Put on the full armor of God, that

You may be able to stand firm

Against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11 NASB

The armor of God is more imagery that God gives us to drive home an important message. We are in a war with an unseen enemy. He is cunning and out to destroy us. God is on our side and has given us provisions to fight the enemy successfully. One of those ways is the armor of God. Our trust is in God though, because spiritual armor is nothing without the power of God.

Satan will do everything he can to destroy believers and would be believers. He wants to keep our prodigals in a state of deception and confusion about who they are and what their purpose is. He has convinced them that they don’t need God, but we know who has the final word. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross and although Satan knows this, for now he is still active in our world…”seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He is intent on ruining our lives any way he can.

In Romans 13:14, we are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The NIV says to clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ. This has to do with our identity in Christ. The song, Dear Younger Me, from Mercy Me says it very well:

You are righteous, you are holy

You are one of the redeemed

Set apart, a brand new heart

You are free indeed

When you are on a team, you put on the uniform and identify with the team. As a believer, we put on Christ and identify with Him. Essentially the armor of God is us clothing ourselves with Christ for battle. This is an important aspect of identifying with Jesus. The armor protects us from the schemes of the devil because he is no match for the Lord. He is a liar and a deceiver, but not all-knowing or all-powerful. So it’s important that we are standing firm when he attacks us. Putting on the armor is how we get ready. We don’t put on the armor to fight the battle; we put on the armor so we are able to stand firm when the enemy comes. He doesn’t announce his plans, and therefore being ready makes sense, since we don’t want to be caught off guard.

In the next several weeks we will talk about each piece and how it helps us in our Christian life and how having a prodigal can be an avenue God uses to make us ready . God is working in them and in us. He is calling us to draw close to Him and to learn to fight effectively by knowing who we are in Christ and putting Him on as armor.

I used to live like I was under attack Dodging arrows from my past I had no hope for tomorrow Felt so much pressure yes I thought I would crack But now there’s no looking back I’m moving forward ‘cuz I know

I got my armor now No fear no doubt can shoot me down I got my armor now No fear no doubt gonna shoot me down Down, down, down, down Down, down, down, down

Now I’m bulletproof because of You Because of You And now I’m bulletproof because of You Because of You

Your Love made a way Now I’m not afraid No matter what the world may say or what they do I am bulletproof because of You, Because of You

I know You got this whole thing under control My soul is untouchable because You’ve already won me My victory is not in this flesh and bone It’s in the cross and I know Nobody’s taking it from me

I got my armor now No fear no doubt can shoot me down I got my armor now No fear no doubt gonna shoot me down Down, down, down, down Down, down, down, down

Now I’m bulletproof because of You Because of You And now I’m bulletproof because of You Because of You

Your Love made a way Now I’m not afraid No matter what the world may say or what they do I am bulletproof because of You, Because of You

And I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more

Bulletproof because of You, Because of You And now I’m bulletproof because of You Because of You

Your Love made a way Now I’m not afraid No matter what the world may say or what they do I am bulletproof because of You, Because of You

I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more I don’t have to fear no more, worry no more