What are you wearing?

Ephesians 6:10-18 Devotion (09-25)

What are you wearing?Dwain D. Cox

0:00

Good morning Family, let us lift our hands this morning in praise and thank God that He is merciful and faithful towards us. Today’s devotion comes to us from Ephesians 6:10-18, which reads : ¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the ^[a]wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of ^[b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ 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.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Many people pick out what they are going to wear to work, school, church or a concert sometimes days in advance. Special occasions such as weddings and graduations tend to bring this clothing preparation to another level. But all of this is in the physical realm. How are we as believers supposed to dress spiritually daily? This spiritual dress is not to be taken likely nor paraded as one would an expensive name brand garment. What you wear spiritually is not just a garment, but it is armor. In this regard you are seen as a soldier and as such one must be prepared for battle.

Believers, there are things that will weaken us and Lloyd-Jones thought sapped the strength of the Christian. These include and are not limited to: Too much time in the wrong company, Too much foolish talk and joking, committing to too many spiritual works or things and Ungodly entertainment to name a few.

What and who are we arming ourselves for? It is not for the relative who is challenging your inheritance. It is not for the driver that cut you off in traffic or the manager that just fired you. These are all distractions. The true enemy is the devil. The passage goes on to say that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.

This lesson is by no means exhausted but let us examine the amor needed as a believer:

·       Belt of truth

·       Breastplate of Righteousness

·       Gospel of Peace

·       Shield of Faith

·       Helmet of Salvation

·       Sword of the Spirit

·       Prayer

You will need to do further reading to understand fully what these are. However, notice that no part of the armor is protecting the back of the individual. This means that the believer should always be pressing forward and in prayer. Prayer cannot be left out. Now, each morning when you are getting dressed, think on these things and ensure that you are not only physically clothed but spiritually as well.

Come, join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the armor You have given us to stand against the wiles of the devil, to proclaim victory in our daily lives and inspire others to follow Christ. Lord, some of us might be battle worn but we know our strength comes from you. Continue to stand with us in Jesus name we pray ,Amen.