For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
-Eph. 6:12

the true fight is not amongst ourselves, but rather with ourselves. the dualing nature as it were. we’re born into sin, and this continue in it until we’re shown what is right in the Lord. but once we do see that light, the battle becomes fierce. that is when the dark powers really start to manifest themselves. so, what defence do we have? well, only the best defence the universe has to offer, God.

i’ve done my own survery of the armor God here. however, if you’d like to go through them just by part here’s the list:

• belt of truth
• breast plate of righteousness
• gospel of peace - feet
• shield of faith
• helmet of salvation
• sword of the Spirit

besides the fights against the power of darkness that are external, i beleive that we need to stop fighting within the body of beleivers. there’s a difference between healthy discussion and quareling. it’s a fine line, but it’s there. stand up to what most people consider normal, and don’t fight. how are you going to do that? pray about it!

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Eph. 6:18

thus we close this round of a look at the armor of God.

what have we learned so far? pray. pray. pray. preperation is the best defence. defence is the best offence.

what do we need to lean? keep it up. in everything, and at all times, pray. and not just for yourself. but pray for everyone, all the saints. not to the saint, but for the saints. for your fellow beleivers in Christ the savior.

to put it into two words: always pray.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph. 6:17

the most important think to notice about this peice of armor is its placement. it’s the only weapon listed. historicaly, the sword is the most defensive weapon ever.

ever heard of the last line of defence? well, this is it. and once again, notice that it’s nothing you can do. it’s the word of God. not your words, but God’s. pray to the Lord to give you the strength to use His words to defend you from the direct assault of the enemie.

parry the attack. when Jesus was tempted in the desert, the three temptations that we have listed in the Bible were all countered by scripture verses. the word of God.

now, the little point that gets overlooked at times, is that it’s the word of God. not your words. even when quoting the Bible, it won’t be effective unless that’s what you need to be saying at that moment. point being, pray to God to give you the words you need. trying to attack evil straight on doesn’t quite work. only God can take on pure evil.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph. 6:17

salvation…who’s? only the salvation that comes from living in Christ. it’s not something you can earn or obtain on your own. it’s something that can only be given by the Lord.

what’s so important about salvation being the helmet? it protects the mind. one of the greatest battlefields in all the war, the mind. one of the reasons this is, i beleive, is for the sake of how you view yourself. how you view yourself helps with your perception of God. just as importantly in some ways, is how much you like you. if you don’t like you, it’s not as easy to love one another, which is the second commandment given to us from Jesus.

one other subject i’d like to touch on is self condemnation. i know i’m a broken record sometimes, but this is one of the sections that got me thinking about it in the first place. if you keep condemning youself, how are you going to let God forgive you? i’ve found that this is mainly due to what’s going on in my head, and how negative i am to myself. salvation, it’s the one thing that gets me through it.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Eph. 6:16

in addition to what? well here’s the verses preceding it 1, 2, 3. so we’ve got all this armor thus far. up to this point, all the armor has really been for close combat, which i think helps to define what attacks we will be receiving. once again, this peice of armor also helps to show where attacks will be coming from: afar. meaning that you will be able to see them coming. and the only way to keep them from hitting you is to let your faith absord them.

attacks from afar typically come from indirect soruces, and things that you can’t directly control. like someone else dieing, attacks on your friends, family problems, work stress. all these things can pile up, and unless you take them to God, in faith, they’ll hit you and burn. and scar. faith, it will save you.