The Armor of God: Looking to Him for the Tools (Part 1)

Finally, my brethren, 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 (Eph. 6:10-11).
It is important to notice how Paul begins this portion of his letter (verse 10) with the word
“finally” which is not intended to indicate an end, but rather an introduction to the final portion of
his letter, which is an imperative portion of a Christian’s life. In 1 Corinthians 7:29, and Hebrews
10:13, the word has the idea of “from now on” indicating that there in an adversary (i.e. the devil)
being faced by those in that day, and also those in the future. He draws attention with using
“finally” to indicate how Christians are to be living, and that is to “be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might.” This is something that does not come lightly when we look at the cultural
and societal issues encountered by the Christian on a daily basis, both then and now. When he says
to “be strong” it can serve as a reminder of how God gave the charge to ancient Israel near the
beginning of their battle for Canaan as seen in Joshua 1:6, 7 & 9. It needs to be remembered that
in this passage (Ephesians 6:10-11), it is indicating that the Christian needs to allow themselves
the opportunity to be strengthened and realize that strengthening can only come from the Lord as
seen in Ephesians 1:19; 3:16. In these two passages, two words describe the power being
referenced, which is strength and might.
Immediately, Paul goes on into verse 11 the say “Put on the whole armor of God, the email
evil to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Before we can wear the whole armor of God, we must
be strengthening ourselves, spiritually, in order to properly utilize the armor being referenced. To
put on the armor of God is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for someone who is not willing to
submit to the absolute authority of the God of heaven. This is a lifelong commitment being made,
when a soul submits to God and puts on this Christian armor and begins strengthening itself to be
able to fight the spiritual battle that takes place daily. The battle being fought is one of eternal lifeand-death and not to be taken lightly. Again, what is being seen is being strong in the Lord, and
wearing His armor which is the only thing they can protect a soul from eternal death. Verse 11
finishes with “that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” which gives a definitive
answer as to who the adversary is waging war against the Christian. The word “wiles” can be better
set as the schemes of the devil, which is what is used to distract the Christian from serving God. It
has been said one of the greatest wiles of the devil is to “just wait a while” which is what the devil
wants us all to do so that it will be separated from God, eternally along with the devil and his
minions.
So how does this translate into 21st century culture and society? Well, as Solomon said in
Ecclesiastes 1:9 “… And there is nothing new under the sun.” Even though Paul was writing to
those living in the first century, the application and lessons from then are still extremely valid
present day. May we all look inwardly asking ourselves the question, “Am I following Paul’s
instructions or am I living in an ungodly manner?” The answer to that question will show whether
one is ready to wear the armor of God or needs more spiritual training. To be continued…