The Armor of God — Ephesians 6

[Dan Knight]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:45 AM, Who me said:

Be nice.

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Dan Knight
Point made.

[Who me]

All Iam trying to say is that Christians who are effective in life, are Christians who have learnt to explain their faith.

 

That it is not a case of just saying ' just believe!'

[S. Carpenter]

On 5/4/2021 at 8:51 PM, WayneB said:

Hi OneLight!  I remember you from many years ago when I used to moderate the boards.  It’s nice to recognize a familiar person!  I haven’t been around for many years but plan on checking in more often now that I’m retired.  

The pdf was uploaded and attached to the original post.  It was downloaded by a couple of folks.  I uploaded a copy into this post.  

The Armor of God.pdfUnavailable

As you can see, it is still unavailable. Is there someone in charge of the website itself that can help with technical issues like this one?

[Alive]

3 minutes ago, S. Carpenter said:

As you can see, it is still unavailable. Is there someone in charge of the website itself that can help with technical issues like this one?

That would be the owner @George

[Charles R. Sabo]

                   The Whole Armor of God

 

13Wherefore take unto you The Whole Armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ 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 you 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; (Eph. 6:13-18)

 

The Apostle Paul provided Christians valuable information in Ephesians 6:13-18. To understand that a Christian is fighting a spiritual war against Satan, his angels, and evil spirits is so important in a believer’s daily life in this world. Paul presented a Christian with vital knowledge about what one must do to be strong against the adversaries of God. The Whole Armor of God is presented to a Christian as if they were doing battle back in the days of a Roman soldier. In verse 14, a Christian is to “Stand” and not run away from the adversary. Please notice that the Whole Armor of God is frontal attire, without any protection to the back side.  Once you flee from the adversary, you are open to their attacks and are defenseless. 

First, one’s loins are to be girt with “truth.” Truth is a strength that cannot be countered, but with lies and deception. Lies can enslave one to that lie that they had told. The lie can come back and destroy the liar. Once a lie is spoken, then God is not glorified. God will see to the liar being bound by the lies that they tell. The truth will keep you bound to nothing, because it is freedom from the enslavement of falsehoods. Jesus declared Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, because no one can come to His Father, but through Him. (Jn. 14:6). He also said that the truth shall make us free from God’s wrath, as well as the enslavement of the lies. The Truth is Jesus the Messiah, and any adversarial attack against Him, shall be met with death and destruction in the end. To make a stand, for the name of the Truth (Jesus Christ), is the only Way to heaven. If someone in fear denies Christ, they have no protection against their oppressors, and are doomed without God’s help.

 

³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed;

³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32)

 

To put on the “breastplate of righteousness” is to protect one’s heart.  A breastplate protects the vital organs, therefore is vital to a soldier. If one’s heart becomes corrupted with unrighteousness, it will die. Righteousness will protect one’s heart from moral decay. If the Christian walks in the righteousness of Christ, Jesus will be their protection against the corruption that kills the soul.

 

18 Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.

¹⁹ I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (Rom. 6:18-19)

 

22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:22-23)

 

When a Christian looks at the importance of their feet, they should realize that without their feet, they are immobile and helpless. The phrase: “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,” enables us to read the word “peace” and its importance in a Christian’s walk with God.  God is not a war mongerer, nor One that wants for any Christian to suffer through a battle. He has made it known that he walks in love and encourages peace. Just because a Christian wears the Full Armor of God, does not insinuate that a physical battle should be fought; the Full Armor of God is for a spiritual battle against the adversaries of God, while God does all of a Christian’s fighting.

 

¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15)

 

When Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples, He made an impact on them about the His position on fighting.  He made it clear that peace was what He wanted.

 

52And sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him.

⁵³ And they did not receive Him, because his face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.

⁵⁴ And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said: “Lord, will You that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?”

⁵⁵ But He turned, and rebuked them, and said: “You know not what manner of Spirit you are of.

⁵⁶ For the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:52-56)

 

Paul mentioned in Ephesians 6:16, “Above all taking the shield of faith.” Notice he says “above all” as if to say that this is a higher priority. In a spiritual battle, a Christian’s faith is attacked first and foremost; if the adversary can defeat one’s faith, they will fall hard into sin and corruption. One’s faith can be as a strong shield and block (quench) those fiery darts from the adversaries of God. A fiery dart can be: a spoken word from a non-believer, a thought fired into your mind by a fallen angel or unclean spirit, or a piece of propaganda laid in front of the believer to cause them to stumble. One’s faith has to withstand this attack, and through Christ, He will bring a Christian the faith and strength to withstand the spiritual attack.

 

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day. (1 Pet. 1:5)

 

In 1 Peter 1:5, one can see that a Christian has the power of God through faith, which leads us to salvation. God has given all believers their faith; He did it! He gives a believer their faith, which gives them their salvation; with that, salvation is eternal life. In Ephesians 6:17, we see we are to “take the helmet of salvation;” this helmet covers our head where our brain is. In our brain are our thoughts. This helmet of salvation protects a Christian’s thoughts, because knowing that they are saved from God’s wrath, they can confidently fight against the adversaries of God. This is important knowing that all Christians are guaranteed an eternity in paradise with Jesus Christ our God, along with all Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. The boldness, which a Christian maintains, is a confidence and peace felt; this is felt when realizing that no matter what, their place in Heaven is secure for eternity.

  

20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:20-21)

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1)

 

As one finishes with Ephesians 6:17, they will find that there is only one offensive weapon against the adversary. It is the word of God in the Holy Bible! That is why it is so important to make sure the translation, that you study and carry with you, is an uncorrupted version; then it will be sharper than any two-edged sword and will slice the adversary with ease. Satan knew of the sharpness of God’s word, so he has been attacking it with watered-down corrupted texts, over the last two centuries. If a Christian will stand against the adversaries of God with His sharper two-edged sword, and try to stay away from a dull butter knife, they will flee!

 

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

 

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul disclosed a key for the strength of a believer in Christ: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” A Christian’s faith can depend on the power of his or her prayers. God strengthens a Christian through prayer and fasting. The term “prayer warrior” has meaning and truth to it. Prayer can remove chains, it can stop the rain, it can bring down fire from heaven, and it can heal the sick. God hears one’s prayers and through His will, He accomplishes things to His glory. The whole Armor of God has little strength, if there are no prayers being made. God is faithful and will hear His Christians and be glorified through all of them. Praise God for He has given His Christians His salvation and strength to stand against the adversary all to His Glory! Amen!

 

¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph. 6:18)

 

When Peter was taken prisoner, the church in Jerusalem prayed for the Lord to save him. They prayed, and the Lord heard and responded, because it was His will to be done.

⁵ Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him

⁶ And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

⁷ And, behold, the Messenger of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. (Acts 12:5-7)

[rdclmn72]

In WWII troops where trained in the use of gas masks which was part of their gear, yet with no apparent threat to be found once they deployed overseas, the masks were discarded by the million.

In Vietnam, the first Battalion to receive M-16's had problems with their weapons jamming while under fire with many being killed. The problem was caused by using ball ammunition which overpowered the design. Eventually new weapons were developed which included a forward-assist that helped to un-jam the weapons while being used.

During Basic Training, recruits are instructed in the many topics that help them to function in a military environment as individuals. They are told to make use of their training and their training is put to the test.

A soldier or a believer has to believe in his/her training and gear which will help them to fight and live to fight another day. It is demoralizing for a soldier to not be able to trust his/her equipment.

Paul makes use of what he observed while waiting for trial, he could see that every item in a Roman soldier was important and that it was very important for believers to know that they could trust the equipment that God has given them.

You then have God telling you that the weapons he has given you are guaranteed to work in all situations that come your way.

[farouk]

On 5/21/2023 at 12:00 PM, rdclmn72 said:

In WWII troops where trained in the use of gas masks which was part of their gear, yet with no apparent threat to be found once they deployed overseas, the masks were discarded by the million.

In Vietnam, the first Battalion to receive M-16's had problems with their weapons jamming while under fire with many being killed. The problem was caused by using ball ammunition which overpowered the design. Eventually new weapons were developed which included a forward-assist that helped to un-jam the weapons while being used.

During Basic Training, recruits are instructed in the many topics that help them to function in a military environment as individuals. They are told to make use of their training and their training is put to the test.

A soldier or a believer has to believe in his/her training and gear which will help them to fight and live to fight another day. It is demoralizing for a soldier to not be able to trust his/her equipment.

Paul makes use of what he observed while waiting for trial, he could see that every item in a Roman soldier was important and that it was very important for believers to know that they could trust the equipment that God has given them.

You then have God telling you that the weapons he has given you are guaranteed to work in all situations that come your way.

Hi @rdclmn72 Interesting military perspective there. Ephesians 6 is a great passage.

"

1 Fight the good fight with all your might,
Christ is your strength and Christ your right.
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
your joy and crown eternally.

2 Run the straight race through God's good grace;
lift up your eyes, and seek his face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path and Christ the prize.

3 Cast care aside, lean on your guide;
his boundless mercy will provide.
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life and Christ its love.

4 Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near;
he changes not, and you are dear.
Only believe, and you will see
that Christ is Lord eternally.' (J S B Monsell)

[Guest]

I have found that demonic entity is definitely very active in the night time people are at their most vulnerable. I don't say this from speculation but from experience 😁 I am unsure why but I am able to sense demonic entities for some time now. If I could share one small thing it's that the grace Spirit within us flows through our palms the strongest. I'm unsure how I can share the information I had received but I suppose one small trick I could share with you is to place the palms of your hands on the side of your head . If you do it long enough you can feel the spirit flowing through your hands. When you inhale pull in the spirit through your palms if you do it long enough you will start to feel different points of contact throughout your head. These various points throughout your body and head are places of attack from various demonic entities. If you're not feeling anything just continue you will eventually. I feel that some information has been lost through Time. You can even pray to bind the entities on your head as your palms are placed on your head. When I do it I immediately feel several points on my head and can even see points of attack. Once you're able to fill these points the spirit will guide you from there 😁👍

[farouk]

9 minutes ago, Bondedkaos said:

I have found that demonic entity is definitely very active in the night time people are at their most vulnerable. I don't say this from speculation but from experience 😁 I am unsure why but I am able to sense demonic entities for some time now. If I could share one small thing it's that the grace Spirit within us flows through our palms the strongest. I'm unsure how I can share the information I had received but I suppose one small trick I could share with you is to place the palms of your hands on the side of your head . If you do it long enough you can feel the spirit flowing through your hands. When you inhale pull in the spirit through your palms if you do it long enough you will start to feel different points of contact throughout your head. These various points throughout your body and head are places of attack from various demonic entities. If you're not feeling anything just continue you will eventually. I feel that some information has been lost through Time. You can even pray to bind the entities on your head as your palms are placed on your head. When I do it I immediately feel several points on my head and can even see points of attack. Once you're able to fill these points the spirit will guide you from there 😁👍

@Bondedkaos I do think that when we use the Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6), we need to keep 'looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12.2) rather than at the source of spiritual hindrance.

On these forums, so good to see 'the sword of the Spirit' - the Word of God - being quoted.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Bondedkaos I do think that when we use the Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6), we need to keep 'looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12.2) rather than at the source of spiritual hindrance.

On these forums, so good to see 'the sword of the Spirit' - the Word of God - being quoted.

We are told in scripture to lay hands on the sick for healing. We are told that we can bind the enemy. Christ is our source of course. Each one has spiritual gifts according to what God gives them. Personally I find it's difficult to battle with an enemy that I cannot perceive that's my gift. Why do we lay hands why do we place our left hand over our heart and we pledge the allegiance why do we put the palms of our hands together in an act of prayer I'm simply saying the palms of our hands are a channel through which God imparts the spirit.