The Armor of God

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Well 2011 is over and we are getting ready for a new year 2012. This past year has had both its up and its downs, such is life and no one avoids this fate. It is a part of the human condition and is something we all must face, christain and non christian alike. and we will continue to face it until we leave our earthly exsistance behind.One of the most challenging obstacles that a Christan faces is overcoming and defeating temptation. I have been saved for over 16 years and during that time period have found myself being defeated in my Christan walk by this adversarial tool utilized by Satan to try and keep Christians in a Temporary state of being defeated. I say temporary because God has provided the Christan with a number of spiritual weapons we can use to overcome and defeat Satan.

First and foremost we must realize that the battle is not ours it is the lords. Over 2000 years ago when our lord and savior Jesus Christ died and was crucified, and then resurrected he took the penalty for sin out of the equation. The penalty for sin is of course death, but as a direct result of the grace provided when Jesus went to the cross, all humanity is given the opportunity to escape judgement and death. If you asked most believers whether they would like to know how to stand firm against temptation, the answer would be a resounding yes. Most of the problems we encounter as christian are created as a direct result of our inability to say no to certain temptations. That has certainly been the case for me at times in my Christan walk.

You see the devil is very good at what he does, he does not go about his work haphazardly. He has a plan. His plans are relentless, direct, and specific. They are always perfectly planned, and tailor made for each individual and his or her desires. What is unfortunate for most of us is they are often times successful. The problem for most of us is our defenses are generally sloppy, a little prayer here and some bible reading there, usually just enough to make us feel good and secure about ourselves which makes us more vulnerable. We take plenty of time to prepare for other activities in our lives and end up giving God our second best, its no wonder we repeatedly fail at standing firm against temptation. When it comes down to preparing for the wiles of the devil most of us are downright lazy. The apostle Paul had this in mind when in the book of Ephesians chapter 6: 10-11 he wrote, "Finally, my brethern, be strong in the lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

The pieces of armor Paul is referring to mirror those worn by Roman soldiers in that day. By making this comparison, Paul provides the perfect illustration of how spiritual defenses work. He says to put on the breastplate of righteousness, to girth your loins with truth, to shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel. Above all taking the shield of faith, which will extinguish the fiery darts of the devil, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of god. Finally as Christians going forward in our attempt to walk upright and obedient for the lord, Paul has given us the perfect instruction. He has told how to overcome temptation and ultimately defeat and frustrate Satan, which should be our goal, in this way we know we please God. So as 2011 comes to a close, we can best prepare ourselfs for this upcoming year 2012 by Putting on the whole armor of God saints and experience complete and total victory, this is Gods earthly plan for all Christians. Believe it and receive it.

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