Monday, April 9, 2012

The Full Armor

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 
Ephesians 6:10-18


Lately I have been studying this passage in Ephesians. Dr. Paul L. King wrote in his book, "God's Healing Arsenal" about a prayer on this scripture that he learned at a seminar by Larry Lea.  While Dr. Paul King was going through cancer treatment and healing, he prayed this prayer daily over himself and his family.

I am not one who likes to dwell on spiritual warfare, but I cannot deny it exists and must be taken seriously.  We are told by Paul that Satan goes around like a roaring lion and we need to protect ourselves from him.  I like what one Biblical teacher said~ Satan may go around like a hungry lion seeing who he can devour, BUT he is a toothless lion!  The truth is, we have nothing to fear with Jesus on our side.

Still, we do need to remember that we live in a broken world where Satan tries in anyway he can to draw us away from God.  One way to protect ourselves and be prepared  is to remember the verses in Ephesians, claim them, and even pray them over our families and ourselves.  Isn't it wonderful that God provides just what we need when we need it!