Armor UP
Do you exercise every day?
No, exercising won’t prevent every disease. But, it does help us physically, mentally, and emotionally. We either take the time and effort to do it, or we don’t. Regardless, we’ll be affected by our choice. The same is true with putting on the armor of God. In the past I didn’t exercise regularly. I didn’t put on the full armor of God regularly. Now, I do.
Why Armor UP?
Why is it important to follow the instructions in Ephesians 6:10-19? God wants us to succeed in standing against temptation, and the facts are:
- We’re in a struggle with spiritual forces of wickedness. verse 12
- We’re in the bulls eye of the evil one’s flaming arrows. verse 16
How to Armor UP
1. Make “Armoring UP” a Part of Your Morning Routine.
Think of it as your spiritual clothes closet that you go to every day to get dressed.
2. Read and Re-read It. Plant it in Your Mind.
Pour over the words in Ephesians 6; meditating on the importance of standing against the devil’s schemes. You may want to print this page so you can carry it with you.
Ephesians 6:10-19
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
11 Put on the FULL armor of God, so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes.
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.
13 Therefore put on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the BELT OF TRUTH around your waist, with the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS in place,
15 and with your FEET FITTED with the readiness that comes from the GOSPEL OF PEACE.
16 In addition to all this, take up the SHIELD OF FAITH, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the HELMET OF SALVATION and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the word of God.
18 And PRAY IN THE SPIRIT on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
3. Prayerfully Visualize Putting On the Pieces of Armor
A part of my early mornings is kneeling and meditatively putting on each piece of armor. I then intercede (as instructed in verse 18-19) for family, friends, my church, our nation, the unsaved, and ministry God has called me to do.
Our daily routines are important. What we purposefully do affects our strength and success. We can make wise choices in accordance with God’s words to us. We can daily armor up!
What Do You Think
- How seriously do you take our Father’s instructions to armor up?
- What Biblical “truth” have you memorized so that you don’t trip up and fall for one of Satan’s schemes?
Heavenly Father, thank You for clearly explaining that we are in an invisible battle against spiritual forces of darkness, but that we are not defenseless. Help us take seriously your charge to us to armor up!