The Armor from God
The remaining, my brethren, be caused to be empowered in Christ and in the might of His strength. Clothe yourself with the full armor from God facing your ability to stand facing the methodologies of the slanderer. For our wrestling is not facing blood and flesh, but facing rulers, facing authorities, facing world powers of darkness of this age, facing the spiritually malignant evil in the heavens. Because of this, all of you take up the whole armor from God, in order that all of you should be enabled to stand in the malignantly evil day and having for yourself worked out all to stand. Therefore, all of you stand having girded your loins in truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having bound up the feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Over all taking up the shield of the faith, by which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the malignantly evil one. And to receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword belonging to the Spirit, which is the individual utterances from God, through all communication of worship and supplication, communicating by worship at all times in the spirit and into this same watching with all persistence and supplication concerning all the saints… Ephesians 6:10-18.
The armor from God is a mental process that we go through when under attack from Satan to protect our minds from his methods, by which he seeks to keep our minds from thinking on the things above and influence our actions. Independence from God, Disappointment, Discouragement, Bitterness, Doubt, Spiritual Cowardice, Lying, Pride, An unforgiving spirit, Stealing, Corrupt communication, Busybody, and Gossip are the methods Satan uses to ultimately ensnare a saint to do his desirous will rather than God’s.
Girding your loins with truth
The reference here is not to the physical part of the body, but to the sensitive part of the mind. “Therefore, bind up the loins of the workings of your mind, being sober, all of you completely hope upon the grace carried to you in revelation concerning Jesus Christ”, 1 Peter 1:13.
Prior to salvation we were hostile towards God in the workings of our minds, Colossians 1:21 “and you at some time were alienated and hostile in the workings of your mind by malignantly evil works…”; Ephesians 4:17, 18 Therefore, this I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk just as also the Gentiles walk in emptiness of their mind, having the workings of their minds darkened…”.
But now he has reconciled us in the body of His flesh to present us set apart, and blameless, and above reproach before Him. Therefore we are to set our minds on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father, Colossians 3:1,2. The workings of our mind needs to be protected with the truth. Truth is seeing things as they really are. We are to protect the workings of our minds from Satan’s methodologies by using the truth.
The truth and how it defends against attacks from Satan
In Christ we have victory over Satan. We have been taken out of Satan’s authority and placed into the kingdom of His beloved Son, Colossians 1:13; 1 John 2:13
When we are seeing things as they really are when we are tempted to lie, which is an attack from Satan, the result will be that we are not willing to express something in a way that is false. This would also stand true with gossip, since it is mainly built upon only part of the truth.
Wherefore put off the lie, speaking the truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of the same kind, Ephesians 4:25
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The righteousness provided by God in Christ. This is not looking at our righteousness, but rather the righteousness we have because we are in Christ.
We are righteous before the Father because of our position in Christ. “and I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, the one (righteousness) out from law, but the one (righteousness) through faith pertaining to Christ, the righteousness out from God on the basis of faith”, Philippians 3:9; “For the one not knowing sin on behalf of us he was made sin, in order that we should become a quality of the righteousness of God in Him”, 2 Corinthians 5:21
His righteousness and how it defends against attacks from Satan
Basing our defense on His righteousness eliminated self-effort and therefore defends against independence from God because we are reminded that we are righteous before him not by our works, but by His grace (His attitude by which He gives us a benefit without consideration of merit). Since our righteousness before God is based upon His work, not ours, then we will not seek to work to show Him our righteousness, which would be by self-effort; rather, we work because in Christ He has already made us righteous.
We are also not going to be prideful about who we are in Christ because it was not by our own means that we received what we have. Knowing that you are a part of the body of Christ, and that all members have value, even the ones that are less visible, pride will not prevail, especially among pastors and leaders of the church. within the requirements of a Pastor, pride is addressed. A new convert that is put into the position of a bishop can become prideful and fall, 1 Timothy 3:6. This is why it is important for Pastor and Deacons to hold the mystery of The Faith in a clear conscience, 1 Timothy 3:9. (“The Faith” is the doctrine by which we stand against Satan – the Armor from God, 1 Peter 5:9).
Feet bound in preparation of the Gospel of Peace
The good news that brings peace. Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
We should always be ready to give an intelligent response for the hope that we have. “But all of you set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready facing a defense to everyone asking all of you a word concerning the hope in all of you, with objectivity of mind and respect, having a good conscience, in order that in that which they speak bad of all of you as one doing bad, they should be put to shame, the ones reviling all of you, by the conduct of all of you in Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15
The Gospel for salvation is given clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Scripture states that this is the gospel by which you are saved. No other message brings salvation for it is only within this Gospel that God has provide the inherent ability to save a person, Romans 1:16.
How being prepared to give the Gospel for Salvation – the one bringing peace – defends against attacks from Satan
Believing the Gospel for salvation is not something we purchase or obtain, we receive it without charge; therefore, we should give it without charge and always be ready to freely provide it. Having this type of attitude will defend against Satan’s attempts to manipulate your mind by tempting you to steal – taking that which does not rightly belong to you, becoming bitter, and even preventing idleness.
The Helmet of Salvation
This aspect of salvation focus more on what we have received. The previous part of the armor has all of us ready to give the correct Gospel, this part looks at how no one can take from us what God has given to us. We are saved by Grace – God’s attitude whereby He gives a benefit without consideration of merit. Even the faith that we needed to believe the Gospel is given to us by God. “because to you it has been graciously given concerning the Christ not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake,” Philippians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 2:8,9.
How the Helmet is used to defend against an attack from Satan
By recognizing the fact that salvation is a work of God, and not based upon what we have done or will do, we can defend against attacks that seek to make us disappointed with what we have here on earth, become discouraged by any situation we face, even drawing back and become cowardly about living a life that glorifies God. It will even prevent us from withholding forgiveness from another saint, when it is due.
The Shield of Faith
Taking God at His word. Faith is the substance of that which is hoped for, the evidence of accomplished deeds not seen, Hebrew 11:1. Faith is not blind. The concept of blind faith is nothing more than presumption which will lead saints to act contrary to who they are in Christ by not taking God at His word, but rather seeking their own desires.
Faith’s Affects on Satan’s Attacks
What has God promised us as Christians? We are not Jews, for we have something better than they do because we are in Christ, Hebrews 8:6. We cannot take their promises and misapply them to us, this is not taking God at His word. Faith is always based upon a promise, Romans 8:24, 25, therefore we must take the promises that God gave to the Church and correctly apply them to our lives. The shield of faith protects us from doubt. Doubt is acting in a way that we consider to be contrary to what God expects of us. When we are doing something while doubting that God allows us to be involved in such activity, we are not walking by faith.
The Sword belonging to the Spirit
The individual utterances from God. The sword is not something we use on Satan, but on ourselves. It is the Spirit’s sword, not ours.
How the Sword of the Spirit defend against and attack from Satan
As Satan attacks us on many fronts, we can defend against them by using the words of God to protect our minds. Whether it is disappointment, unforgiveness, independence from God, or an other attack, knowing God’s word and how it applies to you will overcome all of them. It is taking the individual utterances of God and properly applying them against any attack from Satan
I have the Armor on, What happens now?
Use it to stand firm against any attack from Satan as he may change tactics with you, which is why we put on the full armor each time. Now is the time to communicate with the Father. But not to ask Him for something, rather, we are to communicate in worship. We do not need to ask God for victory over Satan, He has already provided the means by which we can overcome any of his attacks. Worship is giving God His full weight – we are stating the truth about who God is. He is the victor over Satan, He is the one true God, He is sovereign, etc. Along with our worship also supplicate – cry out for assistance – for other saints that are undergoing the same attacks.
When do you put on the Armor?
We only need the armor when we are being attacked. This attack is referred to as being in the evil day. The armor of light is for every day use, Romans 13:12. Know Satan’s methods, the armor from God will not defend you against the sin nature or the world system. When we are influenced by desires coming from either of these we need to apply the proper defense against them.
Knowing your enemy
Who is Satan?
Satan is not an angel, he is a Cherub whose original name is Lucifer, Ezekiel 28:13, 14. Prior to his fall, Lucifer was the anointed Cherub who governed the universe from his throne here on earth, Ezekiel 28:13, 14
Lucifer resided on earth prior to the creation of man. Ezekiel 28:14. The flood, which happened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 was judgment upon his kingdom.
Lucifer’s sin
Because of his beauty, he determined to move is throne up with God’s throne in the third heaven. Isaiah 14:14
The changing of his name shows in character
Lucifer means, “the dawn of the morning”, Isaiah 14:12
Satan means, “adversary”. Devil means, “diabolical one”
What are the methods Satan uses in warfare?
- Independence from God
- Disappointment
- Discouragement
- Doubt
- Bitterness
- Unforgiving Spirit
- Stealing
- Pride
- Idleness
- Lying
- Tattling
- Busybody
- Filthy Speech
- Cowardice
The only way that Satan can influence you is by attacking your mind. He cannot touch a Christian, 1 John 5:18. God has provided us with all we need to fully resist any attack that Satan attempts to use to manipulate us into acting contrary to who we are in Christ.
1 John 2:13 “… .I write to you, young men, because all of you have overcome the malignantly evil one…”
Colossians 1:13 who delivered us our from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,