Put on the Armor

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul gives us some of the most practical guidance anywhere in Scripture.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

We are to be strong with the source of our strength coming from God’s power.

But how are we do to that?

Ephesians 6:11a
Put on the full armor of God

We are to put on all the armor that God is giving us.
We are not to just put on some of the armor; we are to put on every piece of the armor.

Why are we to depend of God’s power and put on God’s armor?

Ephesians 6:11b-12
So that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We depend on God’s power and put on all the armor because our struggle is not against human powers but against spiritual powers.

Look at how Paul describes who we are struggling against:
The Rulers of This Dark world
The Authorities of This Dark World
The Powers of This Dark World
The Spiritual Forces of Evil in the Heavenly Realms

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on God’s power and putting on the full armor because we struggle against powerful spiritual forces.

Paul then gives us one more reason why we are to put on all the armor.

Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

We put on the full armor so that, when evil comes at us, we will be able to stand.

God does not want to see us knocked down and defeated. His will is for us to stand, live, and walk in victory.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing victory because we belong to Jesus.

Paul then outlines our armor.

Ephesians 6:14-17a
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation.

The armor:

The belt of truth

Truth is first because it holds all the other weapons together. We are to love truth, speak truth, proclaim truth, and live truth. If truth doesn’t come first, then none of the other pieces of the armor will be effective.

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate guards the heart.

Righteousness needs to cover our hearts.

The heart is the seat of our will. Our will has to be righteous. Our will has to be conformed to the will of God because that is the only way our will can be righteous.

The Shoes Fitted with Readiness that Comes from the Gospel of Peace

The gospel is the good news that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we are no longer at war with God. It is that peace that gives our lives the stability we need.

Shield of Faith

Faith protects us from the many temptations that Satan will shoot at us.

Faith is believing God and not circumstances or feelings or others.

The Helmet of Salvation

In Romans 12 Paul tells us that we are to let God renew our minds. Salvation is not about emotions (emotions may be involved).

Salvation is not about following rules.
Salvation is not about going through religious rituals.
Salvation is about making an intentional choice (made with our minds) of surrendering our lives to the rule and authority of Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is putting on the whole armor of God.

Then Paul tells us we have more than just defensive armor; we also have a weapon.

Ephesians 6:17b
And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

God gives us His Word empowered by the Holy Spirit as a weapon to defeat the enemy.

In Matthew 4 where Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He uses the Word of God to defeat him.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing, believing, and living out the Word of God.

Paul then gives us the context of how to best use the armor and the weapon.

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

We use the armor and the weapon in the context of prayer.

Prayer is to be done:
In the Spirit - with the Spirit leading us to know what to pray
On all Occasions - not just in church on Sunday or just in our daily devotions, but all the time
All Kinds of Prayer and Request - praying about everything
Always Being Alert - not just going through the motions
By Keeping on Praying - praying and not ever giving up

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is praying and praying and praying.

We are in a battle and God wants us to win. We win by putting on the full armor of God, taking up the Word of God, and praying like we really believe God.

Dressed in the Full Armor of God, Using The Word of God and Praying, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
                                                                     Joe