Friday, September 23, 2011

Are You Suited Up?

As soldiers for Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4), we are involved in spiritual warfare every day (Ephesians 6:12). Our sin nature attacks the indwelling Holy Spirit, and Satan wages war against God, His angels, and every believer. Time is short, and we must use each moment wisely and with Holy Spirit inspiration to gain ground in this battle. Until we meet Christ in the air at the Rapture, our marching orders are clear.

First, we must be saved, turning away from our sins and trusting that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ allows all who have faith in Him to have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 3:16), Then, we must stand fast on what we believe (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17), not being lured by the enemy into traps of false teaching. We must follow God’s general will for our lives, which is to study His Word, to follow His commandments, to yield control to the Holy Spirit, to submit to one another and uplift one another in self-sacrificing love (Colossians 3:12-25; James 2:14-17), to pray, rejoice and give thanks continually (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-19); and to attend church (Hebrews 10:25).

We must follow the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) while there is still time. Those who heard and understood the Gospel before the Rapture, but rejected it, will be deceived by the supernatural acts and powers of the Antichrist, and their hearts will be blinded to the truth of the Gospel (2 Thess. 2: 8-12).

And finally, to be effective in this battle, and to follow the orders above, we must put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18). We wear a raincoat in stormy weather, a helmet if we’re riding a bike, and oven mitts if we’re lifting a turkey out of the oven. A pro hockey player would be laughed off the ice if he showed up for a game without his gear, and a surgeon would be banned from the OR without his scrubs.

Many people put a lot of time, effort and money into being appropriately attired for various activities, putting on each garment and accessory with care. Those who wear uniforms to work know that each part of the uniform must be neat, clean, and in good repair, or they risk losing their jobs. Being in God’s army means that we could be deployed on a special assignment at any moment, and that enemy forces will be waiting in ambush to destroy us and our mission (1 Peter 5:8). Yet how often do we foolishly set out without the protection of God’s armor?

The phrase “a chink in the armor” means that even a tiny hole or defect in the protective gear leaves its wearer vulnerable. Our defense is only as strong as the weakest link, which means we must start each day prayerfully putting on each piece of the armor of God.

The truth of God’s Word will guard our purity and keep us from sexual sin, and the perfect righteousness of Jesus is the breastplate protecting our heart from doubt as the devil criticizes us for our past sins (1 Thess 5: 8; Ephesians 6, v.:14). Preparing to spread the Gospel will keep our feet marching to places where we can witness for Him (v. 15). The attacks of the devil bounce off the shield of our faith in Christ, turning the attack back against Satan (v. 16).

Our salvation is the helmet (1 Thess 5: 8), protecting our head, our mind and our senses, allowing us to filter all we see and experience through the perspective of being a child of God. The sword of God’s Word is our only offensive weapon (Eph. 6: v. 17), and it is all we need! God used it to speak all of creation into being, Jesus will use it at the Battle of Armageddon to defeat Israel’s enemies, and it is enough for us!

So let’s get ready for battle, and prayerfully (v. 18) put on each piece of armor so we can fight a good fight (2 Timothy 4:7), ward off Satan’s attacks, and bring glory to Jesus!

Ephesians 6: 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.


Love in Christ,

Laurie Collett

10 comments:

Lisa Dreamchild said...

Good reminder Laurie to be ready for spiritual warfare and to keep our suit of armour in good condition. We are given the whole armour of God and must remember to use it, never leave it behind.
~Blessings and Peace In Jesus~
Lisa

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Lisa, for your comment! You're right -- don't leave home without it! But we need the armor of God at home too. May God bless you and your ministry.
Laurie

Nadwrażliwiec said...

Very good note. Spiritual battle is real and we can see that today in every site of life. Maybe some people can reject Jesus, but it doesn't mean that He doesn't exist. He doesn't want all people in hell, but He wants that everyone can know Him.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Zim, as always, for your kind word and comment! One day every knee will bow to Jesus, but for those who rejected Him, it will be too late. Blessings to you, Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

Sadly, a lot of churches see themselves only as recruitment centers, not training centers. They send recruits into battle, excited enough to "charge Hell with a squirt gun," but with no knowledge of their weapons or their mission. the casualties are enormous.

Laurie Collett said...

How true -- so many churches are falling away from sound Biblical teaching and opting for the "seeker-sensitive" program of telling people what they want to hear. Satan seeks out the most vulnerable (poorly armed) Christians first, just as a lion goes after a sick or lame sheep first. Thanks as always for your comment, and God bless you!

Jeff Bullard said...

Thanks Ms Laurie for the welcome.
I'm new to blogging and it is starting out to be really fun.
I teach Bible study at a couple of places and those that can't always be in attendance ask for my notes. Well, I thought that I would share with whom ever might be interested and thats how I got turned on to this.

Laurie Collett said...

You're very welcome, Jeff! Sounds like our entry into blogging is quite similar -- after teaching an adult Bible study for 3 years, writing a devotional and study plan for my class each week, I decided on May 31 of this year to begin a blog with my weekly offerings. I believe the Internet has tremendous potential as a way to reach believers and unsaved people all over the world. May God bless you and your ministry.

Petra said...

We need God and His armor of truth everywhere and all he time. Thanks for the reminder. Thank you also for visiting my blog and leaving comments. My comments are sometimes moderated and will not post right away. But I always appreciate them when I do find them. Blessings!

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Petra, You're very welcome, and thanks for following and for your comment! Blessings to you and your ministry!