Put On Armor

Brothers and sisters: Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace.  In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must. (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Paul tells us "to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.”  What are those tactics?  In John (8:44) we read: “You belong to your  father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”  When we lie, when we deceive ourselves, we follow the Devil’s battleplan.  

How do we resist lies?  We are to put on the armor of God.  That armor is comprised of truthfulness, righteousness, and readiness enabling us to resist evil – the father of lies.  

Important for our defense is our shield, not like the one carried and used by Captain America (although that would help).  Our shield protecting us from the fire is faith. 

Then we have other weaponry – our helmet (salvation) and our sword (the Spirit which is the word of God).  These are all great visuals including an arrow in our quiver of defenses being prayer helping us retaliate against the flaming arrows of the Evil One.

Of all our defensive tools perhaps the strongest and most effective is truth – speaking and defending the truth.  This can be hard when we are attacked by lies from those associated “with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness.”

The truth brings light.  We all must be light bearers; otherwise, darkness reigns.  We must disrupt the Devil’s battleplan, so says Jesus and so says Captain America.

Deacon David Pierce