Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full  armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)

I just finished reading an excellent book written by one of Eric’s longtime ministry friends – “Singing Hallelujah When You Feel Like Hell” by Tim Kaufman.  Although the book specifically deals with depression, its teachings are applicable to other areas of our lives as well.  The final chapter is what stood out to me.

It talked about putting on the whole armor of God.  And yes, I’ve heard this message before, but today it seemed to jump out at me.  In fact, by the time I got around to my morning prayer time I was envisioning myself “armored up” – coming against the fiery darts of satan as I interceded for family and friends who are under attack, specifically for my pastor and his wife.

In the past I’ve had some difficulty fully envisioning what the armor of God looks like, have you?  The belt of truth.  The breastplate of righteousness.  Feet fitted with the gospel of peace.  The shield of faith.  The helmet of salvation.  The sword of the Spirit.  Spirit filled prayer.

“The belt of truth” involves the core of our thinking – it must be grounded in God’s truth.  It is the foundation that holds the other pieces of our armor together.

“The breastplate of righteousness” is a protection.  When we pursue righteous living it acts as a protection of our heart.

When our feet are fitted with the gospel of peace we become a surefooted warrior against evil.  We have God’s peace in the midst of the battle.

We can lift our shield of faith to take the hit of satan’s attacks and also quench the fiery arrows that come against us.

A helmet protects our head – our mind.  With the helmet of salvation we can stand assured of our salvation and of God’s love and care for us even in the midst of adversity.

Scripture tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  Knowing God’s Word is a spiritual sword that you have readily available against temptation and doubt.

Ephesians 6:18 tells us to pray in the Spirit, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests – for all of the Lord’s people.  In other words, we need each other’s prayers!

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against fleshed blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.”  We, as Christians, are in spiritual warfare and need to daily put on the full armor of God.  As verse 13 admonishes, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

So go ahead, envision yourself “armored up!”