Gear Up - Put On Your Armour

“Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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…” Ephesians 6:11-18. As you live this new life, you have to be prepared and ready to triumph and conquer in every battle you may face. To succeed in the Christian race, you need to have adequate spiritual gear or as the bible puts it “armour”. If you have ever watched war films you will have seen soldiers in battle all geared up with armour from head to toe. This armour is to worn to defend the warrior from the assaults of his enemies and also to help him in his offence and ability to win the battle. In the spiritual realm the bible says you wrestle not against flesh and blood and that the weapons of warfare you possess are not carnal or physical. Therefore the armour you need is not physical but spiritual. The battle you are fighting is a battle for your soul, heart and mind. The devil wants to draw you back to a life of sin but do not be afraid, God has fully equipped you to win every battle and to stand and conquer no matter what is thrown at you. We can win and overcome because Jesus won on the cross of Calvary on your behalf. The devil's devices to draw you back into his kingdom are subtle and they may not necessarily mean you fight with devils and demons. However they come up in everyday life in the form of doubts, unbelief, temptations, seductions, condemnations and those things that seek to distract you and take you back to your old way of life. The component of your spiritual armour are outlined below: Gird your waist with Truth - Truth gives you the confidence to stand and move ahead in life. There are many opinions and they will fail but the truth always stands and it is a firm rock to build your life on. Your whole life should be truth centred as this is the pathway to genuine liberty in Jesus Christ. The bible says "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32). The way you discover more of Gods truth is by studying the word of God as it brings light and illumination to your life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps 119:105. The breast plate of Righteousness – The breast plate is a piece of armour that protects the most delicate parts of your body, your heart. The bible says that you should guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life (Pr 4:23). Your heart is your most important part of your body and also spiritually your heart is very important. The bible says that as you think in your heart so you are (Pr 23:7). Therefore a true reflection of who you are is seen in the image embedded in your heart. That is why the bible says that we should keep God's word in our heart that we may not sin against Him. The Breast Plate of Righteousness is a heart protector. The bible says that Abraham believed in God and it was counted to him for Righteousness. Believing and having faith in Gods word in your heart makes you righteous (Ro 4:3).You needs to preserve this knowledge that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus as it is your protection and security. The Bible exhorts you to 'put on' the armour; this means that you must deliberately put on the breast plate on righteousness on you so that you may guard your heart. Shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel - You need to be ready to share your faith with others, one of the ways to establish your faith is to declare it. And by doing so you join the great army of God in establishing God Kingdom in the hearts and lives of men. Kingdom advancement is at the heart of God. The gospel is powerful; it changes the life of the listener and the preacher as well, as you become accountable to your words. God desires that you to be ready to share your faith in Jesus and His life change power with other and be willing to go wherever he sends you to and do whatever he tells you to do. Don't worry about what to say or how to say it God will give you words, power and boldness to declare His words and you learn more about sharing the gospel later in this book. The shield of Faith – You need faith to overcome and live a life with God, The devil seeks to attack your faith in God through many ways. He throws darts and arrows of doubt, unbelief, and fear all aimed at dampening your faith. H attacks because he knows that the 'just shall live by faith' (Heb 10:38) and that 'without faith it is impossible to please God'. (Heb 11:6). Faith is belief in action, in other words acting diligently upon your belief in God and His Word. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrew 11:1). With faith in God we are able to win battles that because we know that God will do all He has said He would do even though it may not seem visible or possible , for with God all things are possible (Mt 19:26). Faith is an essential asset for you to have, develop and increase, for with it your victory in the battles of Life is guaranteed. The Helmet of Salvation – The Helmet of salvation is aimed at protecting your mind, your thoughts and imagination from the lies and deceptions of the devil which are negative thoughts contrary to the word of God and perverse and suggestive thoughts that lead you into temptation. The bible talks about you having the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16), this means that your mind is in line with God and is immersed in the Hope of Salvation. For this you need to be consumed with the principles in the word of God and all the plans and promises that God has for you (1Thessalonians 5:8). The Sword of the Spirit – The word of God is called the sword of the spirit. The word of God is a mighty weapon, sharper than any, it is an offensive weapon, it has power to create and destroy. As you meditate, speak and act upon the word of God you gain victory. (Hebrew 4:12) An additional piece of armour is Prayer - You gain spiritual dominion through prayer. Through prayer you get the power from heaven to touch and change the earth. It is very important. Prayer is a dialogue with God about things dear to your heart; it is also an avenue where God is able to communicate what is dear to His heart to you. Prayer is also two way communication, you speak to God and He speaks back. When you pray God gives you strategies on how to win in life and the strength to stand. Your prayer doesn't have to be complex or perfectly worded; it just needs to be straight from your heart. So say a little prayer and God will give a big answer. So always talk to God, He desires to spend time with you in prayer. From the book; The New You - Change & Transformed by JahMain KinG Visit www.JahMainKinG.com for FREE DOWNLOADS. Copyright © 2012 Jermaine Sanwoolu TEYN PublishingAll rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-62154255-1 All Scriptures from KJV Bible.