Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 14 – 17

· Paul begins the description of the armor of God with truth. I’m not sure anything is more under attack in our current world predicament than truth! It’s no wonder, this was the first thing ever in the history of the world to come under attack! Genesis 2:17, God stated a truth, “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” That’s a truth. Death never entered the world until sin entered the bloodstream and that happened at the original betrayal of God. So, in that day, everything, into everything death entered.

· But Satan comes around and challenges, questions, attacks truth in Genesis 3:4 saying, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Truth under attack. First play of the devil. And man is he slick! Why would I say that…, because he attacks absolute truth with a lesser, carnal truth…!

· Was Satan lying? Not exactly. Was he telling the truth? Not exactly. And here is the greatest leveled up attack on truth there is. Did they die the day they ate the fruit? Carnally, physically, literally, no! Spiritually, yes! And from that day forward, death was a thing, when it hadn’t been a thing. In fact, God was describing death as the knowledge of good and evil. Stay pure. Stay perfect. Stay without sin…

· Your eyes will be opened, sounds good right? It means death. You will be like God. Sounds good right? It means self-exaltation. Knowing something that you don’t know today. Sounds good right? It means to know death… Crazy, right!? So, God presented truth, comprehensively. Absolute truth with spiritual, physical, eternal and comprehensive completeness. And Satan presents another truth as well, but this one only in the physical, while shrouding the spiritual, eternal and comprehensive elements. And that makes a truth, even a fact, a lie… See the attack? So so, slick!

· Entirely, completely, eloquently and exactly what continues to transpire today in the individual life and on the global societal/cultural level! So, you, as well for me, we must walk in more than knowledge or power of intellect, we need wisdom! When the spiritual side is shrouded by the enemy, can you still see it? The comprehensive side, can you still discern it? This is what Paul is talking about in terms of gird your waist with the truth.

· The belt of the armor is everything. Ties everything together. If you don’t know the truth and are not skilled by way of practice and study to discern comprehensive truth, in the battle, well you’ll be caught with your pants down! And its interesting, the belt is not particularly a piece of armor, but rather a gathering place, if you will, for all of the other armor!

· Paul begins here because if your wreck-out on this piece of the suit, if you miss truth, all of the rest of the resources we have available to us become not only powerless for anything good but actually quite harmful in general! The enemy began this confusion, Jesus faced it in Pilate as Pilate looked Jesus in the eyes and said, “What is truth?” And the onslaught is not only continuing but heating up today as phrases like, “my truth,” and “personal truth” are far more important than absolute truth… Or a better term in my opinion, comprehensive truth.

· One more thing here… We are witnessing and even a part of a steep and swift decline in the moral character of the world. Everyone is focused on self. The world economy markets to the individual wants and needs. Every element of the entertainment industry which is all things including the media, merchandise, restaurants and even political agendas are all focused on serving and catering to and attracting the individual by addressing personal wants and needs. And all of that not only sounds right but works! But that is not the highest, comprehensive truth…

· All character is, all it is, is comprehensive truth in the inner man. That’s all it is…, and so why is the world in such a steep and swift moral decline? Carnal truth has ascended the throne of this world and it’s locked in… But when it comes to me, no way. How about you?

· Paul continues and now talks armor directly, mentioning the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate would provide protection for the most vital organs, and just like that, this one is critically important. This is not my own righteousness, that is powerless against the enemy, because for everything I do right and well, guaranteed there are two things I don’t.

· Revelation 12:10 says, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” The enemy is described as the accuser of the brethren not only because he is a dirtbag jerk, but also because there is plenty of material for him to work with! And so, my own righteousness has no chance of protecting me.

· As a Christian, your righteousness is through Jesus Christ. What that means is that once you become a Christian, receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and therefore are forgiven of all your sin, the righteousness equal with Jesus Himself is imputed to you through faith. And this one is powerful. You and I are saved by grace through faith, and that’s it. Our right standing with God, our salvation is not through any works lest any man could boast. And so, when the accusations of the accuser come, you’re free to agree with Him…

· All the things the enemy can accuse me of and try to shame me about and attempt to berate me for…, they’re all true! AND? AND? I’m yet beloved! I’m still accepted and affirmed and confirmed and I’m still redeemed, forgiven, not forsaken and I’m still empowered, indwelt and awesome because and by the Holy Spirit! See there’s no damage when you walk in the grace of God. Because you’re healed of the power and penalty of sin by Jesus Christ!

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 15

· I like this one and it is related to the one we just talked about. What makes you worthy of walking this way, walking as tall as you do, walking as strongly as you do, walking where you walk? Not me…, the gospel! But Paul gives the gospel an interesting descriptor. He calls it the gospel of peace…

· Peace is a powerful weapon. Folks don’t think of it like that because its weird to use peace and weapon as one thought but you need to know this. When your aim is peace, to bring peace, to originate it…, I’m not talking about quietness or putting and end to a conflict, but peace, real peace…, where there is balance and rightness and almost a tranquility, when that is your aim and you’re looking for it and not only that but looking to bring it, the enemy becomes very frightened of you. Why?

· Because according to James, wars and strife come from the flesh… According to Hebrews 13, God is the God of peace…, and so when your aim is to calm the fleshly storm in first yourself and others through the activation of God through your life, oh man…, you can tread on the head of the serpent all over again.

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 16

· Above all…, what is faith? All it is, is acting like God is telling the truth. Faith is not believing. If your beliefs never hit your feet then your faith is fake. Faith is active, outward, application of trust in God over your senses or circumstance. And Paul says that will stop everything the enemy tries to hurl at you!

· The shield of faith would have been a door sized metal shield, covered with leather, soaked with water, to catch and stop all the fiery darts from all directions. And the darts come from all directions. Doubts, fears, insecurities, trials, difficulties, temptations, sins of others, even unseen enemies! And yet, trusting God, you don’t even have to watch, look, worry or predict…, all I do is take up the shield and it does the rest!

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 17

· The helmet of salvation. Protect your mind! You are saved! You are in Christ! That’s who you are now… And no matter what, that cannot be taken away. John 10:28, Jesus said, “I GIVE them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” And Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

· You need to settle for yourself whose you are and who you are so that you don’t lose in the battlefield of the mind because even in all of this other armor, you’re still going to make mistakes and you’re still even going to lose battles. That doesn’t mean you’ve lost all and God is able to reverse anything, ANYTHING, and redeem the days, moments, weeks and years the locusts have eaten up!

· It’s also a call to play the long game! When you’re in the grip, in the moment, in the circumstance, remember, heaven is your home. Remember that your redemption is yet ahead. Remember that this moment will pass and if you do not lose heart, God will again prove Himself faithful! Paul said, in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” And in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The helmet of salvation is the grit and toughness of the saint! PUT IT ON!

· Ah and we get to the offensive part of the armor…, the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit…, counter to the flesh, opposite of this world system, and yet immutable, undefeated and even inexhaustible! The more you spend in the Word of God the more you learn and see and discern and the more that is revealed! The Word of God is the codification of Jesus Christ, of God Himself and as you take in and apply the Word of God, you see the efficacy of God not only in your own life and the lives of others but even in the world and in the spirit.

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 18

· Finally, the secret super kryptonite of Satan. The prayers of the saints! Welcoming, calling upon the work of the Spirit in the realm of the flesh. Praying not to conform God to your will but to conform to God’s will. This is the privilege of the child of God, along with the armor of God, secured and provided by the love of God through Jesus Christ!