Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: [18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:14-18 KJV
As believers, the war we are in is orchestrated by God. This means that to fight and win, we must fight the God-way. Joel 2 speaks prophetically of an army of God in the last days. They run like mighty men, the earth before them trembles. These men run by a supernatural strength and do not break their ranks. God, Himself is their commander and leads them into the battle. These men are skilled in the use of God’s armour and so there is no casualties involved. The world is yet to see the likes of these. However, right now, they are learning to use the armour of God with smaller battles daily, just like David learned to kill bears and lions with his hands and a sling.
The last pieces of the armour to consider are the helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit.
The Helmet of Salvation: This piece protects the head. The head contains the brain, which is one of the most vital organs in the body. A blow to the head would mean, at best, a disorientation of the soldier and at worst, immediate death. The phrase “helmet of Salvation” here is the helmet of one who embodies salvation or one in whom God has done a great deliverance. To put on the helmet of Salvation is to clothe your mind with the realities of the work of Salvation Christ has done in you. It is to consciously clothe your mind with the one who is Salvation, Jesus Christ. Having this armour on your head is having the assurance and hope of salvation. It also prevents you from having a gross representation of God’s character. If the devil cannot misrepresent God to a man, he cannot get that man to sin. The man with the understanding of salvation, has grace and peace multiplied to him as he increases in the knowledge of God, 2 Peter 1:2.
The Sword of the Spirit: This is the major defence weapon in the armour. The bible describes the Word of God as a double-edged sword, Hebrews 4:13. The word of God here is Rhema. The word of God in your mouth is as powerful as the word of God in God’s mouth. The sword used by the Roman Soldier in the makhaira, which is a short and deadly sword used to deliver a fatal blow once the enemy is upfront. We see an example of Jesus using this sword in Matthew 4 when dealing with the devil. The result was that the devil left him for a season. Imagine a season without the devil! Let the words in your mouth be God’s words.
The final part of this armour is not necessarily a piece of it, but that which trains the soldier to be alert and perceive. If a soldier is not alert, he would die fully clothed. Prayer is the vehicle by which we engrain the consciousness of Christ into our consciousness. Jesus never did anything without first praying. It is a throne room conversation. It is talking to the Lord who is one with you. It is the way we breathe in this Kingdom. If you don’t pray, you cannot be faithful, you will not have direction. Jesus would spend the whole night praying before any day of ministration because his spiritual senses were increased by it. It was basically how he recharged like we would recharge our phones. A person who is not praying is playing and will be a casualty of war! This prayer is led by the Spirit. Paul says the Holy Spirit prays through us, with words that are unintelligible to the mind, Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 14:14. This is the best way to pray since God knows exactly what needs praying. Spend time praying in the Spirit! This is crucial for the survival of any believer.
The beautiful thing about the armour is that it is provided completely by God. This means you get to take God’s truth as your belt, God’s righteousness as your breastplate, His gospel as stability for your feet, His faith as your shield, His salvation as your helmet, in fact, His mind as yours, His Word as Yours and finally His prayer life as yours. All the pieces of this armour are worn in the place of prayer. As we remain in His presence, reading His words and praying, He broods over us and pulls down any high thing, any lies that we have held unto that are detrimental.
The armour does not have a full-on defence for the back. This is because the soldiers in Joel 2 are marching and running forward. They have each other’s backs and God watches over them. The battle was never meant to be fought alone, even if this is a battle in your personal life. God made it so that one soldier, who uses this armour defeats a thousand and two ten thousand, Deuteronomy 23:30. The number exponentially increase as we remain united, not breaking rank. Our King leads His army from Victory unto victory till every foe is vanquished, never losing a soldier or a battle. As we train with him, learning to fight as He instructs, Victory in every aspect of our lives is guaranteed.
Prayer for today: Oh Lord of Host, thank you because you are always with me. The Shout of the King of Kings is in our midst. By You, Lord, we will run through a troop. By You, we will leap over walls. You make our feet like hinds feet and sustain our souls in life. As I remain in Your presence today, reading Your word and praying, teach my hands to war and my fingers to fight, that I may be ready at all times and having done all, I will stand.
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