Staying Armored in the Spirit
In this week’s blog, we will discuss having faith that is persevering and being clothed in the whole armor of God. On a daily basis, we take into consideration what we put on our bodies to make sure we are appropriately dressed. Or, I hope we take that into consideration, lol. But as believers, it is vital that we stay armored up spiritually. We should not be clothed naturally but without the appropriate clothing in the spirit. Every day, we need to be clothed with the armor of God, not some days, or when we feel like it, but every day.
It is important to have awareness that, as believers, we have an adversary or enemy, who is the devil. He is seeking to destroy us. He is very cunning, a master of deceit. He wants us to be defenseless or ignorant to his devices. When we are unaware of his schemes, we can be tricked into perceiving all things through our flesh or carnally without understanding it is spiritual in nature. We can not be ignorant of the fact that we have an enemy and he is a deceiver.
Additionally, we must have the awareness that we will face spiritual warfare. This is unavoidable as a believer. If you are saved, spiritual warfare is part of the lifestyle of a believer. We must be prepared for it and engage in it. We should not take a lackadaisical approach but a proactive one. In knowing we have an adversary looking to devour us and that spiritual warfare is a part of life, we should recognize the need to stay clothed in the whole armor of God.
Today, we will go through the necessity of the armor as well as three areas that help us to endure spiritual warfare.
The Armor of God
The armor of God consists of: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit. Every piece of armor is vital in being able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Each has an important role when engaging in spiritual warfare. We need to put on the whole armor for preparation, protection, and endurance.
Being fully clothed prepares us for the enemy’s schemes. This ensures we are not blindsided when, not if, the enemy’s schemes show up in our lives. We will not be caught by surprise because we have the expectation that they will come. Having on the armor of God also guarantees that we will be protected against the attacks of the devil. We are not left defenseless. Instead, we have on the necessary protection to sustain us. The armor gives us the capability to withstand the wiles of the devil. When a spiritual attack shows up in life, we have a greater ability to endure rather than succumbing to it.
In order to be prepared, protected, and endure, we must know the posture to take while engaging in spiritual warfare. Within the passage of scripture, Ephesians 6:10-17, three times we are instructed to stand, and once the text says to withstand. To fully understand what that means, I will provide the definitions of both words. Stand is defined as (1) have or maintain an upright position, supported by one’s feet, (2) to take up or maintain a specified position or posture (3) to maintain one’s position, and (4) to endure or undergo successfully. And withstand means to stand up against or oppose with firm determination. We are not told to fight but to stand. We must maintain our position in God, not moving to the left or right, not forward or backward. We need to be in place and allow God to fight on our behalf. But while we are standing, we must be armored up to be able to be prepared, protected, and endure the attacks of the enemy.
While in our position, we can trust that God is moving on our behalf in the spirit realm. No matter how things look in the natural realm, we must continue to maintain our posture. Verse 12 lets us know we are not wrestling against flesh and blood (natural realm) but it is against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (heavenly places). The battle is spiritual, regardless of how it manifests in the natural/physical realm.
In this spiritual battle, each part of the armor of God ensures our ability to maintain our posture. We must know that we are strengthened by Christ, who endows us with the ability to persevere. The helmet of salvation reminds us that we are working out our salvation daily with fear and trembling. Additionally, as a child of God, Yah will deliver us from the attacks of the enemy. He is our deliverer and salvation. He is the One who saves us from being consumed by our enemy. With the belt of truth, we are equipped with knowledge of the truth. We are able to reject the deception of the enemy. Instead, we stand on the truth in the Word of God. Furthermore, the Spirit of God (the Spirit of Truth), which dwells on the inside of us, leads us into all truth. The Word plus the Holy Spirit helps us to combat any deception the enemy attempts to sow.
The breastplate of righteousness reminds us that we have attained righteousness through Christ’s righteousness. It is not our own. For the Word tells us that none is righteous, no, not one. But we have received it by faith in Christ. Now, as believers, we are to walk in righteousness daily. The shoes of the gospel of peace show us that we should have a readiness to share the Gospel (the Good News) of Jesus Christ. In receiving the Gospel and being born again, there is peace. By faith, we have been justified and have peace with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Man’s relationship has been restored with the Father.
The next piece of armor is very important; it is the shield of faith. It enables us to put out the fiery darts that the enemy sends our way. It is a defense measure that when the attack comes, our faith protects us. Lastly, the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. We are able to be encouraged and strengthened by the Word when the attacks come.
All six parts are needed daily. It wouldn’t be wise to be partially covered and hope to successfully stand against the schemes of the devil. You may have on a portion of defense, but it is better to be completely covered. In addition to the whole armor of God, verse 18 of Ephesians 6 instructs us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. We must maintain a posture of prayer while we stay armored in the spiritual realm.
Prayer
Praying Continually
To triumph over the enemy’s attacks, we must pray and do so continually. This is a crucial part of spiritual warfare. Otherwise, when attacks come, if we are in a state of prayerless, we are easily defeated. Prayer strengthens us and gives us the opportunity to communicate with God. In Ephesians, the apostle Paul instructs us to pray always and in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit takes us to a deeper level and builds up our spirit man. When our spirit man is fortified, we are able to resist the devil and continue to stand while God is intervening on our behalf.
Paul also emphasizes not only prayer but also supplication. Supplication is (1) the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly or (2) a humble request, prayer, petition, etc. With this type of prayer, we are making a humble request or petition to our Father. As we pray, we are not just praying for ourselves but for all saints (all who are born-again believers). This requires selflessness. We have to get out of our feelings and emotions and begin to intercede for other believers. We must recognize that spiritual warfare is not only an individual experience but our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world face it as well. So we must pray and supplicate for our brethren.
Praying with Humility and Repentance
With this area, I briefly mentioned when discussing supplication. When we pray to our Father, we must do so with humility and repentance. Yes, we can boldly approach His throne, but with a posture of humility. We are not commanding and telling God to intervene on our behalf. Instead, we are petitioning Him, making our request known based on His Word and knowing His character. It is a request, not a demand. We are His children, and He is our Father, which gives us access to Him. But with that access, reverence for Yah is still necessary.
In addition to humility, we must have a posture of repentance. We need to turn from our wicked ways. This is more than saying, “I’m sorry.” It is a change in heart posture and our way of thinking. We are giving up the sin, iniquity, and wickedness in our lives and turning to the Father. We are not simultaneously holding on to sin while trying to seek God in prayer. We must let sin go and turn to Him fully.
Likewise, within this area, it is important to confess our sins to Him. We must confess known and unknown sins. We don’t want anything to be a hindrance from our prayers reaching heaven. As we discussed last week, we must address any unforgiveness we have in our hearts, which will be a hindrance in our prayers being heard by God. So, it is essential that we forgive and ask God for forgiveness before we ask for anything. We want to ensure we have no sin hidden in our hearts.
Praying with the Right Motives
In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs us of the proper way to pray. When we pray, we are not to do so with the desire of being seen and heard by others in public. For those who do so, their reward is with men, not God. Instead, we are instructed to go in private (into a closet or room), shut the door, and pray to our Father. When we come to Him privately, He rewards us openly.
Also, during our time of prayer, we should not use vain repetition. We don’t have to use many words to get God to hear us. God is already aware of what we need; we should be genuine, making our request known.
**Additionally, Jesus gives the Model Prayer in verses 9 through 13**
Our Intercessor: The Holy Spirit
In our time of weakness, when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. Through groanings that can not be uttered, He intercedes on our behalf. And the Father who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit. It is beautiful to know that we have the Holy Spirit, who is our intercessor. During times of intense warfare, where it is difficult to articulate a prayer, we still have an Advocate intervening on our behalf.
Since we have discussed prayer to help us resist the attacks of the devil and the correct ways to approach prayer, now we can transition into praise and worship. With these two areas, they can be used as weapons of warfare.
Praise and Worship
Lastly, through our praise and worship, we can resist the devil and his schemes. They are instruments to refocus our attention on God when the attacks come. Throughout the book of Psalms, we see how the authors would create songs worshiping the Father declaring His divine nature and attributes. Often, we see David articulate his praise to Yah, especially while he was on the run from King Saul. He had a natural/physical enemy who was seeking to take his life. But in spite of that, worship and giving praise to his God flowed from the depths of his soul (Psa. 34). Exalting God helped to sustain him even when his life was threatened. It would be wise for us to learn from David. When the spiritual attacks come and we feel as though it will overtake us, we should choose to worship our God using our voice to lift up praise to His name. While we are in a time of exalting Yah rather than the circumstance, our inner man (spirit) is strengthened, giving us the ability to endure.
Recap
Awareness
- We have an enemy/adversary, who is the devil.
- He is very cunning and a master of deceit.
- As believers, we will face spiritual warfare. It is part of the life of a believer.
The Armor of God
Needed for preparation, protection, and endurance.
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Belt of Truth
- The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Sword of the Spirit
Every piece of armor is vital in being able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Prayer
- Pray continually
- Maintain a posture of prayer
- Intercede for all believers
- Pray with humility and repentance
- Pray with the right motives
- Our Intercessor: the Holy Spirit
- In times of weakness when we don’t know what to pray, He intercedes on our behalf.
Praise and Worship
- Instruments to refocus our attention on YAH when the attacks come.
- Exalt God, not the situation/attack you’re facing
- Use the Book of Psalms to remind us of God’s divine nature and attributes
