reminds us time and again that the war is real.
Paul tells us:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6: 10-17).
His wiles have led us to believe that only people given to fits of holy laughter, people knocked down by Benny Hinn’s jacket are engaged in what they think is spiritual warfare. The rest of us, while willing to acknowledge that demons exist, think they left the planet in the first century. He wants us to disregard Paul’s warning, suggesting that if we do so we won’t look like kooks to our neighbors. Paul, on the other hand, wants us to stand, and knows just what it takes.
We need truth. Not my truth or your truth. We need true truth, God’s truth to free up our legs for battle. We need the righteousness of Christ to repel the accusations of the slanderer. Our hearts are protected by the righteousness we did not earn. We need our feet beautified by the gospel of peace, making us immovable on the one hand, and unstoppable on the other. We need faith, to believe Him and every one of His precious promises, for such puts out the discouragement of the devil. We protect our minds with the helmet of salvation and attack the gates of hell with God’s Word unsheathed.
Reformation is nothing more or less than waging the war for the kingdom. We do so by faith, and with good cheer, knowing He has already overcome the world. We make manifest, by His grace and in His power, the glory, the beauty and the wonder of His eternal reign.