The Full Armour of God

Scripture: Ephesians 6 v 10 -12:  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”


The reason God gave this spiritual armour to us is because we wrestle not against flesh and blood. This means that every major problem we encounter seemingly on the  human level, is actually a wrestling match against the rulers of darkness of this world - Satan and his demons, who have ruled over human beings since the Garden of Eden.

It's a wrestling match on a spiritual level when Jesus within us fights against evil spirits oppressing us. Many millions of people have no idea about this reality. Their bitter family feuds; ugly divorces; history of miscarriages; inherited illnesses etc are seen as unavoidable human conditions.  

Tragedies like rape, murder, loss through scams or theft; car accidents;  wars; atrocities; addictions; abortion; sexual sins; and most other conditions that SEEM to be controlled by humans can be placed at the feet of the puppet-master, Satan.  If human beings knew Jesus and His victory over the Devil it would solve many problems for them.

God gave all humans a free will to choose whether we would serve Him or not.  If we choose not to serve Almighty God and His Son Jesus, but some other god or be an atheist, we are in the midst of Satan’s kingdom and under his control.  

He uses these rebellious humans in his sadistic mind games aimed at destroying all those who are in the Kingdom of God.  This is why we need to put on this armour and never remove it.  It protects the born again saints against the fiery darts of the enemy of our souls.  

The girdle of truth keeps us honest in all our dealings with other people.  Jesus honours those who refuse to tell white lies to get out of tricky situations, as the truth will set us free, and lies will bind us.  The strongest infallible truth is the Holy Bible.  Read it daily and do what it says to do.  This is God’s will for us.

The breastplate of righteousness covers our heart and keeps us from sinful deeds.  If we do not overcome sin in our lives this protection loses its effectiveness and we need to do some repenting to get it back.  Jesus said that its from our innermost beings that wrong thoughts and ideas originate.  These thoughts are not sin but if we don't curb or restrain them but allow them to happen, that is sin.

Temptations happen to everybody.  Satan presents us with an opportunity to steal and we seriously think about attempting it, then we decide that's not what we want to do and we walk away.  That's victory over sin and temptation.  If we are covered by the armour the next time such a thought arises we immediately rebuke Satan and reject his suggestions.  The common expression is, we can let a bird land on our heads but stop it making a nest in our hair.

The helmet of salvation protects our minds from bad thoughts, evil imaginations, sexual fantasies and mental diseases.  We are in control of our minds and need to exercise that control.  Chase those thoughts away.  Reject opening your soul to pornography.  Any time you lust after someone who is not your spouse you have committed the sin of adultery.

Ephesians 6 v 14 - 17:  "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
 15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
 17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

Our feet must carry us to those who need salvation and peace.  We must always be ready to share the truth with others.  We have a shield called faith which protects us from the many ways Satan has of trying to trip us up.  We must use this shield to make it effective.  If we stand with our shield trailing on the ground while the enemy is flinging arrows and fiery darts at our souls, he will overcome us.  We need to master this shield and wield it whenever needed.

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, the Bible.  If we neglect to read and do what God says in this "Manufacturer's Manual" then our spiritual equipment and armour will become rusty and useless.  God has given us these things to help us maintain ourselves spiritually so we are always alert and ready to fend off problems before they become disasters.

The Armour is for every Christian and its given because we must fight against evil.  We must understand that we are not fighting against people of flesh and blood.  We are fighting against evil spirits that influence them to do inhuman things.  We have to bind those spirits in Jesus' name.  Binding them paralyzes them and silences them.  Keep going until peace is restored.  Jesus is with us and responds to our prayers.  

If we are alert and sense an imminent onslaught we should use the gift of discerning of spirits to know what is heading our way.  It may be people being stirred up to riot or protest on a route we normally take.  The Lord will alert us to danger and we should take another road or stay home.  

If there is trouble on the other side of our front door, the Lord would give us a feeling of extreme anxiety so that we block entry and stay out of harm's way.  I remember an occasion some years ago when a woman disagreed with me over the telephone.  The Lord told me she was on her way over to confront me.  I prayed to bind any evil or wrong attitudes and felt led to apply the Blood of Jesus across my front door step.

When she arrived she was in a furious rage.  She refused to enter my house.  So I walked into the lounge and she either had to follow me or leave.  She decided to come in.  She sat down and burst into tears and said she was sorry but she knew she was wrong.  We were able to pray together and restore fellowship.  The demons were bound, and the Blood of Jesus restored sense to her.  We can only praise God for His love and mercy.


Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have covered every angle the enemy can use against us, and it is up to us to use all Your provision to live an abundant life in Your kingdom.  Thanks for this spiritual armour that protects us.  Lord help us to keep it on by being obedient to Your Word.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.