Glory to God in the name of Christ Jesus…Amen. Apostle Paul was a special breed, who God used mightily to dissect and expound the Gospel of Christ Jesus away from the confines of human understanding and the Laws of Moses into the higher realm of God through spiritual revelations from the Holy Spirit. Of note is that he was not among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, nor did he physically meet and spend time with the Lord our Savior during His missionary journey to the world, but by Divine alignment and confirmation to the Glorious reign of God, who is everlasting. This ordinary vessel, who before his conversion to the Christian faith was called Saul of Tarsus, of the Jewish religious sect known as the Pharisees (They believe in the Law, that is the 10 Commandments and resurrection but not on Jesus as the Christ or Messiah) and a dreadful persecutor of the Christian faith, who supervised the killing of the first Deacon of the Church, named Stephen, a staunch or unshakable defender of the faith. However, in God’s own wisdom and excellence in allocations of service, this was the same vessel whom God used to redirect the course of humankind forever to the Light from His Glorious Throne is truly a testament to the unspeakable riches of God’s love and power over all things. The deep understanding, hunger and humility of Apostle Paul to the realm of the Spirit of Truth is a good and fulfilling dose of encouragement to every human soul that with God anything is possible.
Therefore, when he impelled it on believers to put on the whole armor of God against the wiles or schemes of the devil, Apostle Paul was basically telling every listening heart to embrace God in a true spiritual way because the life in the human body in Christ Jesus is Spirit and blessed, but that the power of darkness with its pollution or decay would always come in ways unseen with the human eyes to challenge God’s will in humankind. He was drawing the attention of those who care about the promotion of true substance into the heart of humanity to willingly see the love of God in Christ Jesus not as an opportunity to be ignorantly boastful of our blessings and sleep, but to stand with the power of the Greater One inside of us by refusing to bow to the power of decay, but instead by soldiering on in the grind, in the trenches in spreading His Light to our world, which he even termed as the fight of faith.
On this premise, Apostle Paul gave us the armors of God to use in this battlefield of the Spirit. He did this with the use of imagery of the typical ancient soldiers on how they used to dress up for wars. With their head gear as helmet, Apostle Paul enjoined us to put on the helmet of salvation. The meaning here is that the head governs the body. Therefore, he was saying, we should make God the Father in Christ Jesus as the head of our lives. The power and ways of God should govern our lives through the Gospel of Christ Jesus. That means, the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus, which is salvation should be the prime anchor in our souls because through this means, our relationship with God is on the solid grounds of His Power, Holiness and Truth. That is, salvation from Christ Jesus is the crown (Helmet) of God’s Glory on the heads of believers. This crown will never break or give up on anything or pressures because this is the Giver of life’s assurance and protection.
In the ancient days, soldiers always put on metal plates that covered the upper part of their bodies, which in modern times is the bulletproof. The reason for this is to protect the human heart, which is considered the most vital organ in the upper part of the body. Apostle Paul drew the imagery here with the spiritual advice that we should also put on the breastplate of righteousness, meaning our hearts should be right with God in this spiritual life witnessed in our physical bodies. The key message here is with our righteousness in Christ Jesus comes the ability to discern the deceptive devices that might be thrown into our focus. This deception can throw believers away from the Spirit of Truth and leads to the pollution of the heart, which in the end brings about lust, sin and eventual destruction that is well orchestrated by the adversary. The Holy Bible says we should guard our hearts with all diligence because it is from there our life purpose and fulfillment are determined. Our joy, peace, clarity, victory, wellness and strength comes from the inflow of purity from God’s righteousness, which we must not allow the filthiness and cruel tendencies to destroy. The joy of the Lord is our strength…that is the spiritual message of putting on this breastplate of righteousness. The righteousness of God emboldens the human soul knowing that the Almighty Power is on our side.
The next is to have our loins guided with truth. The message here is that truth should be the waistband on our lives that stocks all other tools necessary for life’s journey. Truth simply means recognizing God as the Perfection of life or Presence of reality and the Creator of existence both in the spiritual and physical. In this regard, giving due diligence to His instructions because they are always geared towards the best in life. The truth of God in Christ Jesus destroys the chains of brutality hung on the neck of humanity by bringing freedom, which is His Love and Peace to humankind. Jesus said, His words are Spirit and Life. He is the resurrection and life. These statements are the Truth of Life. The great mystery and gulf in the human soul is the search for truth. Some seek theirs towards scientific explorations and others to the ultimate fulfillment of the soul through spiritual excursions that are perfect in God. The message here is that the truth of God in Christ Jesus is the glue or strap that holds together the Christian’s attitude, attention and focus against the blistering waves of life hurdles we face in our respective ways or endeavors. The truth of God brings clarity, orderliness and simplicity into the human soul.
Apostle Paul then said, above all we should take on the shield of faith, which we can use to quench or stop all the fiery darts of the wicked. This is powerful. Through this, he is telling us that faith in God is not just in words but in power. Faith is our spiritual weapon of shielding or putting away all measures of opposition to God’s purpose in an individual’s life. Faith is to see and act through the power of God’s promises with the conviction that God is able, and by abiding with His Spirit to direct our course and activities in lining up with His promises to receiving the blessings, whether the enemy likes it or not because the order from the Throne of Glory has already been given in our names. Faith is the manifestation of the provisions of God into physical existence. Therefore, the message Apostle Paul was delivering to the human soul is to put the power and presence of the Divine God as the prime focus on all human decisions and actions. That is, faith in Christ Jesus does not and will never put anyone down, but will always lift us up according to the measure of our trust in the abilities and power of God. Faith in God brings possibilities, hope or boldness, and gratitude into the human soul.
The next is to shod or to wear the right boots or footwears on our feet in preparation of the gospel of peace. He is telling us that as soldiers of Christ, the job of reconciliation or peace with God must be decisive, important and final. This must start with truly reconciling with ourselves and God, who is our peace in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, we should be the vessels of His reconciliation to our world. That is, His peace that exceeds all understanding should have full presence in our lives and situations. Through this means, we become the beacon of peace to others around us. The message is to keep His message of salvation always fresh in our lives and to the world for His Glory. This message of His true reconciliation is the power that disarms darkness by bringing light into our atmosphere of living. That means, our faith in the power of God’s righteousness is meaningless if it does touch others even when all circumstances are against us. Why? The price paid by Christ Jesus to set us free is too great and beyond measure to allow anything or spiritual wickedness to cover up His Glory in us. The peace of God brings harmony, direction and the right structures or regulations into the human soul.
Then he gave us the powerful tool of this whole warfare, which is the word of God. The word of God is a sword greater than all weapons in the spiritual realm. This Word cannot be stopped and can penetrate any place, soul and situation because this is the perfect presence of God, who is Spirit. This is the reason Jesus Christ said His words are Spirit and life because whatever the word of God touches will definitely come under or be changed. The word of God brings life, Spirit and is the Truth that sets human soul free or gives the true freedom to enjoy the blessings of God.
Finally, we are encouraged to always pray in the Spirit and to keep vigil of others in our prayers for spiritual growth or strength. To pray in the Spirit means in our fellowship with God the Father, our whole focus is locked into the motions of the Holy Spirit directing our thoughts, words, praises, and glorifying His Majesty. The words or promises of God are the recurrent flow in the deep consciousness of our communion with God in Spirit and truth. In this presence, the Glory of His Holiness turns our petitions and praises into the unity of His Spirit in the bond of His Living truth and victory, which is Christ in us, the hope of God’s Glory. The Spirit of God brings the fullness of the Throne of Glory into human presence.
Thank You Abba Father in the name of Christ Jesus, who is alive forever by the power of the Holy Spirit…Amen!