Power and Strength from God

On my new God’s Word Mondays (every other Monday starting, well, today), I’m planning a series based around the Armor of God. The new allegory I’m working on is based on such, and I figured sharing some of my research and thoughts would be both educational and (hopefully) inspriring for all of us.

I was reading through Epheisians 6:10-18 in different versions to get a good feel for the passage. Several words kept popping out at me:

POWER

FAITH

STRENGTH

SALVATION

PRAYER

Words like that hold so much influence and have such a reach. People live and die by these words.

In writing the letter to the Ephesians, Paul uses the analogy of the Armor of God to point out that we are fighting a battle–a constant battle. Only this battle is different from the ones we see on TV or read about in books. This battle is for our souls–and the souls of everyone we know. We are not just fighting the non-believers in this world, but the evil powers in the supernatural realm.

We know the Armor of God consists of six pieces: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Boots of the Gospel of Peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, and Sword of the Spirit. This is a full armor, people, and one not to be taken lightly. We often wonder about the importance of daily prayer and Scripture reading–this is it. Satan is on the prowl, working in the places we can’t see. He and his kind know our weaknesses and have no problem exploiting them for their gain.

Just because you are a Christian does not mean that Satan and his minions have to leave you alone. Some people are misinformed, believing that being a Christian means we are completely protected from the devil. This is true to a point. We cannot be possessed, true. They cannot physically harm us, unsure. I’ve heard it both ways, this is something I’ve been wanting to research. But, as these verses point out, they do not have to leave us alone. They can attack our weaknesses, they can play on our fears/worries, they can use other non-believers against us. Whatever they can do to make us ineffectual.

The Armor of God protects us from this. When we are properly dressed, we can fend off any attack. It may get dirty. We may break a sweat. But we will come out on top. The devil cannot defeat us when we are under God’s protection, unless we let him. Why would we? We have the power and strength of the Almighty God behind us. Our inheritance, through faith, is SALVATION, STRENGTH, and POWER. We are Christian Soldiers! (That’s right, let the song go through your head a few times.)

Mount up, my friends! Don that armor, make ready the shield of Faith, and pick up the Sword of the Spirit–the devil holds no power here. Say it. Believe it.

Be empowered.

Don’t forget to comment on Friday’s post to win a copy of Frank Creed’s Devil’s Hit List. Giveaway is open until 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 11, 2012.