The Whole Armor of God
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation,and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:`
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:11-18
Paul used the analogy of the actual armor, to give a picture of the Christian armor. He began by saying: "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
He said: "Put on the whole armor of God that ye might be able to withstand the wiles of the devil."
One personal example that I can give of this happening where I wasn't prepared, was with a friend who told me something that she asked me to keep between her and myself.
I respected her request completely. A few days after we spoke, we ran into a mutual acquaintance. As we were parting ways, the person said something that was similar to what my friend had told me. I didn't think twice about it, I didn't even associate it with what she had shared with me. She, however, did.
The next several times that we spoke, it was clear that she was angry with me, and I asked her several times, "what's wrong?" "Is everything alright?" She never told me what she was angry about, and sadly we parted ways.
I didn't put it together until much later. The enemy had set forth to bring trouble and distrust between us. This particular friend was a person that I met when I returned to College to study a medical emphasis that would enhance my degree.
She had noticed that I had scriptures written inside of the cover of my text book and she came over and sat next to me. We started talking and within a few weeks, we had a bible study going where we shared with others the goodness of God and the importance of faith in Christ.
That's the kind of thing that the enemy wants to disrupt.
We as believers need to be aware of these types of "wiles of the devil." Families, ministries, and friendships," that are focused on God should always be equipped.
It still breaks my heart that we parted ways following that incident.
We should be aware of these things, and so I thought that going over the "whole armor of God "would be a great subject and (hopefully,) this will turn into a discussion here on the Christian-Trail.
The enemy has many "wiles," and many reading this know this.
having your loins girt about with truth,
Peter said this about "loins," and it is part of the whole armor of God.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:13
In the Old Testament, the examples include the garments that the priests wore, such as Aaron.
And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from theloins even unto the thighs they shall reach: Exodus 28:42
And again the reference was made in regards to Elijah:
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 1 Kings 18:45-46
With Aaron, he was a Priest who kept charge over the things of God with and by God's word, and with Elijah "the hand of the LORD was on Him."
God's word along with abiding in Christ is about the "loins of your mind, that Peter spoke of.
Part 1.
If anyone would like to discuss this part of the "whole armor," please feel free to share in the comments here. This is a big subject and a very important one for all believers.
If not, I'll continue over the next few days through the comment section with the different aspects of the "whole armor of God."
Taking part in studies and subjects such as this edifies everyone and blesses each person involved. So, please feel free to share.
July 14 2017