Dress Yourself For Battle

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez was an honorable man of God that prayed a bold prayer and God answered.  This week we are looking at the last part of that prayer…and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

Dress Yourself for Battle - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Ephesians 6:11 

Dressing for spiritual warfare may sound silly, but in reality, it is what Christians need to do if they are going to survive the temptations and bumps in the road.  It is important because all of us are engaged in a spiritual battle.  Spiritual warfare, simply put, is a struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil. Spiritual warfare is not a new concept.  The Bible depicts countless battles. From Genesis to Revelation, its pages reveal there are both physical and spiritual wars raging

Scripture provides a basis for spiritual warfare and defeating it in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  On the one hand, there is Satan launching wave after wave of attack in various forms - from the obvious ones like specific temptations to attacks that we may not recognize. On the other hand, it is God who has clothed us for this battle. He has given us everything we need to fight and win this battle.

Dress for Spiritual Success – The Full Armor of God:
The outfit for living life is strategically designed by God. Therefore,to protect ourselves from evil is to wear what God has given us to be victorious in battle. This is a total and complete outfit that we have to have to fight. Leaving an opening is to invite defeat. 

The Belt of Truth Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth… Ephesians 6:14a
Girding your loins with truth means to be firmly established in the word of God.  Reading the bible and meditating on the word allows it to become a part of your mind set.  Saturate your being with God’s truth and make it a fortress to keep out the lies of Satan.  God’s word is truth and therefore makes it foundational to all other pieces of armor.  

The Breastplate of Righteousness and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14b - When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impenetrable.  The life we live either fortifies us against Satan’s attacks or makes it easier for him to defeat us.  Satan is the accuser, but he cannot accuse the believer who is living a godly life in the power of the Spirit. When Satan attacks the Christian, it is the righteousness of Christ that assures the believer of his salvation. But our positional righteousness in Christ, without practical righteousness in the daily life, only gives Satan opportunity to attack us.  Be aware and stand guard. Allow Christ to work His life and will in you. Allow His Holy Spirit to give you the power to live above sin. Do this and you wear the breastplate of righteousness.  

Shoes of Peace- and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace Ephesians 6:15 - Just as a Roman soldier’s shoes protected his feet and helped him to firmly stand, peace from the Lord provides us with emotional and spiritual stability. If we are going to “stand” and “withstand” attacks from Satan, then we need the shoes of the Gospel.

Scripture to Claim: 
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  Ephesians 6:14-15