Spiritual Armor

How is your armor holding up?

Armor was very important to Roman soldiers. Every piece he wore was there for a purpose and that purpose was to help him defeat his enemy. He wouldn’t think of going into battle without any part of it. Roman soldiers took very good care of their armor plus they made sure that their swords were very sharp. Their boots protected their legs and ankles because the enemy was looking for any way they could to cripple and destroy them. Their boots had sharp spikes under them for stomping on their enemy, breaking bones and ankles or whatever got in their way. They were covered pretty much from head to toe. They wore a chest plate to protect their upper body. They wore a belt to hold things together, without it they were doomed. They had a shield to protect them from swords and arrows which were intended to kill them. Like I said their armor was very important to them and they didn’t go into battle without these things being in good order and properly in place. Paul was relating to the armor of the Roman soldier when he wrote about the whole Armor of God.

My question to you is, how is your spiritual armor holding up? Is it in good shape or is it developing cracks that the enemy can penetrate, trying to kill, steal and destroy? We can have the armor on but it may not be doing the job it was intended to do. Just like the Roman soldiers had to make sure their armor was in very good, useable shape we need to make sure our spiritual armor is in good shape, able to protect us.

à Are you walking in the Spirit each day or have you let yourself become complacent?
à Are you spending time with the Lord or have you let the cares of the world take priority in your life?
à How has your prayer life been lately and are you having devotions and spending more time with the Lord than you once did?
à Are you still excited or have you let people, and the enemy, steal your joy?
à When is the last time you took time out on your own to praise the Lord and to thank Him for who He is and what He is doing in your life?
à Are you taking time out of your busy schedule to read and study God’s Word? à Have you been sharing the Word with others, witnessing and trying to win people to the Lord?
à Are you in church at least once, or more, a week fellowshipping with other believers?
à Are you involved in any kind of a ministry furthering God’s kingdom in some way?

When you start neglecting some or all of these things you start becoming complacent and your armor starts developing cracks. You can start to become more comfortable with temptation and sin. What is happening is you are letting the enemy have an entrance through the cracks in your armor and you know what his purpose is.

The town of Sardis was built on high cliffs and the people thought they were safe from any enemy. They figured that they were impenetrable. Their problem was they were so sure that no one could defeat them that they became complacent and weren’t aware of what was going on while they were kicking back and relaxing. Their problem was that their foundation was deteriorating and had begun to crack. As time went on the cracks became bigger and bigger until they were big enough for a person to squeeze through. Then their enemy came when they least expected it and surrounded them and captured them. (This information I read in my devotional by Rick Renner "Sparkling Gems" but I translated in my words.)

Just like the people in the city of Sardis allowed the foundation of the city to crack and deteriorate, we can allow our spiritual armor to deteriorate and crack. If this is you, you are in a very serious situation, but let me give you some encouraging news. It says in Revelations chapter 3:1–3, "To the Angel of the church of Sardis write: This is the message from the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know what you are doing, I know that you have the reputation of being alive, even though you are dead. So wake up and strengthen what you still have before it dies completely. For I find that what you have done is not yet perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you were taught and what you heard, obey it and turn from your sins. If you do not wake up I will come upon you like a thief and you will not know the time when I will come."

This is a warning and also an encouraging Word from the Lord to the church of Sardis. They could continue in the way they were going and completely die or they could turn from their sins and start doing the things they were taught, the things that they used to do and be revived and forgiven. It is also a Word for anyone who finds themselves in this position today, allowing their armor to crack. If this is you, repent and return to the things you learned and are now neglecting to do. The choice is up to you, I hope you make the right one. God Bless and have a great day!