The Armor of God

Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand (Ephesians 6:11).

I recently read an article talking about the creation of “the warrior spirit” in the minds and hearts of our military men and women. It said, in part, “They must live fully in body and mind, aggressively engaged in the particular cause of defense.”

We too are called to be warriors. However, there is one very important item of which to take note. The purpose of armor is not offensive. The whole purpose of armor is defensive. You and I as soldiers of the cross are, or will be, under attack. We are not allowed to sit on the sidelines! If we are indeed involved with living out the call of Christ in the world around us, the Scriptures inform us that WE WILL INDEED ENCOUTER  OPPOSITION! We are called to preach justice in an unjust world. We are called to forgive our enemies when conventional wisdoms cries for us to destroy them. We are called to give to the ungrateful. We are called to do great things even when it seems impossible with the resources we have. We are called to push through the comments of the author of lies who tells us that we are too weak, too small, too ill equipped, too old, too young, too. . .Well, I think you get the idea. We are told to prepare ourselves to stand firm when all sorts of doubts and fears assail us. We are called to be ready. After you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then. . .(Ephesians 6:13).

The only offensive weapon given to us is a sword, The Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. With all this armor to protect us we will survive, but if we are to win the day we must become acquainted with our offensive weapon. Is your sword more than an antique hung over the fireplace for display, kind of like your great grandfather’s favorite shotgun? Do you know how to use it? Are you familiar with how to clean it, how to load it, how to aim it for maximum efficiency? If you aren’t, you will survive because your defensive armor is strong, but do you want to do more with your Christian life than just survive the beatings the world can inflict on your faith? What soldier worth anything to his captain would run into the battle with ONLY his defensive armor in place, carrying no weapon to win the day for his commander? It is time to do weapons training. It is time to get to know that book that is in the drawer of the nightstand next to your bed, or on the coffee table, or up on the shelf in your library. It is time to open to read something other than the family tree that is posted in the front, to do something more with it than to add a baptism, a marriage, or a passing to the list already there.

In the year ahead, we will not be standing on the sidelines. We will take an active part in the advancement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth. There are no reserves in God’s army. We are all active duty.

Pastor Craig