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."
Lets face it; these days the world can be a scary place. I think that is especially true when we are in times of loss. Linda Stirling shared at one of our conferences on how she puts on the full armor of God before she even gets out of bed. I have taken her advice and I can’t tell you how much this has helped get me through many tough days. There is a devil dressed in designer red who wants nothing better than to see you broken and defeated. So today I would like to tell you about an outfit that is fit for battle. It will clothe and protect you from head to toe. The Bible tells us of another person who was also in a battle. He was dealing with the same devil we find ourselves battling. The apostle Paul found himself locked in a prison cell for two years. While he was in prison he had plenty of time to study the Roman soldiers. He became well acquainted with their armor. He learned the function of each article and the purpose it served and why it was important when they were in a battle. A God-inspired analogy began to form in Paul’s mind. Just like the Roman soldiers who put on the physical armor to fight the battle, we moms need a designer spiritual outfit to fight ours. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul writes, "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." We might feel like we are at the end of our rope, but we are not at the end of our hope, especially when we are dressed in the full armor of God. So today I would like to give you a new designer outfit that will help you fight that devil in Prada. It was created by the designer who knows your mind, body, and soul better than we know ourselves. He clothed the universe and all that is in it. Every morning before my feet touch the ground, I prepare myself just like the Roman soldier did.
The Belt
The Roman soldier wore a belt. This belt held the scabbard that held the soldier's sword. It also held strips of leather to protect the lower body. If
he didn’t have this belt, he would have nowhere to carry his sword. He would not have a weapon to fight his enemy.
Belt of truth- The devil fights with lies and sometimes his lies sound like truth, but we have God’s truth and it should cling to us as a belt clings to the body. God knows you. He knows your coming and going. He knows your heart and He knows your struggles. The devil knew exactly where to strike me. I believed for a long time I was a bad mother. I should have known something was wrong with my daughter. I believed that God was punishing me and He must not love me. Maybe you believe that too. God’s Word is full of truth and we are who He says we are. We are His child. We are His beloved. Hold on to that truth, not to the lies of the devil. God is real, He still loves you and He never leaves you.
The breastplate provided protection for the soldier’s vital organs, the heart, lungs and other organs. Without it the soldier would be asking for death.
Breastplate of Righteousness- Stand on God’s truth and His standards. The devil will attack our hearts. This is where our emotions, self-worth and trust are found. Your heart will be protected by God’s righteousness. His righteousness will keep out the poison that will pollute our hearts. He will help us live with integrity. If we live in a right relationship with Him, we will do, say and think the right things. When we follow the Word of God, the effect of being righteous is peace, quietness, and the assurance of eternity. All of that is what we need when we are grieving.
Sandals- Imagine a soldier dressed in all this garb but not having shoes on. A soldier could run into real trouble in battle. Twigs and rocks could cause serious pain and that is the last thing he needed when a sword was coming at him. He had to continue to move forward and fight the battle.
Sandals of peace-Stand on God’s truth and stand firm. It is hard these days to stand on your faith. We have arrows thrown at us from every direction. Satan is using others to weaken our faith in the Lord. But God has given us the shoes to stand firm and proclaim the good news. My pastor often says we are often the only Bible people read. So what does our life say to others? When we are deep in grief, it is often hard to even have to think about that. Yet when we profess we are Christians, people are watching how we act in difficulties, and what is more difficult than a time of loss. It is so hard to not get angry at others when they expect you to be over this grief or they judge us for how we grieve. It took all I had to keep my mouth closed. I soon figured out I needed to protect myself around certain people and many times I had to give grace. I had to remind myself that these people had no idea how painful and life changing the loss of a child is. I had to remind myself I didn’t know either before this happened to me. Try to leave a situation better than when you arrived.
The shield of the Roman soldier was very large. It was about 3 and a half feet tall and three feet wide. This gave the soldier a great deal of protection from the enemy. Because of the curve in the shield, it helped deflect attacks without the full force of the assault on the soldier. They could also combine all the shields together to form a circle of protection around a group of soldiers.
Shield of Faith-When we see the devil attack us in the form of insults, setbacks and temptations, the shield of faith will protect us. We can see beyond our circumstances and know that the ultimate victory is ours. The shield helps us see beyond our circumstances. I remember praying, "Lord I don’t understand and I don’t know how I will ever be happy again, but I trust that one day that will happen because I know I can’t live in this much pain." We can also be a force when we join others who have lost a child. We can circle our shields and protect and support one another.
The helmet just like today, protects the head from injury.
The helmet of Salvation- The devil wants to make us doubt God, Jesus and our salvation. The helmet protects our thoughts. It helps us to keep our thoughts pure and to have positive thoughts. We have a choice on what thoughts we allow and admire. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8, "And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." We also know we have been saved and delivered from death. We can receive tremendous comfort and hope by focusing on Christ’s sacrifice. This hope works like a helmet to protect our mind from discouragement and despair.
There are two birds who fly overhead looking for nourishment. The vulture flies overhead searching the desolate land for dead carcasses to satisfy his hunger. The hummingbird on the other hand, flies looking for one of God’s most beautiful creations. He is looking for a flower where he can find nature’s sweet nectar. Both birds find what they are looking for -- it just is where they put their focus. What is your mind focused on -- the desolate and dead carcass or the beautiful sweet nectar. You have a choice on what you are thinking.
The Roman soldier’s sword became known as the sword that conquered the world. It was a fearsome tool in the hands of a skilled warrior. When sharpened, its dual edges killed and its sharpened point could pierce through heavy armor. The sword needed to be sharpened daily for it to be useful.
The Sword of the spirit-The sword is the only weapon of offense. There are times when we need to take the offense against the devil. When we are tempted, we need to trust the Word of God. The only weapon we have is God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, and we need them to fight our enemy. Just like the Roman sword that needed to be sharpened every day, we need to spend quiet time in His Word. Pray to God about your pain; ask Him for peace and to direct your thoughts.
Start your day putting on the full armor. Then,
Find time in your day to read a devotion, and
Pray throughout your day.
Keep a thankful journal -- find something to be grateful for every day even if it’s only one thing. A thankful heart has a thankful perspective.
Lord, when we feel overwhelmed, let us remind ourselves we are dressed by the great designer who is stronger than anyone and anything.
