DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT

Ephesians 6:13-17 ”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. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

During World War II there were many, many places affected by the war. One such place was London, England. If you lived there, you knew you were in a war. Every air raid siren announced the fact that you were in a war. When that siren sounded people all over the city made a mad dash for the shelter. You could walk down the street of that city and see destroyed homes and it would be a reminder that you were in a war and the enemy was real. You could try to deny it; act like it was happening, but no matter what you did to try to escape, you were in a war.

There are some today who try to go through life as if there is not a spiritual war going on, but they are badly fooled. In fact, as believers we face an enemy far greater than any human foe. We are at war with Satan and he is out to get the believer. He knows that he cannot get the soul of the believer but he is trying to make the believer ineffective for the Lord.

Last week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS looked at Satan and his tactics. This week we are going to take a look at the equipment God provides for the believer so that he/she can realize victory.

Someone has said that a soldier is no better than his equipment. As I have watched the news recently I believe that is true. The freedom fighters in Libya are a rag-tag group of men. I’m not sure they are going to succeed in overturning the oppressive regime that is in power.

Paul has given a description of our enemy and now he gives us the equipment that God gives us for this spiritual warfare. Let’s take a look at those vital gifts:

1. Notice The DEFENSIVE Equipment

It’s very important that a soldier has his entire body protected. To the Christian soldier wrote in Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.” What Paul is saying here is that believer is not to leave any area unprotected. Don’t give old smutty-face a foothold.

Let’s examine our defensive equipment:

A. Girdle Of Truth – The girdle was fastened around the waist and serveed many functions: held much of his other equipment; stabilized the body; protected the mid-section; placed to restrain garment for mobility.

For the Christian warrior, this refers to knowing the “truth” of God’s Word. We read in John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Notice also Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:. . ."Remember, Satan is a liar and deceiver. The protection against lies and deception is truth. Knowing the Bible will stabilize, protect and keep the believer from being tripped up in the battle of life. Walking in the truth will keep us in the fight.

B. Breastplate Of Righteousness – The breastplate was a metal or leather body armor that was worn to protect the vital organs, especially the heart.

When the believer is converted, he is declared righteous (II Cor 5:21), but he is commanded to live a consistent daily walk with the Lord. Peter put it this way in I Peter 1:16 “. . . Be ye holy; for I am holy.” This kind of life leaves the believer less prone to attacks from the devil. If the heart of the believer is guarded and protected, the arrows shot by Satan cannot wound. The wise man wrote in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Oh, the importance of the defensive equipment given by God.

C. Shoes Of The Gospel – The shoes of the soldier were important because the terrain was very rough, especially because there were no modern roads. In the midst of the battle the soldier needed sure footing. To ensure this, the soldier had nails driven through the soles of his sandals. There was no worry about his feet slipping in the heat of the battle because he was well-grounded.

The Christian warrior must be grounded in the things of the Lord. He must be assured of his own salvation and grounded in the fundamentals of the faith. This was a constant theme of the Apostle Paul. He wrote in Colossians 1:23 “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, . . .“ This kind of foundation and sure-footedness will give the believer peace in the midst of conflict. With his prepared sandals the believer is ready for the battle. My life’s verse is II Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

D. Shield Of Faith – The shield Paul is talking about here is not the little round shield which you have seen in some pictures. Paul is referring to the large, rectangular shield behind which a soldier could be safe from the fiery darts of the opposition. The leather covered shield could be soaked with water to better quench the flaming arrows that was shot by the enemy.

Paul says that it is vital for the Christian soldier to make sure that this shield is part of his defensive equipment. This shield of faith is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. In fact, this shield must be soaked in the water of the Word of God. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The shield of faith will never let the believer down. Why? Because faith allows the believer to stand in the battle and receive the victory no matter the odds.

Notice the first two words of verse 16 “Above all.” This is the most important defensive equipment. Without faith we cannot serve God nor even please Him. Notice Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The Christian soldier must always be sure that faith is at hand.

E. Helmet Of Salvation – Whether it’s football, auto racing or a construction worker, the helmet is very important to protecting the head. This is especially true of the soldier. The Roman soldier wore the helmet to make sure that his brain was protected. No matter how well the rest of his body was protected, a blow to the brain rendered the entire soldier ineffective.

If the Christian soldier is to be effective in spiritual warfare, he must also protect his thinking. Of course it starts with a right mindset about salvation. There are so many different ideas and religious thoughts. Paul warns in Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” We also read in Ephesians 5:6 “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

Satan attacks the mind of the believer. In the Garden of Eden he got Eve to question what God had really said. His tactics are the same today. That’s why Paul encouraged the young preacher, Timothy, in II Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Only the growing, mature believer can stand against Satan’s all-out attack. That’s why Paul emphasized filling the mind with the Word of God because we read in II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

God has given us everything we need to defend against the attacks of Satan in our lives. This is not an exhaustive study but may give you some thoughts that might help you in your spiritual warfare.

In next week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS I want to point out the OFFENSIVE EQUIPMENT we have at our disposal.

That’s my view; how about you?