In Ephesians 6:11,13 the Apostle Paul tells us to “put on the whole armor of God” so that we will be able to repel the devil’s temptations and gain the victory over him.  Before moving on, let us remember that when a prophet or apostle “speaks” to us through the Scriptures, that it is God, through His Holy Spirit within them, that is speaking to us.  Read 2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:14-16.  Before we determine what is the spiritual armor of God, let the Apostle James explain where the armor is located and how it works to keep us from giving in to the temptations of the “prince” of the world’s darkness and his angelic “powers of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

In James 1:12-16 the apostle explains that God blesses with the crown of life (salvation) those who, WHEN (not if) they are tempted, are able to resist and overcome the enemy.  By overcoming the temptation to sin the saint accomplishes two things: 1) he reserves for himself a place on Christ’s throne in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21) and 2) he proves that the loves the Lord (vs 12).  Every convert is tempted by His spiritual enemies who try to make his humanness overcome his holiness.  We are all human (including Jesus of Nazareth) and have human desires that are Scripturally known as “lusts.”  But God’s saint must, through the Holy Spirit, overcome the pull of those human traits, AS DID JESUS OF NAZARETH.  To fail to overcome them proves that one is no different from everyone else.   God’s people are “holy” and “peculiar”–the opposite of those around them.  Read “You Walk as Men.”  Key word, Men.  God commands His saint to “walk as He (Jesus) walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and to “overcome as I (Jesus) overcame” Satan (Rev. 3:21).  Like every other true saint, He had to overcome his humanness by using his armor (firewall) to protect Himself from Satan’s “fiery darts” (Eph. 6:16) of temptation (Heb. 4:15).  The saint is in charge of his firewall and can construct it or not construct it according to his will.  The Holy Spirit is the power he uses to construct his spiritual firewall and keep it in place.  However, if he allows his humanness (natural “lust”–strong desire) to “draw him away” from the Lord through Satan’s enticement (to allow his armor/firewall to collapse), this allows his natural human desire (“lust”) to unite with Satan’s temptation (to “conceive”–Jam. 1:15–more later), thereby placing Satan in charge of his “walk.”  Sin is always the outcome of this transition of power from man to the devil, thereby separating the sinner from God (Isa. 59:2), which brings forth death (vs 15).  Only true repentance can remove the sin and enable the repentant soul to reconstruct his armor/firewall.  In order for the future not to be like the past, the believer must have a change of heart which results in the building or rebuilding of the firewall and making it permanent.  However, if he continues in Satan’s sin-repent cycle he spiritually REcrucifies Christ (Heb. 6:6) with each sin.  The end result of such a walk is eternal death.  Therefore God, through James, commands the church sinner to STOP SINNING–STOP “CRUCIFYING CHRIST AFRESH.”  Each sin places the death hammer in the hand of the sinner where he uses it to spiritually kill the Messiah again, and again and again … ad infinitum, which is what the church preaches is a normal part of “Christian life.”  I was told by an ordained minister that he sinned “thousands of times” each day.  Another minister calls herself just “a sinner saved by grace.”  They both claim to be saved and born again.  Wrong on both counts.

Biblically, Sin and holiness are our only two choices relative to thoughts, words and acts.  How we use the armor/firewall material God provides for us reflects which choice we make and our standing with the Lord.  Having battled the devil for many years (I am 81), I know that the war is both arduous and unending.  In the past I lost more battles than I care to admit.

But victory goes to the determined.  When the Lord speaks of “the violent (man) takes the kingdom by force (Mat. 11:12) He is referring to the war holiness seekers wage against Satan.  Victory over temptation is its own reward.  Beating Satan at his own game makes victory so precious.  With each attack by Satan and my victory over him I say to him out loud: “I win, you lose.”  Victory is such sweet revenge.  Victory is only possible if there is war.  We are not to dread the individual battles that comprise this spiritual war–easier said than done.  The Apostle Peter tells us to “Rejoice and be glad” when we face various trials and temptations, for “the fiery trial of your faith will bring praise and honor (to the overcomer) at the return of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:6,7).  In 4:12,13 he (Peter) tells us not to think it strange when we face Satan’s “fiery trials.”  Rather, rejoice in that we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.  Unless, that is, we give in to temptation, separate ourselves from God and crucify Christ yet again.

The problem with the Institutional Church is that, as did Adam and Eve, her parishioners have embraced Satan’s “You will not surely die” attitude toward sin because their false prophets have convinced them that Jesus died so that they can sin and get away with it.  And Satan smiles, knowing that 99.99% of professing Christendom has believed his LIE (2 Thess. 2:11).  Read Original Sin.  Key word–Original.

Now that we know generally what the armor of God is and what it does, let us examine its various parts and how  we are to put them together to create our spiritual firewall.  In Ephesians 6:11-17 the Lord, through the Apostle Paul, commands us to personally “put on” and “take to” ourselves THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD SO THAT WE CAN STAND AGAINST SATAN’S TEMPTATIONS (vss 11,13).  Notice that WE are to TAKE THE LEAD in this process, to personally lay hold on the “pieces” of armor that the Lord has made available to us, TAKE THEM for ourselves and to PUT THEM ON.  God provides the pieces of armor that make up a firewall, but we must put them in place through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is our responsibility to personally receive them, put them on (in place) and keep them there.  Let us now examine the “pieces” that make up the wall of spiritual armor designed to protect us from Satan’s “fiery darts” of temptation.

In Ephesians 6:14 we are told to gird our loins with God’s TRUTH (Word–Jn. 17:17).  Anciently men wore robes on a daily basis.  When going into battle they would wrap a cord around their midsections to keep the edges of their robes out of the way.  We are to “wrap (gird) ourselves” with God’s Holy Word by spiritually ingesting it through continuous study, thereby causing us to be approved by God (2 Tim. 2:15).  I have found that memorizing Scriptures is a good way to do this.  WE are told to PUT ON the “breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS” (vs 14).  We are to develop righteousness and holiness through obedience to the Lord which is required in order to receive the “crown of life.”  This Truth is confirmed in Romans 5:21 and 6:22 where we are told that ETERNAL LIFE IS THE END RESULT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS.  Righteousness and holiness come only through obedience to the “whole counsel (Word) of God” which the prophets and apostles preached.  In order to obey it we must study it and believe it.

In verse 15 we are told to shod our feet with the GOSPEL (Word/Truth/Light/Will) of God.  Wherever we go (“walk”) in this life we are to bear (reveal) in our words, thoughts and deeds (our “walk”) the Gospel of God–the good news about the coming earthly Kingdom of God which Jesus will establish upon His return.  Read The Kingdom of God.  Key word–Kingdom.

In verse 16 Paul tells us that we must have Bible-based FAITH that enables the armor/firewall to work.  Without faith accompanied by works of faith (obedience), our armor will not quinch Satan’s fiery darts of temptation.  Notice the word “take” relative to our having faith, meaning that it is our duty to develop faith by taking God at His Word, for “faith comes by hearing the Word of God” and knowing that it is true.  Paul uses the word “hearing” relative to building faith because most people in that day were illiterate and Bibles could only be found in local synagogues and in the Temple in Jerusalem.  People learned the Scriptures by HEARING them read by the priests.

In verse 17 we are told to take the helmet of SALVATION.  The helmet covered and protected the brain (mind/heart) where decisions are made and where faith resides.  We are to always be thinking toward the salvation that Jesus will make available to His saints upon His return.  Until then we are to have the faith (a mental construct) that salvation will be our reward for holiness.  As Psalm 118:15 tells us, “salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous.”  The righteous man is the temple (tabernacle) of God (1 Cor. 3:16).  Through faith we have the HOPE OF SALVATION within us.  Read Hope and Salvation.  Key word–Hope.  Again Paul tells us to take the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD, into our hearts.  It is in the Word that we are promised eternal life.  In order to receive that precious promise we must keep God’s Word in our hearts at all times (beneath the helmet).  Everything we know about the Godhead we learned from the Holy Scriptures.  Let us meditate on them as often as possible.  L.J.