The Whole Armor Of God
The roaring lion has left his den.
He searches for his prey:
The ones left unprotected, when
They wandered from the way.
We must not underestimate
The devil’s awesome power.
He crouches low; he lies in wait,
God’s servants, to devour.
In God’s whole armor, we must stand;
Be ready for our foe.
For evil lurks on every hand;
To battle, we must go.
With truth, our loins we must gird;
A righteous breastplate wear;
And living by God’s every word,
Remain in instant prayer.
With tidings of peace, our feet are shod,
And faith must be our shield.
The sword of the spirit: the Word of God;
This weapon, our hands must wield.
Completing and making our armor secure,
A helmet we must wear.
Then our salvation will be sure,
And safe from Satan’s snare.
________Maggie Brannon © copyright 1997
God gives us
many ways to protect ourselves. The Bible reveals the armor of God as
one type we can use. The armor of God helps Christians withstand the forces
of darkness around us. Using the armor of God each day will help back
off the Devil's kingdom.
Armor of God--Put it on
The
Lord offers us holy garments and powerful armor to help us through
difficult times and tribulation. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write
about armor of God protection that the Lord gives us.
”Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round
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 saints” (Eph.
6:14–18, NIV).
Our
Father wants us to understand that we don’t need to fear the
Devil’s schemes. Paul recommends that we use God’s Almighty power
and put on the entire armor of God. The Scripture says we don’t struggle
against the people in this world. Our conflict comes from Satan’s
kingdom: rulers, authorities, powers of darkness, and spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:10–12).
The
Lord encourages us to put on the full armor of God: not just part of it, but
all of it. The armor of God helps us stand against the aggression from the
kingdom of darkness. The Bible says that we should do everything we can
to stop the Devil’s harassment. After this, we need to stand firm with
all seven pieces of his armor on us and around us (Eph. 6:13).
Each
item of the armor of God plays an important role in our protection. We may
not understand what each does, but the Lord knows and acts upon our
faith when we speak his Word. The Word will sprout and mature in our
lives when we voice it (Mark 4:26–30). As the Word grows, our
attitudes and actions change for the better. This results in Jesus
Christ pushing the Devil away from us (2 Thess. 3:3).
Armor
of God
-Putting it on
each
morning after I wake up, I ask my Father to forgive me for my sins in
the name of Jesus. I then say the Lord’s Prayer and put on the full
armor of God. For many years after I began to follow Jesus, I didn’t
do this. When I began to consider writing this book, the intensity of
Satan’s harassment increased. Our God of grace revealed through the
Bible and personal experience that if I did this each day, my walk
through life would stay on level roads.
I
always start at my feet and work up to the top of my head when I put
on the armor of God. I say, “I put on the Gospel of peace on my feet
and the belt of truth around my waist. I put on the breastplate of
righteousness and the helmet of salvation on my head. I hold up the
shield of faith so that the Devil and his kingdom cannot touch me. I
pick up the sword of the spirit so I can speak, think, act, pray and write
the Word of God. I ask you, Lord, to keep me alert and help me to pray
for everything and everyone that I should pray for.”
Armor of God wins the Battle
have more freedom in Jesus since I started repeating the Lord’s
Prayer and putting on the full armor of God every day. God says he will
not let us be tested or tried by more than we can stand. He will always
give us a way out (1 Cor. 10:13). The Lord’s Prayer and the Armor of
God give us two methods that we can use. They help protect us from
troubles and desires of the world.
Tools for Protection
The
Almighty God gives us many tools in the Bible to use for protection.
Automobiles of today have built-in safety for passengers. We call the
protection seat belts. In order for a seat belt to work, we need to put
it on or activate it. A seat belt does not help if we crash, and it
rests on the seat.
Likewise,
the full armor of God does not help us in a crash with demonic forces if
we do not put it on. When we come into the Kingdom of God, the Lord
gives us his armor. Nevertheless, most of the pieces of the armor of God
listed
here need reinforcing.
From
a personal outlook, I don’t like to live on the edge of endurance
day after day. I prefer praying ten minutes a day. This builds a
spiritual hedge and helps me enjoy the marvelous freedom that our King
of Glory gives. “Thank you, Jesus, for your armor of God protection that
give us freedom and peace.”