March 14 Armor Up! Ephesians 6: 10-13
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For 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. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
We are in the middle of a battlefield, right now, and the adversary, the Devil, is moving about, trying to defeat us! He is using every tool, at his disposal, to defeat Christ and to weaken His witness through us! This battlefield is not with bombs and guns and weapons of mass destruction! It is a battle for the heart and soul of humanity! We are engaged in a Spiritual War with three formidable opponents, Satan, this World, and ourselves! In 1 Peter 5:8, it says that we should “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour” This is not a game, nor is this a drill. We are actually engaged in a battle! We MUST be prepared for the cunning ways and the deceit of the Evil One, as he is constantly searching for ways to defeat our witness for Christ and to promote his evil agenda. Satan is real and active, so be “armored up” to defend yourself and to defeat him! Guess what? We are told that the World hates us! That’s right, the World us because we love God! Look around at the happenings in our world! Christians are being persecuted, all around the world, including in America, for our stand against Evil and the destructive nature of Satanic influences! The Devil and the World are formidable foes, yet ourselves, we create a real challenge to the success of the message of Christ! James 1:14-15 tells us that…each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Guess What? Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death! Do you remember Geraldine, the character that Flip Wilson made famous in the skits from his Variety Show in the early 1970’s? One of her favorite lines was, “THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!” Remember that he moves about seeking who is available to devour! So, in order to survive and to thrive, in this battlefield environment, we must be aware of the opponents, and work to neutralize their influence and power over us! We must “ARMOR UP” for the battle! There are 7 pieces of Armor that are mentioned in Ephesians 6…Focus on the tools and weapons necessary to face and defeat our enemies! I am repeating the scriptures, found in Ephesians 6:10–18…
“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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around 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 Lord’s people.” There is a story of an old Native American, who had just come to Jesus, as his savior, and he expressed the challenge of serving Christ in complete surrender. He expressed the dilemma in this manner… “In my heart there are two dogs that are continually in battle, a tan dog and a black dog.” He was asked, “Which dog wins the battle?” The answer was simple, yet truly profound, “The one that I feed!!” Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary; has provided our advanced victory and it is up to us to claim it and live it and share it! So, who will win our battle with the Devil? It absolutely depends on who we decide to “FEED!” I choose Jesus, I choose the ARMOR that He provides and I am Victorious, because I choose to “FEED” my SOUL! How about you? Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!