Wednesdays are coming and going so quickly! Since I last wrote, we have completed three chapters in our study of The Armor of God written by Priscilla Shirer. We have spent time considering three pieces of the armor named in Ephesians 6: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace. These three pieces make up our uniform; they are not optional but need to be worn every day.
The first piece of armor we looked at is the belt of truth. Truth was defined as “God’s opinion on any matter.” This lesson started out by naming Satan for who he is: the father of lies... his attacks towards us are fueled by deception. He strategizes against us as we pursue abundant life in Christ. He comes against us in so many ways. He comes against our confidence, identity, contentment, calling, and relationships (just to name a few areas he targets). Strapping on the belt of truth allows us to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Knowing the Word, the truth, is essential to being able to combat the schemes of the devil. And contrary to thinking that the belt of truth might be restricting, it actually releases us to more freedom. We should take our every choice to the discretion of God’s word. Jesus says: “My truth will set you free!” (John 8:32) If we want to disarm the devil’s influence, we need to boldly follow after Jesus, not only believing in him but doing all he teaches.
Truth first and then righteousness... righteousness was defined as “upright living that aligns with the expectations of God.” This piece of armor is referred to as the breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians. The breastplate protects the heart. We do well to guard it... it is the source of life. (Prov.4 :23) Keeping with the analogy of the soldier, the weight of the breastplate is held up by the belt of truth. When we believe in Christ’s redeeming work on the cross we are credited with the righteousness of Christ: in God’s eyes it is just as if we’d never sinned! So, not only is our sin removed, righteousness is deposited into us. We are completely and perfectly righteous because of Christ’s great love for us and his obedience to the Father. This is referred to in our study as imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is a once in a lifetime action. Simply stated from our study: Righteousness is in you, now it needs to be on you. How do we put righteousness on? Practical righteousness becomes a part of our daily lives when we repeatedly put off our old self (sinful nature) and put on our new self, that is, aligning our lives with the light of Christ.
One more lesson of wisdom to share! :) The other pieces of our uniform are the shoes of peace. Again, it was brought to our attention that we already have the gift of peace in us...this lesson taught us that we can activate this peace by the action of being thankful. Satan wants us to be peace-less, because he knows that without peace there will be no victory. He preys on our worries and fears. Note to self!! Anywhere peace is lacking the enemy is at work! So, we need to condition ourselves to recognize at the first sign of anxiousness that we turn to God, acknowledge our trust in his sovereign control, and offer thanks because thanksgiving activates peace. Additionally, we noted that we have shoes because we are called to go! It’s about moving forward. When we share this good news with others and the community of faith grows, the enemy is intimidated. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Col. 2:6) Also, Isaiah states that, beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…
Our action steps then...Pray, trust God, be in the word, GO!, and be thankful!