In this age of great moral confusion, Christians must brace themselves for the onslaught of a worldly system and its values being hammered onto us. In view of this barrage of ungodly 'poisons' by the evil one to fail Christians, PS Bible Ministry will take a closer and fresher look at the Armour of God. We have to know that these powerful, the six plus one-piece Armour that God wants us to PUT ON as we go and share the good news of God's love! This Armour provided by God for us is in view of mankind's number one enemy, Satan, who will do whatever he can to stop us advancing the the kingdom of God with the Gospel of Christ.
First of all, we must understand that only Christians who are prepared to do God's work need this Armour. A “soldier” who has quit the army does not need his uniform and his weapons. Anyway, the devil, our enemy, will leave these nominal Christians alone as they pose no threat to him.
Secondly, if we are serious with God, then we have to PUT ON the armour! In a war zone, it is unthinkable for a soldier to be in a fight without all the necessary gears and weapons! So many Christians are living defeated lives because they are ignorant of the spiritual Armour that is made available for them by God. They may gain victory at first but when the battle drags on, they lose their zeal and give up.
The letter of Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul in prison. All the time, there would be two Roman soldiers guarding him and since Paul had nowhere to go at that time, he could have watched carefully the Armour that the guards were wearing. Paul knew that the Christians’ fight for the sake of the gospel must go on to greater heights and to advance to greater territories. Satan is angry with Christians who bend on reaching the lost and he would do anything to stop the flow. The devil would battle with all his might to stop the advancement of the gospel at all cost.
(Ephesians 6:10-12)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
In these three verses, Paul wants Christians to be strong in the Lord! Why do they need to be strong? Simple. Because this Gospel of grace will go on stronger and the light of Christ shine brighter! Then he goes on to say that we need to fight!! We need to do battles! Battles with who? The terrorists? The Romans? NO!! But with the number one enemy, the devil!! And his plan to stop the gospel!! Therefore, we should STOP fighting people but do battle with Satan and his demons!! How?
We will discuss the first part of the full armour in this article.
Verse 14:- Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...
What is the belt according to Paul? A Roman soldier obviously has a robe he wears and this garment flows down to his ankle. And he uses the first armour that is the belt to tie the robe to the waist from being loose and flowing about. Without the belt, it will be crazy to fight his enemy. Have you seen any soldier who holds on to his uniform and fights in a war?
The belt is not only to tie his flowing robes but also to hold the sword. It is the central piece of the armour. Without it, the soldier loses his stability so to speak. He will not only be ineffective, eventually be defeated. He will become easy prey for the enemy. How can he fight when everything falls apart?
The Bible calls this the Belt of truth.
This piece of weapon talks generally about God’s truth. But for the Word of God to be effective, it must be personalised in our lives. Many Christians today are having the belt but they do not put it on. Most of us have heard countless sermons and read God’s Word as a strict duty. We know what God said in the Word. We know about God, how mighty He is and How powerful He is. It would not help us much in our battle with Satan if they are just stored up in our head. The devil is not disturbed with that, mere head knowledge thing. But if it’s sliding down to the heart, you are ready for war.
What is God saying to you personally? Do you experience God’s Word in a special way? Does the truth of God bring joy in your soul? There are a whole lot of treasures in the Word. Therefore, PUT ON the BELT of TRUTH! The more God’s Word be within you, the more steady you are. The more you get that Word into your heart, the tighter the belt. You then are able to stand firm and be in position! When the day of evil comes, you are ready. You are ready to gain ground in your fight for the Gospel to be advanced. God's work will be accomplished in your life!
Next: The Breastplate of Righteousness!
Next: The Breastplate of Righteousness!
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