THE WHOLE ARMOR

"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph 6:11)

Believers must again and again be apprized of the nature of the life of faith. This requirement is not owing to our lack of intelligence, or the presence of a fundamentally disobedient heart. Rather, it is our present location and environment that has produced this necessity. We are in a realm fraught with jeopardy and danger.

The Spirit is careful to tell us the nature of our enemy. He has been known to bind people with disease (Lk 13:16), and cause sudden and lethal seizures (Matt 17:15-16). He has provoked unrighteous people to murder righteous people (1 John 3:12). But these do not present his most formidable attacks against us. There are attacks to which we are subjected that are far more dangerous than external disturbances or bodily disruptions.

The "whole armor of God" has been provided to make us equal to the devil's attack. It is called "the armor of God" because it comes from Him, and enables the redeemed to maintain their identity with Him. It consists of thorough protection where we would otherwise be vulnerable. The Satanic aggression against which this armor protects us is called "the wiles of the devil."

Newer versions refer to "the tactics of the devil" (NLT) and "the devil's schemes" (NIV). This refers to trickery, methods, procedures, and cunning stratagems, or attacks. It is not WHAT the devil does, but HOW he does it, that is the point. Everything Satan does it wrong, sinful, and condemned. As Jesus says, "There is no truth in him" (John 8:44). Were he to unveil his real intentions to men, it would be apparent how wicked he is. But that is not what he does.

The devil comes with deception, duplicity, and subtle misrepresentation. He seeks to make sin attractive, obscure the lake of fire, and present the world as worthy of your affection. He is supernaturally cunning in what he does. He can seduce Eve into eating fruit God has forbidden. He can provoke David to number Israel, as though God were not to be trusted. He can entice Judas into thinking it is an advantage to betray Jesus, or Ananias and Sapphira into imagining they would be better by lying to the Holy Spirit. Do not underestimate his subtlety!

The "whole armor of God" equips us to deal with Satan's "wiles." It does so by giving us a working acquaintance with the truth of God. That familiarity with truth sheds light on Satan's devices, making them obvious to us, and us able to reject them.

LOINS GIRDED WITH TRUTH. All the armor of God is held together with the belt of truth. That is what keeps everything in its place. Emotion does not hold it together. Intellectual knowledge does not hold it together. Nor, indeed, does the armor simply remain in tact automatically. It is only as the truth is perceived and embraced that protection against Satan's devices can be realized.

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. The vital part of our beings is protected by the conviction that we have been made righteous in Christ Jesus. The person who realizes God will not impute sin unto him is thereby armed against delusion. When the assurance of Divine acceptance is not found in our hearts, we are made vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. We cannot stand against his "wiles" if we are doubtful about how the Lord has received us and made us rightgeous.

PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. Holding our ground demands our grasp of presently having peace with God. That is not simply a theological position. We may have trouble in the world, but not in heaven! Peace has been made through the blood of the cross, and God is for us. The comprehension of that diffuses the power of delusion. O, that it was more common!

For the believer, protection is not optional! Those who do not avail themselves of Divinely provided armor, will not be able to "stand against the wiles of the devil." To put it another way, they will be not able to avoid being deceived.

SHIELD OF FAITH. Faith is the conviction and persuasion of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus–the Gospel. As that persuasion is held before the fiery darts, or infectious thoughts, hurled at us by the devil, they at once lose their attractiveness and power. Faith is here viewed as the conviction of our reconciliation to God. It is more than Eve possessed when she confronted the subtle serpent. It is the "I KNOW" factor of our walk with God. Those who have faith are not confused about Who God is or what He is doing in Christ Jesus. Their faith sees through delusion, thereby robbing it of its power.

HELMET OF SALVATION. Knowing you are saved is imperative. Actually, every person who is born again begins with this knowledge. Although they do not know the extent of this salvation, they do know their sins are forgiven, and they have access to God. Unless that awareness grows, however, Satan will soon break through the mind with his delusions, luring the individual into a manner of thinking and living that actually alienates from God. In First Thessalonians, the Spirit refers to this helmet as "the hope of salvation" (5:8). That is the awareness of who we are and where we are going. The goal is not only seen by faith, but the heart is persuaded of our proper place in that goal. This knowledge arms the soul against the "wiles of the devil."

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. This "sword," we are told, is the Word of God (Eph 6:17). It is the only offensive weapon that we have–but it is highly effective. Delusion cannot be neutralized or diffused by philosophy or mere human reason. The sting of temptation cannot be extracted by scholarship, human discipline, or logical arguments. The ONLY sword we have is the Word of God. That is what Jesus used when tempted by the devil, and it effectively repulsed the old serpent. A working knowledge of the Word of God is imperative to overcoming the devil. By "working knowledge," I mean the ability to use the Word of God effectively. For some believers, the Word of God in their hand is like the sword of Goliath in a baby's hand–they simply are unable to use it. But that situation must change. The child of God must be able to bring the Scriptures to bear upon Satan's "wiles" if they are to overcome his delusions.

PRAYING ALWAYS. Prayer is not only a privilege, it is a necessity. We are not speaking of one kind of prayer, but "ALL prayer." Supplications, praise, thanksgiving, intercession, pouring out our hearts, making our requests known, etc. – they are all part of our Divinely provided protection. "Always" does not mean every single minute, but under all circumstances. That is, no part of life is viewed as separate from God or unrelated to our life in Him. To put it another way, the believer can never step out of the role of a child of God, approaching life as though he was on his own. This prayerful posture makes Satan's wiles more apparent.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for the thorough protection You have provided. Grant me grace to put it on and keep it on.

-- Monday: ABRAHAM,THE FRIEND OF GOD --