Full Armor of God

  

Some of my topics can come across as "Sunday School-ish" but have you ever read something that you've read over and over for years and all of a sudden, a light bulb goes off? That's me in a nutshell. The more and more that I have been spending in God's Word digging for His promises and His character, the more He has revealed to me about His Truths and the devil's lies. Take Ephesians 6 for example. We have all heard of the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of truth, etc. but has it ever occurred to you that it is vital for us to heed what Paul is trying to tell us in this chapter?
    To understand the full armor concept, we must ask ourselves why. Why are we instructed to wear our armor? Ephesians 6:11-13 says:

                    ^"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

 

 

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior and you are following the Lord wholeheartedly, expect arrows being hurled towards you. The devil doesn't sleep. He needs no rest. He will use people close to you, strangers, and even your own mind to try and distract you from God's direction for your life. There are ways to dodge those darts and Paul goes on to describe on what to do in verses 14-18:

 

 

 ^"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

 

 

How can we add these pieces of armor to our spiritual bodies?

 

1. God's Word

 

It's good to do a devotion daily, but how often do we get stuck in the habit of doing mini devotions and going about our day without so much as chewing on it and digging further for more of God's infinite wisdom? One little devo that I had used in the past was Our Daily Bread. It is still a good little devotional and our church orders them and keeps them on hand, but do we stop there? Wake up, read that paragraph and go about our day feeling "satisfied" that we were able to cram in our "devotion" time? How about doing your devotions on your phone? Common sense tells you that it's better to grab the physical Word of God and eat it up rather than depend on your phone for insight or even Bible reading. Don't misunderstand what is being said here as well. Some people have no other access to a Bible but by their phone and that's good, but if you are at home, God's Word works best. Why? What typically happens when you start reading from your mobile device? It starts acting like a mobile device and before you know it, you are in the middle of reading the book of John and a text pops up. How about a phone call or notification? If you use the physical Bible and set your phone to the side, it will be easier to concentrate without being distracted by Facebook, Pinterest, or any other media source. And remember, reading His Word is better than not reading His Word. If you are doing it, keep on keeping on!

 

2. Earnest Prayerful Heart

 

Prayer is communication between you and God stretching from your physical realm to His spiritual realm. Prayer allows us to have an open dialogue with our heavenly Father. God wants us to need and want Him. Like a father to his child, He wants to protect us from bad things and bad people. We can ask Him to shield us from these fiery darts that the enemy throws at us. Let Him protect you.

 

What happens if a knight has every piece of armor on but neglected to wear his breastplate? That is the first place the enemy will aim and shoot. Why? It is unprotected. It is very important to stay armored and prepared for the enemy's blows especially if you are doing God's Will. If you are trying to led others to the Lord, you will be a target. Satan hates, loathes, the children of God. We have something inside of us that will always be greater than any plot he takes out against us. We have the power of God in us. Ephesians 3:20 says: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.." Think about it. According to I Corinthians 6:3, we will one day be able to judge Angels. Incredible if you sit and think about that one for awhile!

 

I plead and beg of you, it won't be easy at first, but Paul was trying to warn us and also help us. The Bible exists so that we may know God and know how to defeat the enemy at the same time. It is the ultimate survival guide for our lives. Soak yourselves in God's Holy Word, in daily communication with Him through prayer, and claim the power that is in you. Remember what I John 4:4 says?

 



 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

 

Another thing that I do throughout the day, especially if a negative thought comes racing to my mind, I immediately recite the Lord's Prayer and it's as if the room clears. The enemy and his minions don't stick around for long when you have a meeting with the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you want the enemy to flee, rebuke him immediately verbally, out loud, and recite the Lord's Prayer or just talk with God. If you haven't experienced what it's like to have a relationship with the Lord, please send me a message and I will reply. A lot of you already know me and know how to contact me through social media or through our external lives. Don't hesitate to contact. God bless. 



The Lord's Prayer: The Forgotten Prayer

I have often asked myself why I don't recite the Lord's Prayer more often. Even in my regular prayer time, I tend to have a hard time knowing what to pray for or even remembering all the prayer requests from individuals who have asked me to pray for them. After my prayers, it hits me that I left someone off the "list" and I have to go back and make sure that I covered that person. It almost turns into an obligation instead of an outpouring of my heart about myself or someone else or even about the Lord. But there's a way to pray that covers all the basics with God being at the center of it: The Lord's Prayer.

“(5)And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6)But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (7)And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8)“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (9) In this manner, therefore, pray:

 

"Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

 

(Matthew 6:5-13)

 

It's very important not to skip verse 8 when reading this passage. Do you notice what Jesus said?

 

             "...For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

 

God is omniscient. He knows EVERYTHING. Here are just a few verses of scripture that remind us of his omniscient nature:

 

"He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."  Psalm 145:4-5

 

"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13

 

 ^"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matthew 10:29-30

 

Christ went on to give us the perfect example of what to pray when we come to the Father and what better person to listen to than the One who is perfection manifested? Better yet, God manifested!

 

Arthur W. Pink wrote about there being 7 petitions in the Lord's Prayer. As we all know, 7 is regarded as a holy number and thus, the Lord's Prayer is made up of 7 petitions to God. Here are the 7 petitions:

 

1. Hallowed be Thy name

 

Arthur W. Pink says:

 

"First, the word hallowed is a term from Middle English used here to translate a form of the Greek verb hagiazo. This term is frequently translated "sanctified." It means to set apart for a sacred use." Thus, the words "hallowed be Thy name" signify the pious desire that God’s matchless name might be reverenced, adored, and glorified, and that God might cause it to be held in the utmost respect and honor, that its fame might spread abroad and be magnified."

 

2. Thy Kingdom come

 

This phrase that we speak to God comes from a part of us, should come from a part of us, that is open to whatever God wants for our lives. Pink goes on to say:

 

"We say again that, though this is the most brief of the petitions, it is also the most comprehensive. In praying, "Thy Kingdom come," we plead for the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit to attend the preaching of the Word, for the Church to be furnished with God-given and God-equipped officers, for the ordinances to be purely administered, for an increase of spiritual gifts and graces in Christ’s members, and for the overthrow of Christ’s enemies. Thus we pray that the Kingdom of grace may be further extended till the whole of God’s elect are brought into it. Also, by necessary implication, we pray that God will wean us more and more from the perishing things of this world."

 

3. Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven

 

How many of us long for Heaven and the holy atmosphere that encompasses it? I know I do! When we read "as it is in Heaven", Pink says it perfectly when he says:

 

"The standard by which we are to measure our attempts at doing God’s will on earth is nothing less than the conduct of the saints and angels in heaven."

 

4. Give us this day our daily bread

 

"...this petition teaches us the following indispensable lessons: (1) that it is permissible and lawful to supplicate God for temporal mercies; (2) that we are completely dependent upon God’s bounty for everything; (3) that our confidence is to be in Him alone, and not in secondary causes; (4) that we should be grateful, and return thanks for material blessings as well as for spiritual ones; (5) that we should practice frugality and discourage covetousness; (6) that we should have family worship every morning and evening; and (7) that we should be equally solicitous on behalf of others as for ourselves." -Pink

5. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

"Our sins are here viewed, as in Luke 11:4, under the notion of debts, that is, undischarged obligations or failures to render to God His lawful due. We owe to God sincere and perfect worship together with earnest and perpetual obedience." -Pink

In retrospect, as God has forgiven us, we are obligated to forgive others. If we don't forgive others, how can we expect God to forgive us?

6. and lead us not into temptation

"How does God lead us into temptation? First, He does so objectively when His providences, though good in themselves, offer occasions (because of our depravity) for sin. When we manifest self-righteousness, He may lead us into circumstances something like Job experienced. When we are self-confident, He may be pleased to suffer us to be tempted as Peter was. When we are self-complacent, He may bring us into a situation similar to the one Hezekiah encountered (2 Chron. 32:27-31; cf. 2 Kings 20:12-19). God leads many into poverty, which though a sore trial is yet, under His blessing, often enriching to the soul. God leads some into prosperity, which is a great snare to many. Yet if sanctified by Him, prosperity enlarges one s capacity for usefulness. Second, God tempts permissively when He does not restrain Satan (which He is under no obligation to do). Sometimes God suffers him to sift us as wheat, just as a strong wind snaps off dead boughs from living trees. Third, God tempts some men judicially, punishing their sins by allowing the Devil to lead them into further sin, to the ultimate destruction of their souls.

 

But why does God tempt His people, either objectively by His providences, or subjectively and permissively by Satan? He does so for various reasons. First, He tries us in order to reveal to us our weakness and our deep need of His grace. God withdrew His sustaining arm from Hezekiah in order "that he might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31). When God leaves us to ourselves, it is a most painful and humiliating discovery that we make. Yet it is needful if we are to pray from the heart, "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Ps. 119:117). Second, He tests us in order to teach us the need of watchfulness and prayer. Most of us are so stupid and unbelieving that we learn only in the hard school of experience, and even its lessons have to be knocked into us. Little by little we discover how dearly we have to pay for rashness, carelessness, and presumption. Third, our Father subjects us to trials in order to cure our slothfulness. God calls out, "Awake thou that sleepest" (Eph. 5:14), but we heed Him not; and therefore He often employs rough servants to rudely arouse us. Fourth, God puts us to the test in order to reveal to us the importance and value of the armor He has appointed (Eph. 6:11-18). If we heedlessly go forth to battle without our spiritual panoply, then we must not be surprised at the wounds we receive; but they shall have the salutary effect of making us more careful for the future!" -Pink

 

7. But deliver us from evil

 

"We are taught to pray for deliverance from all kinds, degrees, and occasions of evil; from the malice, power, and subtlety of the powers of darkness; from this evil world and all its allurements, snares, tempers, and deceits; from the evil of our own hearts, that it may be restrained, subdued, and finally extirpated; and from the evil of suffering. . . (Thomas Scott)." -Excerpt from Pink's writing

 

The end of the Lord's Prayer is considered the "Doxology" which means: a praise that is sung to God as a means of worship and expression. The doxology in the Lord's Prayer is:

 

"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

 

A.W. Pink says, "The perfections of this prayer as a whole and the wondrous fullness of each clause and word in it are not perceived by a rapid and careless glance, but become apparent only by a reverent pondering. This doxology may be considered in at least a threefold way: (1) as an expression of holy and joyful praise; (2) as a plea and argument to enforce the petitions; and (3) as a confirmation and declaration of confidence that the prayer will be heard. In this prayer our Lord gives us the quintessence of true prayer."

 

I titled this blog as "The Lord's Prayer: The Forgotten Prayer" because we, as believers, have seemed to have swept this important prayer under the rug. Jesus, Himself, was speaking when He spoke to His disciples about the importance of saying this prayer. One part of the prayer says, "give us our DAILY bread." Why would Jesus include the word "daily" if it wasn't important? We are to constantly pray as a means to glorify God and protect ourselves, through God, from the devil's schemes. The devil doesn't sleep, God doesn't sleep, but we do. I have just recently started saying the Lord's Prayer daily and am in the process of teaching my Sunday School class how to recite the prayer before every lesson so as they grow older, they will be able to recall this prayer without hesitation. I encourage you to do the same. If Christ told His disciples that this was the way to pray, does it not apply to us as well? Just like He said, God already knows of our needs.

 

 

Reference: http://pbministries.org/books/pink/Lords_Prayer/pray_introduction.htm