Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Tag: The Armor of God

Jesus in the NT :: Ephesians

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On December 16, 2011

In Christian

The book of Ephesians gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the  New Testament (N.T).

The book of Ephesians is well known for its reference to the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), but close introspection of this text in connection with other verses in the Bible, reveals that it is not just a spiritual armor that one must wholly put on, but a hidden treasure that Jesus Christ himself, is THE ARMOR OF GOD. Let us dive deep.

Ephesians 6:10-18 enlists the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes fitted with readiness for that which comes from the gospel of peace, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, as the whole armor of God.

Belt of Truth:
Jesus said, I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life in John 14:6. Jesus is the Truth that we must gird ourselves with.

Breastplate of Righteousness:
Jeremiah 23:5-6 refers to Jesus as a righteous Branch, a king who shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and justice in the earth. He will be called, The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jesus is the righteousness of God that we must clothe ourselves with.

Shoes of the gospel of Peace:
Matthew 21:9 records that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem (meaning the abode/dwelling of Peace), the people sang, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”; in other words, Jesus came with the message of the gospel of peace and when he came to the place of peace, the people sang joyously blessing God. Jesus himself said, I have come to give you peace; peace, not as the world giveth, but a peace that passeth all understanding John14:27; Philippians 4:7). Jesus is peace.

Shield of Faith:
Jesus said, with faith you can do the impossible (Matthew 21:21; Mark 9:23). He also said that without Him, you can do nothing (John 15:5). Jesus is the Shield of Faith, by which we can protect ourselves against the fiery darts of the evil one.

Helmet of Salvation:
Jesus is the head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22) to be worn in and over (all) our mind. He is the one with a Name that is above all names, the Only name by which man can be Saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the Helmet of Salvation to be worn by us.

Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God):
John 1:1 speaking about Jesus, highlights, that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Jesus is the word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.

In Ephesians, Jesus is the the armor of God that we ought to put on wholly.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The Armor David Wore :: Powerful Prayer

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On October 26, 2010

In Christian

Though King David is known to have been to be a great warrior and giant killer, he was an even greater warrior of a different kind. He was a prayer warrior. In fact, the Bible has in it various kinds of prayers that David prayed; some of which are the prayer of praises and adoration (1 Chronicles 29:10-13), the prayer of petition (Psalm 70), the prayer of deliverance (Psalm 25), the fasting prayer of intercession (2 Samuel 12:16), and the well known prayer of earnest repentance (Psalm 51).

Though it is not explicitly stated that David prayed before facing the giant Goliath, we can be certain that David faced Goliath not on his own strengths, skills and savvy, but in the name of the Lord, with whom he had an intimate relationship. Such a relationship is only possible when one spends time (and may I say in communication/prayer) with the Lord. David’s one desire was that he would dwell in the house of the Lord and gaze on the beauty of the Lord all the days of his life and to enquire (pray/talk with/seek) Him in His temple (Psalm 27:4). We share the deepest of our feelings and plans with those whom we love and spend time with. It is certainly not far fetched to recognize that David spent so much time with the Lord, talking with Him (in prayer), that God shared his deepest feelings and plans with David, so much so that God was able to testify that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Ephesians 6:11-18 teaches us about the items that make the Armor of God, and often many of us stop with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, but the Scripture continues to inform us that we must continuously (unceasingly) “Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;“. For us to be victorious in spiritual warfare, we must fight on our knees with ceaseless prayer from our hearts and lips. One thing the devil and his demons dread is to see a sinner on his knees praying for the Salvation of his/her soul or a saint on his/her knees in prayer and supplication in the Spirit for themselves and other saints.

When the disciples asked Jesus as to why they were unable to cast a demon out of a possessed boy, Jesus’ response was that such a kind can be cast out only by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:14-21). Without prayer (and fasting), some of the demonic strongholds cannot be broken. To hold the sword of the Spirit (word of God) and not be in prayer is akin to having a sheathed sword; it would not be optimal in spiritual battle (against demonic strongholds). The breaking of chains and the bringing down of giants is possible by prayer (communion with God).

Are/Am you/I a prayer warrior? In fact, to pray is to engage in battle.

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The Armor David Wore :: Shield of Faith

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On October 21, 2010

In Christian

The Bible records that David, the shepherd boy chose not to wear the armor of a soldier, that King Saul armed him with, when he averred to fight the giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38-39). But David did wear another kind of armor, an armor that was more effective than the physical armor that he chose not to wear, against an armored foe. It was a spiritual armor that He wore.

According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is defined as the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. In other words, when one wears the goggles of faith, they can see the invisible. When David faced Goliath, Goliath with his natural eyes saw a ruddy young shepherd boy but when David saw Goliath, instead of seeing the giant, He saw the God far greater and bigger than the giant. With fervency and full confidence in the God who promised to be with His people when they went to war (Deuteronomy 20:4), David knew that it not him or his skills, but it would be God who is true to His word, who delivers the giant into his hands. The mocking arrows found no way to penetrate the shield of Faith that David held on strongly to.

When we arm ourselves with the shield of faith, we can the immortal, invisible, and only wise God (1 Timothy 1:17) and He will fight the battles we are engaged in, giving victory to us, and gaining the glory due Him.

Deuteronomy 20:3-4 (KJV)
3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;  
4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you

Psalm 91:4-6 (KJV)
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

The Armor David Wore :: Shoes of Peace

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On October 20, 2010

In Christian

The Bible records that David, the shepherd boy chose not to wear the armor of a soldier, that King Saul armed him with, when he averred to fight the giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38-39). But David did wear another kind of armor, an armor that was more effective than the physical armor that he chose not to wear, against an armored foe. It was a spiritual armor that He wore.

The Bible records that when David faced Goliath, he RAN towards the army of the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:48) and downed him with a stone from his slingshot. The Bible also records that once Goliath fell with his face to the ground, David RAN again to slay and behead the giant Goliath. Revelation 6:4 informs us that war takes away peace and when Goliath the Philistine warrior,  stole the peace of the Israelites by defying them and the Lord who was their Captain (1 Samuel 18:51), David’s feet ran with readiness to restore peace. To run is indicative of readiness; readiness to engage in battle.

Our feet must be fitted with readiness of the gospel of peace, as was David’s. When the giants of this world (pleasure, prosperity, power, popularity, etc) deny and defy Christ Jesus, the Lord of Peace, we must run and engage with readiness to restore the Peace of the gospel in their heart.

1 Samuel 17:48, 51 (KJV)
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Ephesians 6:15 (KJV)
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The Armor David Wore :: Belt of Truth

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On October 18, 2010

In Christian

The Bible records that David, the shepherd boy chose not to wear the armor of a soldier, that King Saul armed him with, when he averred to fight the giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38-39). But David did wear another kind of armor, an armor that was more effective than the physical armor that he chose not to wear, against an armored foe. It was a spiritual armor that He wore.

When Goliath defiantly disdained David by asking him as to why he came after him with sticks, David responded that He came to this battle in the Name of the Lord. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we learn that the name of the Lord is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). Jesus said, “I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life” (John 14:6). David faced Goliath in the Name of the one that is Faithful and True. David girded Himself with the belt of TRUTH; The Truth that not only set Him free from fear (unlike his fellowmen), but also The Truth that set the Israelites free from being taunted and mocked.

Are we girded with the belt of Truth as was David? Without it, it would be impossible to bring down the giants that taunt, defy and scare us.

The belt of Truth when worn, shall make you free (indeed). The truth when known, shall make you free (John 8:32).

Winning Wars :: Why fight?

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On October 15, 2010

In Christian, Winning Wars

There are many reasons as to why wars are fought; some are fought in the name of love, while others in the name of hate; some to subjugate and take over while others are fought in the stead of the weak who are subjugated. Ironically, many wars are fought in the name of religion when the very essence of that religion is an undercurrent based on love.

Christian life is likened to that of a soldier in which each Christian is to clothe themselves with the armor of God. As Christians, is there ever a reason for one to engage in battle, to fight a war? Yes, there is and that is to “Stand, Withstand and Show“. We must gird ourselves with the armor of God (belt of Truth, the breastplate or Righteousness, feet fitted with readiness of the gospel of Peace, shield of Faith,  helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit) so that we may STAND against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11,13,14); and WITHSTAND in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13). And while these are reasons to be prepared for war, what is the reason to fight in the war?

Why fight? We must fight so that we may ‘Show’ that there is a God who fights for us. This is especially needed in a world that is succumbing to atheism and unproven scientific hypotheses that attempts to disprove the existence of God. When David fought Goliath, He fought for this very reason as expressed in 1 Samuel 17: 46 –  “that all the earth may know that there is a God [in Israel].” Though Christians may be much smaller than the giant of the world which taunts us to succumb to its anti-theist fallacies, defying the living God, we must engage in battle and fight, so that the earth may know (in other words, so that we may show) that there is A God; the ONE TRUE God, Jesus Christ.

Are you/I engaged in a war? What is the reason for your/my fight?

Ephesians 6:11-14 (KJV)
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

1 Samuel 17:46-47 (KJV)
46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.

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