"Spiritual Armor"
GOOD MORNING!
DEVOTIONAL:
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness …” Ephesians 6:13-14
We are to actively lay hold of and put on the full armor of God. Not some of the armor; all of the armor. It is God’s “equipment for spiritual warfare” that gives us the strength to stand against the methods, schemes, and strategies of the devil. We will not win the battle in our own power – but only if we trust the Lord and His power.
Our first piece of armor is truth. We must know the truth about God, man, sin, and Christ. We must know the truth of the Word of God. Truth is our first source of strength.
Scripture calls Satan the “father of lies” [John 8:44]. He deals in falsehood, distortion, and deception. His greatest desire is to get people to believe wrong things about God and His Promises. The enemy does not want Christians to know the truth about Scripture. The believer who is confused about God’s Word cannot be effective in God’s work. The distortion of truth is at the very heart of how Satan works.
In addition to knowing the truth, Christians are to be truth-tellers. The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 4:15, “Speak the truth in love.” Sometimes that means encouraging people. Other times it means having hard conversations. Always do it with the right heart and with the right motives.
The second piece of our spiritual armor is righteousness. This is truth in action. It is obedience to God’s character and commandments. It is right thinking and right living in response to the truth. Righteousness is obedience from the inside-out, and it comes from the power of God working in us. It simply means doing the right thing, especially when it is difficult. This righteousness is a gift from God through Christ.
Truth [know the truth of Scripture and speak the truth] and Righteousness [live out the truth He has given you in Christ and seek to do the right thing even when it is hard].
Living in truth and righteousness is such a big part of standing firm. “The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart… Whoever does these things will never be shaken” [Psalm 15:2, 5b].
Much love and care,
Pastor Pat
Greece Assembly of God
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