EPHESIANS 6-10 - PUTTING ON THE ARMOR

I will put on God’s armor 

while putting on my face.

I must prepare myself spiritually 

before the daily race.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand

against the devil’s schemes.”

Ephesians 6:10-11

ĕnduō¹⁷⁴⁶ – (in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (lit. or fig.): array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on.

            As you dress each day, consciously put on the armor of the Lord found in Ephesians 6:13-17.  Spend at least as much time preparing yourself for the day spiritually as you do preparing yourself physically.

Belt of truth – While dressing, whether you wear a belt or not, ask the Lord to encircle you with His truth and help you to live honestly and speak truthfully all day.  In New Testament times, the belt was used to pull up the tunic and secure it to free a man to run or be more active without tripping over a skirt. In John 8:31a-32 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Breastplate of righteousness – As you put on your blouse or shirt, ask for help in behaving rightly before God and in your dealings with other people. Ask Him to cover you with the righteousness of Christ, to clothe you in Christ-likeness as in Galatians 3:26-27.  Rest in Him to make you righteous.  You cannot consistently do the right thing just by a sheer act of your will.  You must die to yourself and allow Christ to live in you (Galatians 2:20).

Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace – Put on your shoes and think of Christ’s feet pierced for your sins and that you are forgiven. Then remember that those shoes should carry you to others who need to hear that Good News. Ask God to make Jesus so evident in your life that witnessing opportunities will present themselves to you.  Then ask Him to give you boldness to share verbally the reason for the confidence people see in you. When the believers began to be persecuted after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, they did not pray for protection from those that sought to harm them.  Instead they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” Acts 4:29

Helmet of salvation – As you style your hair and spray that stuff on it that makes it like a helmet (Steel Magnolias – brown, football helmet) or use a hat to cover the fact that you don’t style your hair, remember that your mind is kept in tact by God’s saving grace. Ask God to help you guard your thought life.  Memorize Philippians 4:8-9 so that God can bring that to mind when you are tempted to dwell on a thought that doesn’t fit into those guidelines.

Sword of the Spirit – Have Scripture verses taped to your mirror in order to repeat them several times while applying make-up or shaving.  This will sharpen your sword and allow you to carry God’s word with you even when you don’t have a Bible handy.  If you are not good at memorizing, ask God to help you.  I believe that is a prayer He wants to answer!

Shield of faith – From the time you wake in the morning until you emerge from the bathroom ready for the day, you can be praying and making the choice to live that day by faith.  Say aloud to the Lord, “I will trust You to take care of today because You’re God, and I’m not.”  When a difficult situation arises and you are tempted to believe the lies of Satan and the world that this is just too hard, determine to hold up your shield of faith.  If necessary, say aloud, “God, I know You can handle this.  I trust that You are still in control.”

Father, help me to remember to don my armor before interacting with anyone else each morning, or at least before leaving the house. Help me to focus my thoughts on you and your provision first thing every morning and spend as much time preparing spiritually for my day as a do preparing physically.