Ephesians 6:13: Take Up the Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6:13
[13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (ESV)

The scheming of the devil is such that we have a need to be fitted with every piece of the armor that God provides for us. In the verses which we will look at in more detail in the coming days we will examine each piece of armor. But, the essential truth here is that we need all of God’s armor! Paul says, “take up the WHOLE armor of God.” Now, we must be careful that we are in the right position to take up God’s armor. The great Charles Spurgeon said:

“First, be strong, and then put on armor. It is no use putting armor on a weak man . . . Now you must be strong first, but then not trust in your strength, but put on the armor which is here described. And yet it would be useless to have the armor unless you are first strong. “Put on the whole armor of God.”

How then do we become strong enough to put on the armor of God? By being strong in the Lord! Always be careful to know what the Word of God says, as it says it in proper context. Paul begins by saying that we need to be strong IN the Lord. That is essential before we start putting on armor. As Spurgeon so aptly warns, “It is no use putting armor on a weak man.”

We are in a real battle, ladies and gentlemen. Christianity is not for the faint of heart. In this battle, we need to be aware of three realities:

1. The Strength of the Lord
2. The Schemes of the Devil
3. The Armor of God.

Our victory is completely hinged upon the first point. Being strong in the strength of the Lord. It implies relationship. How is your relationship with the Lord? Are you on speaking terms? Have you Facebook blocked him? The Word of God encourages us in the book of James:

James 4:7-8
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

You must draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. If you are not near to him, that can change right now. I will leave you with a story involving Charles Spurgeon:

“At the Pastor’s College in London the great Charles Spurgeon would host a weekly lecture whereby he would call upon one of his students and ask them to preach a message for the entire faculty and student body. On one such occasion, a young student was preaching on the subject of the armor of God from Ephesians chapter 6. The young man’s eloquence was such that as he described the Christian’s armor you could almost hear the click and the clank as each piece of armor was put on. Then when he had finished his great oratory, with the shield of faith in one hand and the sword of the Spirit in the other, he called out, “Now, where is the devil?” In the back of the room sat the famous Spurgeon who cupped a chubby hand to his face and replied, “He’s inside the armor.”

Are you ready for armor?  Humble yourself and draw near to God.