Suit Up

Interesting that the past few weeks I have been in the midst of studying about spiritual warfare on a couple of different fronts. We had a discussion several weeks in our Life Group and then the past two weeks it has been the topic of our lessons with the 5th grade Bible class I help teach on Sunday morning. The challenging part about teaching kids, is that you so much want them to get what you know now at their age so they will be further ahead in their walk than you were at their age. Yet, the truth is this walk takes maturing and those sweet kids still have many many lessons to learn before they are mature in their faith. Never the less, I think it is important that they understand what it means to be covered in the armor of God. In one of the devotional thoughts I get by email that was the topic today...spiritual warfare...and Greg Laurie can definitely teach it a lot better than me.

Suit Up!
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. (Ephesians 6:13)
When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was chained to a Roman guard. So when we come to his description of the armor of God beginning in chapter 6, it's worth noting that Paul had a lot of time to observe Roman armor. There it was, 24 hours a day: breastplate . . . helmet . . . shield . . . sword.
This description was not given in a haphazard manner off the top of Paul's head to pass the time. Rather, these words are inspired by God. There is significance behind every word Paul attached to each piece of armor.
Paul identifies six pieces of armor altogether. The first three--the belt, breastplate, and shoes, were for long-range protection and were never removed on the battlefield. The second three--the shield, the helmet, and the sword--were kept in readiness for use when actual fighting began. So we see that each piece was important.
After all, you could wear your helmet, breastplate, and shield, but without a sword, you would find yourself in the unfortunate position of only defending or holding ground. Or, you might be wearing your sandals, your belt, and have your sword in hand, enabling you to attack enemy strongholds, but you would quickly lose what you gain due to inadequate defense.
We need all of the armor. It is not for us to pick and choose; it is a package deal. God has given us clear and defined spiritual weapons to fight with. Understanding what they are and how to use them can make all the difference in our spiritual battles.