I think it teaches us against hypocrisy in that when we are in the service of God we should do it willingly with a pure heart and not care about pleasing people or being seen
The only offensive instrument in the whole armour is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Faith is more of a defensive tool against the enemy's darts.
When often asked how do we as Christians live a victorious life and have more power against satan and his wiles and trickery. Well, one f the best places in the Word of God in right here in Ephesians 6. Yes many places in the Bible have ways that God has plainly laid out for us to prevent falling prey to satan.
First off in Ephesians 6:10-11 we need to understand we have to be strong in the LORD and His power. So often we are weak because we want to fight in our own fleshly power and have no spiritual power. We are not, within our own strength, strong enough for him but through the power of God we can be victorious. We have to put on all the armour and have to use all the equipment God has given us. We can stand against the wiles of the devil when we do so.
Now in Ephesians 6:12 the Bible tells us that we aren't fighting against a particular person even though sometimes one of the wiles of satan comes in human clothing and form and is in fact a human being. However when taken in context we aren't fighting a flesh and blood person but against powers that are in high places. The enemy is spiritual and also is the type of warfare we are fighting. The places of authority that are in spiritual darkness are such places as the presidency, governors, congressmen and women as well as senators. County governments and well as municipalities such as cities and those that are in charge and last but not least is even magistrates.
The devil always has a counterfeit for the things of God. The armies of the LORD are set in battle array and set in particular positions with positions of authority. Just like in our military we have the generals, colonels, majors right down to the enlisted men. Well the LORD also has angels that are in positions of authority also such as Michael and Gabriel. Satan also has himself as the leader and then has all the other fallen angels that are his subortinates.
People do not believe that demonic warfare is really real and that is a tragic mistake. It is just as real today and even more so in a sense beacuse of all the avenues that satan has at his disposal to get out the message of ungodliness. Things such as the T.V. radio, magazines, so called comic books, video games and computers. The church of satan is alive and well and does try to lure unsuspecting people, especially our young adults and kids. Evil spiritual forces are at work everyday. They work against the true Christian church that are soul winning and missionary minded. Many missionaries are under spiritual attack from places that say they are part of the church. Missionaries in many countries ae being martyered for their testimonies and for proclaiming Christ and Savior, LORD and King. Much of this is done from high places, places of authority in government and sad to say even from places of authority inside the church.
So in Ephesians 6:13 we are told to take the whole armour of God so we can be able to stand in the evil day. The key to this verse is not only to put on this armour but to stand. We are not to run when the battle gets fierce but to stand against the forces of hell. The arsenal of weapons we have to use are for defense. The only offensive weapon we have is the Word of God, our Bible.
Now in Ephesians 6:14-15 we are told we have as part of our arsenal. In that day the girdle was the part of armour that was places about the loins that basically held everting about the uniform together whether it was the pants and right down to the equipment it held in place.
The breastplate of righteousness is to have on Christ. The breastplate was to protect the heart which is so vital for survival in spiritual warfare also as it was for the soldier in that day to protect the human heart from the arrows and darts the enemy would throw.
Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel which will always bring peace. Shoes basically means you need a foundation to be able to stand strongly. Shoes in the physical realm help us to protect our feet from the things that would pierce them and cause us to become weak and not able to stand. So likewise in the spiritual realm we are to have a solid foundation we need to be able to plant our feet firmly and to have them anchored. We need our feet to anchored in the Rock of Ages which is Christ. The Roman soldier of that day even has spikes on the soles of his feet so he could anchor himself firmly and also he could stomp down on the enemy's foot thus causing the man he was fighting to be hurt and stumble.
Now in Ephesians 6:16-18 we are told of the shield of faith that indicates that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. It is compared to the use of a shield by the Roman soldier which was to be placed in front of the individual soldier. Also when they would form a line of defense they could hudle besides each other and form a line of shields and crouch down behind them to protect themselves from arrows and darts. It was one of the main defensive weapons. In the spiritual realm Christ acts as and is this shield of faith, the door and He protects from the enemy from without. Faith allows us to enter the door and Christ is that door as is indicated in John 10:9. Faith enables us to stand behind the shield. It defends against the firey darts of the wicked one. We are able to stand behind this shield of faith with complete protection.
The helmet of salvation is God appealing to the mind within man. In the natural realm the helmet was used to protect the head in which the mind is placed. If a person's head is injured badly enough they will not be able think clearly and thus leaving themselves open to even more attack. So in the spiritual realm Christ is the spiritual head of the believer. We need Him to be that leader. We need Him to be our helmet to protect our ears, eyes and mind from the vicious attacks of the devil. We need to be able to see and hear and think through the heart of Christ and not the eyes of those in high places which abode in spiritual darkness.
All of the weapons so far have been placed in the front of the battle. There is no defense for the back. We are to stand firmly. A person who runs from the battle whether spiritual or physical is wide open for attack and injury and even death.
So in closing only two weaons are for offense. The Bible as was already said and then the other is prayer. Christian people need daily Bible reading and daily prayer or satan will eventually overtake you and you be defeated and of little use to yourself, family and friends not to mention people in the work place as well as folks in the world.
Stephen Blan
every child being raised with the teachings of the people would like to do this and follows it, believe in it with his whole heart and soul until he realized that he was abused by the very people who should have protected and nurtured him but instead these very people abused him and did to him every whim they got on their minds. Bible should have included in its commandment "Love your children next to God". Parents have responsibilities of bringing up children who appreciates the life given to them by God through their parents. It is hard to appreciate life when you have been abused and certainly hard to even look at your parents face to face if they have abused you. So how can one honor the very same people who abused him.
Dear Gary; Previous responses have explained John 21 so well. I also am praying for more of our Lord's light in your experience. I am convinced that an active believing, receiving, and applying of God's grace is sometimes the key to more fully experience His goodness. When one finds a Bible promise or statement intended for believers in Jesus, lets place ourselves into it, saying "I receive that for mine", reread it, placing ourself into it, thank the Master for fulfilling his promise in us personally. As for blaming ourselves; lets also receive his cleansing that has already been paid for and is available now. 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1-2, Ephesians 6:10-18, and many more. Jesus is the light of the world and abundance of life is available in Him for receiving and applying. May our Lord's grace and peace be unto you.
V.11. Because so many Christians struggle with the wiles of the devil, I appreciate Bible statements promising ability to stand against him. Notice! It dosn't say that God will put the armor on us, but that we are to put it on. Neither, does it say we are to put on our own best will-power, determination or education. Since man is made a little lower than the angels (and the devil is a fallen angel) our best human tactics are no match against him. We can't overcome on our own, but neither will God do it without our involvment. Only we can apply to our lives that which only Jesus could have provided for us. In order to stand against any strong temptation to do wrong, we must cover our humaness with God's armor promises of the Bible. 2 Peter 1:3 says "God and Jesus our Lord has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness". When we declare, "I am an heir of God through the faith of Jesus, devil you were defeated by him and you are unable to rule me any longer, God's word will accomplish that for which it was sent. Thanks be to God for victory in Jesus.
I know how to put on a shirt but how do I dress myself with truth, righteousness, faith and the other gear listed here? Rom. 10:8-11 indicates the method is to believe and verbally declare what the Bible says about us and we will never be defeated. Instead of will-power and religious determination we must know and declare who we are and what we have, being in Jesus. To put on righteousness I would read 2 Cor. 5:21, place myself in the promise and verbally declare it, i.e. Sinse I am in Jesus, I am in right standing with God! For faith, read a faith promise, receive it for your own and verbally declare it. Likewise with the other pieces of needed armor. Now, read v. 13 in our chapter and declare Because of the armor God has given me in Jesus, I will stand against all tricks of the devil. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory.
For commentators, do not use small g like god because he is not the true God but rather used capital G like God and you address to the True ReaL God. Peace! Just FYI.
This is exactly one of the most important scriptures that we need to keep in our life today. Because us as foot soldiers for our Heavenly Father have take on the armor of God so we can withstand the fiery darts of the wicked cause the devil is very busy.
First off in Ephesians 6:10-11 we need to understand we have to be strong in the LORD and His power. So often we are weak because we want to fight in our own fleshly power and have no spiritual power. We are not, within our own strength, strong enough for him but through the power of God we can be victorious. We have to put on all the armour and have to use all the equipment God has given us. We can stand against the wiles of the devil when we do so.
Now in Ephesians 6:12 the Bible tells us that we aren't fighting against a particular person even though sometimes one of the wiles of satan comes in human clothing and form and is in fact a human being. However when taken in context we aren't fighting a flesh and blood person but against powers that are in high places. The enemy is spiritual and also is the type of warfare we are fighting. The places of authority that are in spiritual darkness are such places as the presidency, governors, congressmen and women as well as senators. County governments and well as municipalities such as cities and those that are in charge and last but not least is even magistrates.
The devil always has a counterfeit for the things of God. The armies of the LORD are set in battle array and set in particular positions with positions of authority. Just like in our military we have the generals, colonels, majors right down to the enlisted men. Well the LORD also has angels that are in positions of authority also such as Michael and Gabriel. Satan also has himself as the leader and then has all the other fallen angels that are his subortinates.
People do not believe that demonic warfare is really real and that is a tragic mistake. It is just as real today and even more so in a sense beacuse of all the avenues that satan has at his disposal to get out the message of ungodliness. Things such as the T.V. radio, magazines, so called comic books, video games and computers. The church of satan is alive and well and does try to lure unsuspecting people, especially our young adults and kids. Evil spiritual forces are at work everyday. They work against the true Christian church that are soul winning and missionary minded. Many missionaries are under spiritual attack from places that say they are part of the church. Missionaries in many countries ae being martyered for their testimonies and for proclaiming Christ and Savior, LORD and King. Much of this is done from high places, places of authority in government and sad to say even from places of authority inside the church.
So in Ephesians 6:13 we are told to take the whole armour of God so we can be able to stand in the evil day. The key to this verse is not only to put on this armour but to stand. We are not to run when the battle gets fierce but to stand against the forces of hell. The arsenal of weapons we have to use are for defense. The only offensive weapon we have is the Word of God, our Bible.
Now in Ephesians 6:14-15 we are told we have as part of our arsenal. In that day the girdle was the part of armour that was places about the loins that basically held everting about the uniform together whether it was the pants and right down to the equipment it held in place.
The breastplate of righteousness is to have on Christ. The breastplate was to protect the heart which is so vital for survival in spiritual warfare also as it was for the soldier in that day to protect the human heart from the arrows and darts the enemy would throw.
Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel which will always bring peace. Shoes basically means you need a foundation to be able to stand strongly. Shoes in the physical realm help us to protect our feet from the things that would pierce them and cause us to become weak and not able to stand. So likewise in the spiritual realm we are to have a solid foundation we need to be able to plant our feet firmly and to have them anchored. We need our feet to anchored in the Rock of Ages which is Christ. The Roman soldier of that day even has spikes on the soles of his feet so he could anchor himself firmly and also he could stomp down on the enemy's foot thus causing the man he was fighting to be hurt and stumble.
Now in Ephesians 6:16-18 we are told of the shield of faith that indicates that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. It is compared to the use of a shield by the Roman soldier which was to be placed in front of the individual soldier. Also when they would form a line of defense they could hudle besides each other and form a line of shields and crouch down behind them to protect themselves from arrows and darts. It was one of the main defensive weapons. In the spiritual realm Christ acts as and is this shield of faith, the door and He protects from the enemy from without. Faith allows us to enter the door and Christ is that door as is indicated in John 10:9. Faith enables us to stand behind the shield. It defends against the firey darts of the wicked one. We are able to stand behind this shield of faith with complete protection.
The helmet of salvation is God appealing to the mind within man. In the natural realm the helmet was used to protect the head in which the mind is placed. If a person's head is injured badly enough they will not be able think clearly and thus leaving themselves open to even more attack. So in the spiritual realm Christ is the spiritual head of the believer. We need Him to be that leader. We need Him to be our helmet to protect our ears, eyes and mind from the vicious attacks of the devil. We need to be able to see and hear and think through the heart of Christ and not the eyes of those in high places which abode in spiritual darkness.
All of the weapons so far have been placed in the front of the battle. There is no defense for the back. We are to stand firmly. A person who runs from the battle whether spiritual or physical is wide open for attack and injury and even death.
So in closing only two weaons are for offense. The Bible as was already said and then the other is prayer. Christian people need daily Bible reading and daily prayer or satan will eventually overtake you and you be defeated and of little use to yourself, family and friends not to mention people in the work place as well as folks in the world.
Stephen Blan
We are the children's of the most high God
Let us put on the whole armour of God and walk without fear.
Oh, what a mighty GOD we serve.
taking the helmet, and the sword, which is gods word