Stand firm with the Gospel. I’ve always been confused about the meaning of the passage in Ephesians 6 about the full armor of God. On the one hand, we are battling the forces of evil and need the protection of God’s armor and the strike force of the sword of truth. On the other hand, this is not a physical battle in which might and power wins. So how does anyone put of the “full armor of God”?
The Armor of God | Stand Firm With The Gospel
As a businessman, I don’t go around threatening folks with the Gospel. For example, the sword of Truth is the Bible. I don’t try to stab folks with the Bible. Piercing their souls takes a different tactic. And customers are not my enemies. I don’t slay them or see them as adversaries because they don’t express the Christian faith.
The full armor reflects what? It’s my truthfulness (honesty), righteousness (virtue), peace (inner calmness), faith (trust in a sovereign God), salvation (pledge to Christ) all bathed in prayer. So, it’s always puzzled me to see Braveheart-like figures in paintings that portray this verse.
It’s Not Easy
It’s tough being a faithful Christ follower in business. I have needed every bit of the armor when I was in business and frankly there were times when the enemy pierced my defenses. I’ve dealt with folks who wanted kickbacks. I’ve seen salesmen oversell their product. We cover up our embarrassing mistakes. Some will inflate their expenditures on their expense accounts. I’ve known folks who knowingly have hired illegal immigrants. I’ve known some to succumb to their lusts. Others have promised deadlines that they cannot fulfill.
I’ve seen products that are shoddy workmanship. Others will say bad things about a co-worker, so they look better for the promotion. We are tempted to take tax deductions beyond the limit of the law. The list can go on. It is not easy. Every day we need His protection. We live in a self-absorbed culture where financial success, beautiful homes, late model cars, sports tickets, club memberships, and Disney vacations are more important than our humble and honest relationship with Christ.
Learning From David
I’ve been guilty of some of those, and so I look to David and his prayer in Psalm 51: the prayer of repentance to bring me back to completeness. David’s armor wasn’t complete, because he killed tens of thousands of the enemy. David’s armor was complete when he confessed to his affair with Bathsheba and asked for God’s forgiveness from the deep pain he was feeling being separated from God.
When I think of examples of those in my life who have put on the full armor of God, those warriors in my life, it’s my mom who continued to read the Bible even when she had Alzheimer’s. It’s my friend Craig who lifted my spirits as he lay dying of cancer and Edna who wrote me a letter of encouragement as she suffered from crippling arthritis. Finally, Bob a highly successful businessman, who lived in a modest home and drove a used Volvo. It is inward armor expressed in outward humility and Grace.
Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
Takeaway: The Full Armor of God is not a full charge down the hill. It’s having a childlike attitude, a patient character, a calm and understanding spirit, one that sacrifices self to be the face and demeanor of Christ.
Author: Paul Veerman
Excellent article on the battles that we all face on a daily basis. Great perspective on what it means to put on the Full Armor of God on and be a Christian.
Amazing article. Thanks for sharing your struggles and triumphs. Praying peace and blessing over your life.
Living every day for Christ in itself sounds easy, but we have to be aware of our enemy the devil. He is working hard everyday to derail our testimony. We can use success or failure to bring us closer to GOD, or to drive us away from Him. That’s why we need to spend time in HIS Word so that we can be prepared for the battle we face. GOD gives us all the answers and all we need to be successful in that battle. We just need to use the tools GOD has given to us through his Word.
Excellent article, I need to stay battle ready!
Great post. Was just praying/reading about the armor of God earlier this morning, and saw your post after. Thank you Jesus for your perfect timing.
With that armour we have the Holy Ghost left to be the Comforter in the fox hole of life as we battle. Then we have an Assigned Angel to be that messanger to God bringing back and forth to us the instructions for carrying out the battle plan.
Combinding all of these we can win our daily WAR with sin.
Thanks.
Your TAKEAWAY the verse;
Put on the full armor of God….then Surrender. That’s what I see, WOW.
Thank you for sharing, all of you who added, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences and for your humility. I recently started a group study about living in the Kingdom, and as a business owner myself, your insights have certainly given me food for thought and prayer.
As I read this, I also thought about a corollary of the need to put God first in my life. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33 NLT
I really appreciate your perspective on that verse. I have a picture of that verse hanging on my wall. And until today I had visioned the Braveheart type worrier. But now, thanks to you, I see how contradicting that perspective could be to the “personality” of God. He is a God of love, kindness, and peace. We should put on the full armor to shield us from the outside world in accordance with Gods will for our lives and fight back using the tools He has provided for us, the sword of the Spirt, which is the word of God.
It is not the Word of Truth but the Belt of truth. The Belt covers the loins, the part of the body that produces future generations for every person. The genitals. Make sure the Lord knows of your activities in this area so that there is Truth here, no deception between you and Christ.
Wow……great