Text: Florian Bockholt/Anna Davydova
Hello dear reader,
Today I want to share with you a topic that God has placed particularly on my heart and that I will probably continue to delve into.
I believe it is important for us as Christians in these uncertain and contested times to clothe ourselves in the full armor of God. With this we can withstand and grow.
Put on the armor of God to withstand the cunning schemes of the devil! [...] So stand girded at the hips with truth, clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, shod on your feet with a willingness to proclaim the gospel of peace! In addition to all this, seize the big shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all incendiary projectiles of evil. Take up also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
Ephesians 6:11-17
The sandals of readiness for the proclamation of the gospel. Any army that wants to move forward needs solid shoes, otherwise it pinches and pinches and we get blisters. I get it, so our foundation as Christians is that we want to share the good news. It's the best thing that can happen to this world and to every single human being.
The breastplate of justice
We are righteous because God is our judge and Jesus is our defender. Satan is our accuser. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Even though Satan accuses us of many things, Jesus defends us in everything and I know that God is listening to Jesus.
Biblically, the breastplate is chain mail. A flexible suit of armor made of thousands of riveted steel rings, adapted to us. Every single case that Satan brings before God, in which Jesus defends us and God judges in our favor, is another ring in our mail that protects our innermost being.
The Helm of Salvation
Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. The cloth that separated the Holy of Holies, that is, God Himself, from us is torn. Jesus is the perfect lamb who sacrificed himself so that we would no longer be under the law of Moses but under the law of love. God loved the world so much that he sacrificed his only begotten son so that we could have full access to him. This knowledge is important so that our minds are protected as we focus on Jesus.
The Belt of Truth
Jesus says of himself he is the way, the truth and the life. The truth is that God loves us and is always seeking new relationships with us. He loved us first. Jesus drew strength from this truth. When we stand on the foundation of truth, two things happen. 1. The breastplate of justice becomes easier to wear as the girdle of truth spreads the weight and 2. the girdle allows us to carry our sword with us without having it in our hands all the time.
The Shield of Faith
The Shield of Faith is the most basic piece of gear from my understanding. It is our first and foremost defense. Faith comes from relationship. The relationship is our shield against Satan's accusations. That we understand and experience his nature and heart. That we know he's a good father to us and always, always, always has our best interests in mind. He, the Creator of this world, loves us as His own children, unconditionally. He knows all our flaws and loves us so much that he always tries to be in relationship with us and to deepen that relationship no matter what we have done. God has a good plan for our lives.
The Sword of the Spirit
As the final and only offensive piece of armor we have, God's Word. We need the Bible to understand God. God's word has authority over everything. The Holy Spirit that lives in us is an incarnation of this Word in our lives, so we can let Him lead and guide us. At the same time, this sword is associated with the certainty that God is victorious and that Jesus crushed the serpent's head.
Wearing the full armor is difficult in the beginning. We need mental brawn and endurance that we only learn by wearing them.
I want to encourage you to put on the entire armor piece by piece.
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