The Armor of God

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the
devil (Eph. 6:11). God reveals Himself as the divine Warrior who fights on behalf of or
against the people who profess to bear His name, depending on their faithfulness to His
covenant. While this truth was known under the old covenant, now under the new
covenant we have a clearer perspective on spiritual warfare, especially insofar as we are
called to fight on the Lords side against the Enemy and his minions.
Paul explains how we are to equip ourselves for this spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6:
1012, he reminds us that our struggles with sin and with those people who hate the
living God are not battles against flesh and blood but against the Evil One. Before we
knew Christ, we were in Adam and enslaved to the powers of sin and death. Having been
reconciled to God through Jesus, we no longer have the Devil as our captain but now
serve in the army of the Lord (Rom. 5:1221). Still, the influence of sin does not
disappear at once, for the world, the flesh, and the Devil strive to make us forget whose
side we are on as servants of the cross (7:725; 1 Peter 5:89).
The only effective way to keep us from going against the way of Jesus and acting as
traitors to His cause is to continually put on the uniform that identifies us as His soldiers
(Eph. 6:1317). Paul uses the analogy of a soldiers armor to describe the armor of faith.
While it is possible to draw some inferences as to the reason why each particular piece of
armor is linked to its specific spiritual characteristic, it is more important to see that the
roots of Pauls thinking go back to the Old Testament. In Isaiah 59:15b17, the prophet
speaks of God wearing the same kind of armor as we are to wear in battle against Satan.
Putting on spiritual armor simply means that we continually clothe ourselves in the Lord,
relying on His gifts and graces to resist temptation and to enable us to risk even our own
well being for the sake of the kingdom.
Continual prayer in the Spirit both for ourselves and for the needs of fellow believers is
the means by which we wear this armor (Eph. 6:1820). Praying in the Spirit is not a

Reversal Scoring from the bottom. (I John 1: 8 -10.)

mystical experience but rather an alertness to pray, along with a quickness to pray,
because, knowing the Holy Spirit intercedes with and for us as we pray, we recognize the
power in acknowledging our dependence on God (Rom. 8:2627).
John Calvin comments on this passage, reminding us that we should not let the injurious
treatment of others provoke us to revenge, for those who bother us are merely darts from
Satans hand. While we are employed in destroying those darts, we lay ourselves open
to be wounded on all sides. Instead, we must go straight to the enemy, who attacks and
wounds us from his concealment who slays before he appears.
Every wrestler knows, that a wrestling match is a battle. The battle involves our physical,
mental, and our spiritual being. We must maximize our body, our mind, and our heart, in
order to compete in a winning manner (giving our best). Just as we fight to win on the
mats, the Scripture is clear that we also fight a spiritual battle in life. Eph. 6: 10 12 tells
us; Be strong in the Lord, . For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers and powers, and forces of darkness / wickedness in the heavenly realms. God
is telling us that in reality, we are all in a spiritual battle, a spiritual wrestling match
with His enemy, Satan (the devil), and his evil hosts (fallen angels).
How we wrestle this match matters more than any match we will ever wrestle on a mat.
Since none of us are perfect, we all find ourselves at times, being taken down by the
devil, when we fall into temptation of one kind or another. How we respond to these
situations, when we stumble and fall, determines who will win the big match of life in
the long run. When you stumble along the way of life, doing something you know in
your heart is wrong, you have two choices: Wallow in the sin, and let Satan beat up on
you; or fight off the bottom and get back in control. God gives us simple instructions
on how to reverse our position and get back on top. I John 1: 8 10 tells us that no one
is perfect, but anyone cannot admit that they have sinned, they are basically calling God a
liar and are not in relationship with Him. But if we confess our sins (to the Lord), He
is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). So when we confess our sin (agree with God that He
is right and we are wrong), asking His forgiveness, we are reversing our situation,
getting back into a close relationship with the Lord, and getting back in control in life.
If you let Satan keep you down, and whup-up on you, he will. But if you are willing to
be honest with yourself and God, and humbly confess your sins to the Lord right away,
(whenever you blow it), you can stay on top in the wrestling match of life. When the
final whistle blows someday, you will be a winner in the greatest match of all the
wrestling match of life.
Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever been tempted to do something you knew was wrong? (Welcome to
the human race.)
2. How do you feel about yourself once you have done something that you know is
wrong?
3. According to 1 John 1:9, what is the one thing we can do to pick ourselves up, dust
ourselves off, and get back in control of the fight/ get back in control of our lives?
CONCLUDE WITH A SHORT PRAYER (Give the wrestlers a chance to pray silently
during this time, and to confess anything in their lives that they know is not right with
God, to redirecting their hearts back to the Lord.)