As a child, learning lessons in Sunday school about the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18, I thought it was just an analogy or an illustrative pump-you-up kind of message. I carried the passage with me by memory. I probably even quoted it a time or two when I was alarmed by a mysterious presence. The armor seemed like a representation of spiritual strength. It was a doctrine used to defeat the demons.
It wasn’t until I was an adult, assailed by dark spiritual forces in the middle of the night, that I discovered something entirely different about God’s armor.
The spiritual attack materialized as murderous threats displayed in a heart-pounding nightmare and a soul-suffocating spirit speaking lies regarding the lives of our children…
I’d been reading about our spiritual armor again recently. God had been niggling me about diving deeper into a book which discussed the meaning and use of each piece. I’d been slow to obey.
Thankfully, just a day or so before, I’d perused past the intro to learn more about the belt of truth.. I don’t know what would have happened without that crash course in the critical “knowledge of God.”
…Due to the nightmare, I’d woken up sweating.
I couldn’t rouse my husband beyond a mumbled prayer of protection. This test had been assigned to me.
I couldn’t stay in bed. A dark presence had let itself into our apartment. My body was trembling after the deadly dream scenes. And now sharp cries from the room next door seemed to confirm the sinister demonic lie, “I could suffocate your babies right now.”
I went there quickly to rescue our restless son. I clutched him close to soothe his sobs, and to reassure myself he’d stay alive.
And then, I began to wearily appropriate what was already mine as a child of God.
I PRAYED ON MY ARMOR.
I called on Jesus for help.
I told the enemy to leave me alone in Jesus’ name.
I sang worship songs.
But the tangible evil presence and its lie continued…because I was believing it, or couldn’t figure out how to refute it.
I felt like I was losing the fight…because I was.
I saw a vision (a picture in my imagination) of being vanquished on the battle field, with war raging all around me. I was losing ground, falling back, and asking God in confusion, “Why? Why are the Sunday school Biblical strategies not working? Why am I being overcome?”
The Holy Spirit brought me swiftly into Biblical meditation.
“The belt of truth….The belt of TRUTH…what is THE TRUTH?!?!”
When I turned my mind to verses in the written Word of God, and to Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, the belt of truth, which I had girded about my spiritual waist through prayer, became perceptibly secure.
In faith, I then began to assert myself. I grew more and more confident by the moment that God’s protection was fully mine, and that I was safeguarded by the power of His perfect will, secure within His Sovereign hand.
I remembered that the devil couldn’t lay a finger on me or our children unless God allowed it.
We’d been there before ~ at death’s doorway ~ saved by a series of miracles. But other children do die. It’s the fact that had made the lie seem believable.
Yet long ago, I had placed my trust in God according to Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
I’d seen God’s hand at work according to Romans 8:28 so many times. For God works ALL THINGS together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose.
In that victorious moment, raising my shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, I spoke out by His Spirit from within my spirit, “Whatever God allows I trust! But you, devil, cannot lay a finger on me if God does not permit it! He is Almighty God. He has the final word. Our security is in Him!”
AND THAT WAS THE TRUTH!!
My spirit literally lifted up to a “standing firm” position. In Christ, I’d WON!! And now I was on the offense. “Get away from me, satan. Get out of my house. You’ve lost!”
I walked around determinedly in the stillness of the apartment and sang praise and worship, full of RELIEF, JOY, and GRATITUDE!
Psalm 28:6-7 Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
Just like I had wanted to protect my baby, God had wanted to protect His. And what I learned that day, and have proclaimed ever since, is “The armor of God is REAL. I mean like REALLY REAL! Every Christian needs to know this!”
Without our intentional use of the armor of God, without our belief in the privilege of The Authority of the Believer, without our resistance…. the devil’s attacks can infiltrate our mind, our emotions, and our will with his LIES. He can attack us physically as well. He can take advantage of our cluelessness, or laziness, or numbness, or stoke our fears…
SO TAKE AUTHORITY and stand firm in your faith as a child of God!
The description of spiritual armor is not just an analogy, but a powerful protective REALITY.
God’s spiritual armor is not theoretical – it’s a GIFT!!
HALLELUJAH!!
Each piece of spiritual body armor is akin to Jesus Christ Himself:
The Helmet – He is our salvation and He gives us His mind which equals right thinking. (1 Corinthians 2)
The Breastplate of Righteousness – Jesus is the Perfect Lamb of God. His sacrifice on the cross cleansed us and gave us His righteousness (Isaiah 53:4-5, 11 and 2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Belt of Truth – Jesus is The Truth ~ not “my” truth or “your” truth. His truth is not relative, subjective, or up for debate. (John 14:6) We learn His Truth by reading, meditating on, and memorizing His Word.
Shoes of The Gospel of Peace – Blessed are the feet of him who brings good news! (Isaiah 52:7)
Praying on your armor is synonymous with praying Psalm 91, or drawing near to God as He draws near to you (James 4:7-8), or hiding in Him / standing firm in Him because He is our rock and our fortress, our deliverer, our strong tower. (Psalm 18:1-2).
Important to note that The Shield of Faith and The Sword of the Spirit ~ The Word of God, are ours to engage by raising them up to quench the lies, accusations, and temptations of the enemy.
If we do not exercise our faith and speak God’s Word (like Jesus did in Matthew 4:1-11), then we are standing with our arms hanging at our sides, letting the fiery darts infiltrate our hearts and minds, or cause harm to our bodies.
Instead, we need to know that we’ve already received the victory in Christ to STAND FIRM instead of shrink back, or succumb, or fail. (The command to stand firm is given 3x in Ephesians 6:10-18).
SO FEAR NOT WHEN THE DARKNESS COMES AT YOU. RUN TO JESUS AND PUT ON YOUR ARMOR. HE’S ALREADY WON THE BATTLE. PRAISE HIM!
James 4:1-2
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…
James 4:7-8
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.