Suit Up

Open your spiritual closet, dust off God’s armor, and put it on. It’s time to be powerful and effective.

April’s Awakening, Day 25

Before the war begins, seek out your ally; before you fall ill, seek out your physician; and before grievous things come upon you, pray, and in the time of your tribulations you will find Him, and He will listen to you.

 —Isaac the Syrian  

It is in the field of prayer that life’s critical battles are lost or won. In prayer we bring our spiritual enemies into the presence of God and we fight them there.

 —J. H. Jowett 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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. Ephesians 6:14–18 NIV 

            Before going into any battle, preparation is necessary and the proper attire and hardware are essential. The Bible describes five pieces of defensive spiritual armor which are required attire to thwart the onslaught of the enemy. In addition to the defensive armor, we have the most powerful weapon to wield both in a defensive fashion and an offensive fashion to take the high ground—the sword of the Spirit, which is the invincible Word of God. But first, let’s suit up in our defensive armor.

            First, put on the belt of truth, buckled firmly around your waist, surrounding you on every side with God’s Truth, His Word. This invisible and impenetrable barrier of His truth must surround you on all sides because the enemy will come from every direction and speaks only lies and distortions. You must know God’s Word and His Truth to effectively resist the lying schemes of the enemy and stand firmly in the truth of His Word.

            Second, put on the breastplate of righteousness, Christ’s righteousness imputed to you, which covers your most vulnerable place of attack—your heart. Your heart is your center and essence of being and it must be covered and protected at all cost. Your righteousness and full forgiveness come from Christ, and the Accuser will come at your heart with every weapon that he has. Guard your heart, the wellspring of your soul, with the knowledge that you are freed from the power of sin and death and there is no condemnation in Christ.

            Third, put on the shoes of the gospel of peace, the Gospel of the knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The shoes carry you onward at lightning speed to bring forth not only your personal testimony of Christ in your life, but also give you the ability to spread the Good News of Christ to all you can reach. Nothing thwarts the enemy more than spreading the Gospel, and nothing can diminish the power of your personal testimony. Run to win. You have the shoes.

            Fourth, grab the shield of faith, faith and belief in Christ so powerful that no flaming arrow or fiery dart of the evil one can penetrate your presence with any doubt, fear, shame, or worry because your trust is on the firm foundation of His every promise for you. Nothing can sway you, nothing can move you from His hand that firmly holds you and shields you.  

            The fifth, and final, piece of armor to put on is the helmet of salvation, the undeniable assurance that you are a beloved child of the King of Glory and you are going home soon. The helmet covers the other most vulnerable part of you—the head, and every thought and desire and hope. The helmet makes you take every thought captive to be obedient to the mind of Christ. Satan loves to distract you and distort and twist your thoughts to conform to the world or your old self instead of living in the newness of Christ. The helmet is there to protect your mind to keep it in the purity and nobility of your new creation in Christ.

            You’re fully suited up in your spiritual armor and now you grab the ultimate weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Nothing is more powerful and effective than God’s written Word. With the spoken Word, God brought everything into existence. With it, Christ thwarted the lies and temptations of Satan in the desert. It has the power to heal, cast out demons, bring the dead back to life, and move mountains of obstacles. Know it, love it, speak it, live it. God’s Word is the only weapon you need.

            Finally, pray with the understanding and pray in the Spirit. Prayer, along with the Word of God, is your strategy for combating the enemy and seeing the victorious hand of God move. Remember, Christ already has full victory, we just need to keep reminding Satan and ourselves of that fact. You can run to win, because Christ has already won.