Putting On Jesus

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10-17

The Whole Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Observation:

The Apostle Paul encourages the Ephesians believers to put on the full armor of God. There are many pieces to this armor, but overall, the purpose is to be strong in the Lord and his power. In other words, this armor reflects the power of Jesus in our lives, and this gives us the ability to withstand the devil.

Far too often we fail to realize that there are battles in the heavenly realms but Paul wants to provide the church with a vision of warfare between good and evil. A reality that there are struggles in this world between principalities and humanity can be caught in the middle. 

However, there is a way through, and this is by putting on the full armor of God. In reality, this armor is Jesus and every follower of Christ is to find their strength by being “in Christ.” It is Jesus who is the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness. Jesus becomes the shoes on our feet, and leads us to the places where we are to proclaim his gospel of peace. All of this is possible by having faith in the One who will do it. By and through our faith in Jesus Christ the flaming arrows of the evil one are quenched. 

All of this becomes possible through salvation, and a life empowered by the presence of the Spirit, the knowledge of whom grows through study of the Word. 

Application:

Far too often we venture out into life without putting on Jesus. It’s easy to become comfortable in our Christian walk and think that “we’ve got this!” Then comes the day when we are slammed by the unexpected. It’s in that moment that we realize that we are unprepared and that we have been walking this Christian walk without the armor of Jesus Christ. We are unable to answer the tough questions, and our anxiety, fear, and frustration may get the better of us. Our responses are un-Christlike and we’ve just become a bad representative of Jesus. 

Recently, a friend of mine suggested praying on the full armor of God every day. Just as we get dressed every day to go out into the world, we also take the time to intentionally put on Jesus. The result would be an attentiveness to “truth,” or an “uncanny” sensitivity to something that is “phony.” The breastplate of righteousness covers our heart, and the motivations that may drive us in the wrong direction. This becomes a protective barrier to the temptations that are ready to entice us. 

When putting on our shoes we begin to pray about where they may take us in this day — or to whom they may lead us. We become prepared to declare the gospel of peace in any destination. We pray for a firm faith, undeterred by the voices of doubt. Daily the shield of faith is reenergized as we focus on Jesus. 

And after we have prayed intentionally to put on Jesus, we open the word, soaking up knowledge of the living Word. The Spirit then gently guides and leads as we journey through our day. Paul knew that he needed this kind of guidance to do the work that he was trying to accomplish. Why would it be any different for us today? We need to put on Jesus now more than ever. 

Tomorrow when you get dressed, remember to put on Jesus too!

Prayer:

Lord, I desperately need you. Amen.