“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:10-13 King James Version (KJV)
The power to reign in life can only come from the Lord. Our best efforts may accomplish something, but after a while they’ll only make us tired and weary from all the hard work. God wants us to rest in His strength and live in victory because of what He did, not what we do. Success in the Christian life is all about ceasing from your own effort to achieve and simply receiving what has been provided for us through Christ. We are told to “be strong in the Lord” – that is a place of strength where we’re relying on His strength, not ours. Then we’re encouraged to “put on the whole armour of God.” You are dressed for success! God didn’t just provide you with armour, but He gave you His armour. Note that it says “Put on the whole armour of God.” We have been blessed with His strength and dressed with His armour. When we’re operating in His power and in His armour, the devil doesn’t see you, he sees God!
The problem is that too many Christians don’t make use of “the wholearmour of God.” They may have the helmet of salvation on their heads, but because they don’t have an understanding of righteousness they are running around without the breastplate of righteousness. We’re told to “put on the whole armour of God” because we need all of it in order to reign. Being saved is not enough. Yes, you will go and be with the Lord one day when you die, but if you want to reign in this life you need to know a few things and take advantage of everything that the Lord has given you to help you reign in life and live the abundant life.
Although we’re living in a physical world, we are in a spiritual battle. Scripture show us this time and time again, and yet many believers are more dominated by the physical than by the spiritual. The enemy’s plan for you is always the same, just in different packaging: he attacks with “wiles”, or schemes – and it’s in your mind (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). His attack on you is always in the form of a lie (in your mind) and if you yield to that lie you could eventually start to experience physical attacks, too. The only way to stand against all evil and every attack of the enemy is, (1) to rely on God’s strength, not your own, and (2) to put on the whole armour of God.
Now, when we talk about putting on the armour of God, we aren’t talking about some weird ritual where you spiritually dress yourself every day. Since the foundation of the enemy’s attacks is in our minds with lies, our knowledge of the Word is vital to our living in victory. When we’re talking about the armour of God (see Ephesians 6:14-18), we’re talking about a deeper understanding of what the armour symbolizes: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God and prayer. Just like a soldier has to go through basic training in order to be a successful on the battlefield, God desires that all believers be grounded in the foundations of the faith so that they can experience success in this life.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
Hosea 4:6 King James Version (KJV)
The saying “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” cannot be more wrong. In actual fact, what you don’t know is causing you to perish.
Thought to focus on for the day:
If I want to reign in life and experience the abundant life in Christ then I need to live “by faith” (Romans 1:17). It’s not automatic and it won’t happen by accident. I will live more and more “by faith” the more I dig into the Word and grow in my knowledge and understanding of the Word, because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word” (Romans 10:17). I dig into the Word to see what Jesus has done for me, and I focus on His finished work. As I focus on Jesus and His finished work, my faith is perfected (Hebrews 12:2). I cannot be a successful Christian without being a student of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).
This is a great place to encourage you to get a hold of my study guide “Rooted”. It contains 22 foundational discipleship lessons for the grace life. I know it will be a blessing to you and help you grow in your relationship with God. You can order online from www.gracelife.co or email us your order at info@gracelifeministries.co.za.
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