Tag Archives: the armor of God

The Shoes of Peace (Part Seven)

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In order to stand firm, we must have the right protection for our feet. In Paul’s day, the Roman soldier wore sandals that were firmly fixed to his feet by leather thongs. On the soles of these sandals were hobnails to give the soldier a better grip on the ground. This is the image in Paul’s mind when he refers to having your feet fitted with readiness – it means a firm footing, a strong foundation, a good grip.

A soldier knows that if he is having trouble with his feet – if they are slipping all over the place, then he is not going to be able to stand firm and fight well.

But what is this ‘gospel of peace’ that we are meant to be fitted out with? The following passage gives us Paul’s definition: ‘Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Jesus dies for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and the to the Twelve disciples’ (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the salvation he offers to us is what Paul calls the ‘gospel of peace’. Throughout his letters Paul emphasizes the importance of standing on the ‘gospel of peace’ – the message of God’s grace. Paul explains that we can stand with God in peace because we have been justified by faith: ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God’ (Romans 5:1-2).

Paul’s strongest words about standing firmly on the gospel are found in Galatians 1:6-8: ‘I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of God and are now turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Jesus. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!’

There is only one gospel – and we must be careful to preach it exactly as God gave it to us. Knowing the true gospel of Jesus is so important, because if you have a false gospel then your beliefs concerning Jesus, and his reasons for coming to earth, will be wrong. This is the gospel – and as Christians, we must stand on it:

□         Jesus died for our sins.

□         All humans are sinners.

□         The good news is that no one has to stay the way they are.

□         Jesus paid the price so that we don’t have to pay any price.

□         The Holy Spirit is released into the lives of all those who put their faith in Jesus.

□         The Holy Spirit has the power to transform our lives.

 

①   Stability

What happens when we stand on the ‘gospel of peace’? Our lives become stable. Many people in the world today are unstable – unstable people are not grounded in the word of God. Like children, they believe everything they hear and are easily led astray because they don’t know the truth of God’s word. Instability is a serious problem that can hinder our life. for this reason, the Bible contains many warnings about being unstable.

James tells us that ‘…a double-minded man is unstable in all he does’ (James 1:8).

In Hebrews we read, ‘Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace and not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them’ (Hebrews13:9).

In other words, don’t believe every strange doctrine you hear – be careful of people who tell you that your heart will become stronger if you do this ritual or take part in that ceremony. The thing that strengthens our hearts the most is the grace and love of God – revealed to us through the life of Jesus.

There are people who know the television schedule for the weekend – people who know the batting averages of famous baseball players and other trivial pieces of information – but they don’t know the truth concerning the ‘gospel of peace’. They don’t know the one thing that will strengthen their hearts.

Just as the feet support the whole weight of our body – so the gospel of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian life. No soldier would think of entering a battle without his shoes on. Likewise, we should continually put on and remind ourselves of the gospel we are standing on.

②   Balance

If a soldier only wore one shoe into battle it would cause him to limp. Unfortunately, there are Christians who only wear one shoe – those who concentrate on one section of scripture and ignore the rest.

There are Christians who focus on only one part of what God has called them to do. For example, they focus on witnessing to unbelievers, but never take the time to pray. There are Christians who are always talking about the need for more modern worship songs and a better quality band, but they have little interest in seeing people enter more fully into God’s presence.

If we focused only on the love and grace of God, without balancing this important fact against the need to turn away from sin – we would never seek to change and grow. Our image of God would become more like a cuddly teddy bear, rather than a Father who corrects His child’s mistakes because He wants to see them grow into maturity.

In the same way, if we only focused on God’s hatred of sin, without balancing this against God’s love and abundant grace – we would end up constantly fearful of failure. Our image of God would become more like an angry headmaster who gets some kind of sick delight from punishing his students, rather than a loving Father whose love is constant, even when we make mistakes.

In order to be balanced as a Christian, we need a good understanding of all the Bible’s doctrines and teachings – or else we end up standing on one part of the bible and ignoring another – which is similar to standing on one foot. Remember, the devil cannot move a Christian who is standing on all of God’s Word, and not just a part.

③   Mobility

Even the best prepared soldier will be killed if he stands in one place for too long. The Roman soldier’s hobnailed sandals were designed for mobility as well as for strength. They were light enough so that he could move and turn quickly. He was able to adjust and shift his position easily. The problem in some churches today is that believers are standing still. They are not willing to move from their position. However, you don’t wear shoes in order to stand still. Shoes are designed for walking and running in. We wear the shoes of peace, not just to stand our ground, but also to have firm footing when we need to respond to schemes of the enemy.

The one thing that hinders the work of God more than anything else is an unwillingness to change on the part of many Christians. This doesn’t mean that we should change our shoes – or change our gospel – it simply means that at times it is necessary for us to change our tactics and approach when sharing the good news with others. It is so important for our church and our congregation to remain adaptable. Our message never changes – but our methods for sharing it do.

The great old hymns, which were written many years ago – contain the same message our new worship songs contain – but what has changed? The style of presentation has changed. Why has it changed? Because different generations respond differently to different types of music styles. If we want the young people to enter our churches today, then we must be prepared to change our presentation – rather then presenting them with a church culture that is totally irrelevant to their lifestyle. The message must never change – Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever – but let us be mobile and willing to try new ways of presenting the same truths.

④   Opportunity

No soldier goes to war without knowing what he is fighting for. As believers, we need to keep our goal in mind. Our goal is more than simply standing our ground and maintaining our current position. We must also move forward into new territory in order to win new ground and spread the gospel.

‘…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace’ (Ephesians 6:15).

There should be a ‘readiness’ in Christians – a readiness to witness to others on behalf of Jesus. It is interesting to notice that we are soldiers of peace. Our enemy is the devil – not people. We are to be known as ambassadors of reconciliation: ‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Jesus, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Jesus’ behalf: Be reconciled to God’ (2 Cortinthians 5:18-20).

The feet that wear the shoes of peace are beautiful because they carry the message of peace: ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation…’ (Isaiah 52:7).

Paul quoted this same passage in his letter to the Romans: ‘How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without someone preaching to them? How can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”’ (Romans 10:14-15).

Are you wearing the shoes of peace today? Do you have a readiness to share the gospel with others? God will give you the opportunity – but it is your responsibility to be ready. The kind of soldier who will be victorious is the one who is stable and balanced, the one who has good mobility and uses every opportunity to share the good news.

Depend on God’s Energy (Part Four)

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It is helpful to remember the different ways in which we can combat Satan’s schemes. But we must never forget to fight from the victory Jesus has already gained for us – we must always depend on God’s strength, and never on our own – ‘Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord Almighty’ (Zechariah 4:6). How do we make sure we are always depending on God?

The answer is found in Ephesians 6:18: ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind keep alert and always keep on praying for all the saints’.

All the saints’ refers to, ‘other Christians’ – We are all in the same battle and if one person falls it effects us all. But the amount of prayers and requests we make to God, whether for ourselves or on behalf of others, gives a clear indication of how dependent we are on Him. Stop a moment and assess your prayer life – are you engaging in conversation with God, in such a way that you can sense your soul being energized. We gain vital energy and strength by sitting at the feet of Jesus, allowing him to still our restless thoughts. It is often in this place that the lies of the devil are washed away – and the truth of God’s Word is planted in our hearts.

Unfortunately, too many people are trying to live on substitutes, rather than depending on God’s strength and resources. If we are going to be victorious, and not become victims, we must wear the full armor of God, learn to recognize Satan’s schemes, and depend on God’s energy rather than any substitute.

Learn to Recognise the Tactics of the Opposition (Part Three)

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Most of us can recognize areas of weakness within our own lives – anger, negative thinking, insecurity, worry, fear, a lack of integrity. But not everyone recognizes how Satan exploits these weaknesses. Utako and I used to always find ourselves arguing first thing on a Sunday morning. We knew that arguing wasn’t healthy and we knew that this was a weakness.

However, it took us a while to recognize how Satan would exploit the smallest disagreement and leave us feeling unfit to minister on a Sunday. Once we recognized that our fight was not with each other, then we could join forces and fight on the same team.

We must remember that our conflict is not against people, but against Satan’s evil schemes. We are wrestling against principalities, powers, rulers of a dark world (Ephesians 6:12). Is there a similar battle that keeps on reoccurring in your life? In your marriage? In your friendships? In your cell group? Or in your work place? May be it is time for you to recognize that it isn’t a person you are fighting, it is Satan’s evil schemes? May be it is time for some of you to stop fighting each other, and to join forces in order to fight against the real opposition?

We can learn a lot about Satan’s tactics by looking at the different parts of the armor of God. God has designed each part of the armor in order to protect us from a different tactic of the enemy. Recognizing Satan’s tactics and using the appropriate piece of armor will help to bring stability and peace into our lives, even during times of opposition and trouble.

Here is a quick look at six evil schemes:

□         Division

The first tactic the devil uses against us is division. He knows that if he can divide our loyalties so that we are not concentrating on the battle, then he can overcome us more easily. This is why Jesus warns us against leading a double life – ‘No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money’ (Matthew 6:24). If you are going to stand strong you cannot be looking in two directions at the same time – you cannot please God and the world at the same time – ‘he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does’ (James 1:8).

What is our weapon against divisiveness? It is the belt of truth – the belt of truth speaks of integrity and of a soldier’s complete devotion to winning the battle. Saul had great armor, but he wasn’t willing to go into battle and fight Goliath – David won over Goliath because he believed God would equip him to win. If you don’t want to win over the weaknesses in your life – then, you won’t – if you are comfortable with life the way it is – then, you are never going to try and change it. Our whole life must be pulled together by a desire to live according to the truth!

□         Accusations

Satan is not only the divider – he is also the accuser. He loves to work in our consciences, constantly reminding us of our past mistakes. We need the breastplate of righteousness to ward off these accusations. If we do not remember that we have been justified and made righteous because of Jesus, and not because of our own good works, we will not have an answer to give when Satan starts accusing us. Satan loves to get people dwelling on their weaknesses and failures instead of living a full life today. When we end up re-living past mistakes we easily feel defeated.

□         War

Satan is not only the divider and the accuser – he is also the destroyer. He loves to move into a situation and bring war, rather than peace. This is completely opposite to the plans of Jesus, who said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9). If we are going to stand as Christians, we must make sure we are wearing the right shoes: ‘…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace’ (v.15). We are Christian soldiers – but soldiers who are called to wear shoes of peace, and not shoes of war. This means that we are not to battle against good people and godly plans – we are called to battle against evil – and against Satan’s plans to disturb the peace. The most effective way to combat evil is by doing good. When we learn to stand in the peace – and rest in the work that Jesus already accomplished on the cross – then Satan cannot destroy us – learn to fight from victory and not for victory!

□         Doubt

Satan is not only the divider, the accuser and the destroyer – he also uses doubt as a way of defeating us. What can we do when we are being attacked by doubts? We can use the shield of faith: ‘In addition to this we can take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one’ (v.16). Someone once said, ‘We cannot stop the birds from flying around our heads, but we can stop them from making a nest in our hair.’ Although we cannot stop the devil from throwing doubts at us, we can protect ourselves from taking these doubts onboard. We can make a conscious decision to believe the Word of God, and dismiss any thoughts which contradict it. We can make a conscious decision to trust in God’s unfailing love, and dismiss any feelings of abandonment.

□         Discouragement

Satan is not only the divider, the accuser, the destroyer and the one who bombards us with doubts – he is also the one behind any discouragement we might feel. He keeps on loading our lives with setbacks and frustrations until we feel like quitting. Satan knows that as soon as a soldier loses hope – he loses his desire to stand up and fight – and at that point the battle is lost. What can we do to fight feelings of hopelessness and discouragement? We can put on the helmet of salvation: ‘Take the helmet of salvation…’ (v.17). The word ‘salvation’ means ‘victory’ – when you put on the helmet of salvation you are covering your head with a sense of victory! How many people have you met who have lost their sense of victory – life always seems to be getting on top of them. These people need to sit down and remind themselves where God is in all this – they need to remember that if God is for them – that God only gives His children good gifts – that he has plans to prosper you and to give you hope for a better future – don’t loose focus of the fact that God takes great delight in you – that you were made in His image – that Jesus went to the cross for you, because that is how much God treasures and values you – remember that you were saved for a reason – and that you have the chance to conquer life, and not merely survive life.

All you need to receive these things – Jesus has already achieved them for you – you already the right to come before God with your confessions and requests- Jesus made it possible! ‘But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us (you) to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we (you) are awake or asleep, we (you) may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11). As long as we are thinking about Jesus’ return, and the fact that all this pain and suffering will one day pass away completely, we will not be conquered or overcome.

□         Denial

Satan is not only the divider, the accuser, the destroyer, the one who bombards us with doubts, and the one behind any discouragement – he is also tries to cause us to deny Jesus’ resurrection, and everything the Bible teaches us. Three times Jesus was tempted in the wilderness – and three times Jesus responded with the words, ‘It is written…’ (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). The Bible tells us that the word of God is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). When Satan tries to get us to deny our faith, let us answer his denial with a firm response – ‘It is written…’

Wear all of the Armour (Part Two)

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If we are going to ‘stand our ground,’ as Christians, then we need to recognize what it is we are meant to be standing up to: ‘Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes’ (.v11). The Christian life is not a passive life – it involves ‘standing up’ to the devil’s schemes. ‘The devils schemes’ can also be translated to mean ‘craftiness’.

Paul uses this same word, ‘craftiness’, in Ephesians 4:14: ‘Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.’ In this verse Paul stresses the importance of growing up and maturing as a Christian – no longer being shaken every week by every little problem or scheme which comes against you.

Unfortunately, there are people today who listen to television, watch movies, read books and talk with friends, but they cannot discern when something begins to move away from the truth contained within the Bible. However, a mature believer we will not allow themselves to be tricked or led astray by false teaching, by momentary pleasure – or other forms of craftiness.

Here is one of three things which will help us to mature as Christians and stand up to the devil’s schemes:

①   wear all of the armor

How can we stand against the devil’s schemes? By putting on the whole armor of God explains Paul (v.13). It is vital that we wear all of the armor God has given us, and not just some of it. If we don’t use all of the equipment God has given to us, then Satan will attack us at some unguarded place.  Christians can sometimes become complacent, and they fall into the trap of thinking they don’t need a certain piece of armor – they have that area of their life sorted. But have you ever noticed that when the great men and women in the Bible sinned, they always fell in the areas of their greatest strength?

□         Abraham’s greatest strength was his faith – this is where he failed. He lied about his wife (Genesis 12:10-20).

□         Moses’ was the meekest man on earth. But he lost his temper and hit the rock instead of speaking to it – then he took the credit for producing the water (Numbers 20:7-12).

□         Peter had plenty of courage. Enough to get out of the boat and walk on water towards Jesus. But his greatest failure was when he denied Jesus three times, in order to save himself (Matthew 26:69-75).

□         David was known for his integrity. He was known as a man after God’s own heart. But that was the very place where he failed. He moved into a double life (2 Samuel 11).

When you begin to believe that you have conquered a certain area of your life – you then forget to seek God for protection in that area – and that is the moment that Satan finds an unprotected spot and attacks. He often begins by getting the thin end of the wedge into your thinking – and then, little by little he taps away until those thoughts are big enough to cause you to crumble. Prayer and journaling are not religious traditions – they are part of the armor of God, and they help us to stand strong and stable during the course of our lives.

REMEMBER: You need a firm knowledge of the fact that God has removed all your past failures, if you are going to fight those feelings of guilt that Satan tries to place on your shoulders.

REMEMBER:  You need to value and maintain your integrity if you want God to raise you up into positions of leadership and influence.