“Put on all of God’s Armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
I heard a powerful statement recently about how you cannot allow the war raging outside of you to get inside of you. God has an assignment for each of His children based on our unique personalities. Therefore, the demons are going to use every evil scheme they know to throw you off your predestined course. They will do all they can to change your personality, rendering you ineffective and unable to be used by God. Proverbs 6:16-19 teaches us that there are six things which the Lord hates, seven which are an abomination to Him: Arrogance, lying, shedding of innocent blood, wickedness, impenitence, slander, and strife. These are the weapons of warfare used by demons to take you down. You need to take heed of what God hates and walk in obedience to His precepts and moral laws according to His Word. This will enable you to hold onto your victory which has already been won in Christ. When you find yourself in a battle, it always starts in the spiritual realm. It is important to understand how to get around the enemy’s maneuvers. It is very much like a game of chess but if you are a child of God, you are already in checkmate.
You need to learn how to hijack the demons attempts to destroy your peace. That means you need to recognize which weapon the demons are pulling out of their arsenal and destroy it before it destroys you. Understand demons use the people around you to launch their weaponry. Anyone can fall prey, including Believers, if they are not armored up! The first thing to do is let go of your pride because that is the number one weapon used. Scripture says pride comes before the fall and that can cause you to feed the devouring lion instead of taming it.
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be always alert and cautious. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.”
In 2 Corinthians 12:5-10, Paul said to keep him from becoming arrogant, he was given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him and attack him. Paul was using a term from the Old Testament to describe a troublemaker or tormentor.
Numbers 33:55
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and like thorns in your sides, and they will attack you in the land in which you live.”
God told Paul that for him to become strong to ward off these tormentors, he must first become weak. Only then could God make him strong with His Grace. Confrontation usually starts with an offense that will stir up a response to defend yourself. You need to resist that urge and become weak in Him. Then God will make you strong in your Armor enabling you to hijack the enemy’s onslaught! It is time to show up in your Full Armor of God and spoil the devil’s party!
Ephesians 6:10-12
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s Armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the Heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s Armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the Belt of Truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the Shield of Faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your Helmet, and take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Believers everywhere.”
The Belt of Truth – Walk in personal integrity and moral courage.
Breastplate of Righteousness – Walk in honesty and protect your heart from wickedness. This is your body armor!
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – Walk in the Word of God and make it your sure foundation, anything other is sinking sand. Be always ready to face the enemy with a firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news.
Shield of Faith – Walk with the protective Shield of Faith held high with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Helmet of Salvation – Put on the Helmet which covers your ears from hearing lies and offenses; your eyes from causing distraction and pulling your gaze off Jesus; and your mind to cover you from vain imaginations that can darken your heart.
Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God!
Beloved, understand this most profound truth regarding the Armor of God. It is something you put on to defend your victory, not fight for it. This scripture tells you that you are to put on the Full Armor to resist the devil, not fight him! You are to stand on your ground which Jesus took back for you! The reason for your Armor is to keep the demons from taking back what is rightfully yours! And when you have done everything to stand, keep standing!
“We have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ because He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, and we are now more than conquerors through Him who loved us. You are from God and have overcome them for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. So, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us! Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:57, Colossians 2:15, 1 John 4:4, Romans 8:31, James 4:7, 1 John 5:4)
Join me on the journey 💝
"You are God’s girl and He loves you! You sprinkle His seeds of love wherever you go!” Those words were spoken to me by my husband Joe many years ago. They came at a time when I was questioning my self-worth in God’s Kingdom, purposes, and plans. The Father made sure that in my darkest spiritual hour, I heard His Truth about my identity and self-worth. It has been my passion ever since to deliver that same message to any who may need to hear it. It is not about who we are, but Whose we are, and I am God’s girl!
