Benjamin Franklin is credited with the quote "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail". I have heard this applied to many settings and I have referred to it often in my own life. My full-time grown up job is practicing as a nurse anesthetist (CRNA). I have been a CRNA for over thirty-one years. As you can imagine, I have witnessed many changes throughout my career. One thing in particular has remained the same. For the safety of your patient, and the sanity of the anesthesia provider, you must always strive to be prepared. For example, before surgery I make sure my anesthesia machine is working properly by completing a checklist, sort of like a pre-flight checklist pilots use before take-off. Even if I am planning on using mild sedation or a spinal anesthetic, I must always be prepared in the event I need to administer a general anesthetic. I could come up with endless examples of how we all strive to be prepared in our daily lives. You don't wait to buy toilet paper until you run out, you don't wait to buy gas until you are stranded on the side of the road, you don't wait to buy supplies for your child's school project the night before it is due.....well, disregard that last example but you get my drift. Planning, being prepared, is an integral part of being successful. When you are in the middle of a storm is not the time to discover you are woefully unprepared! I put lots of effort into being prepared in my natural life, but how much preparation do I devote to my spiritual life? Probably less than I should.....
I grew up in church. Some of my earliest memories are of setting in a Sunday school class and listening to the teacher share Bible stories. Many of you are not old enough to be familiar with something called a felt board. But when I was little, the felt board was state of the art! It was exactly as described.....a soft, felt covered board (often on an easel). The teacher would cut, or punch, out figures to illustrate the lesson. These figures would attach to the felt board and stay where the teacher placed them. You could move them around the board as the story progressed. It sounds a bit lame as I'm describing it, but at the time I loved those characters the teacher placed on that felt because they helped the lesson come alive! As I was reading this week in Ephesians, I vividly recalled a felt board scene involving a Roman soldier. I can almost see the teacher placing the soldier on her board and slowly adding each piece of the soldier's equipment as we learned about the Armor of God. A description of the armor is found in Ephesians 6:11-17. The Bible tells us that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. But, not to be alarmed! We have been provided with the proper equipment to "stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary"(Eph. 6:11b, CJB). What a comfort to know that God has provided us with everything we need! So I thought I would look at the different pieces of armor and weaponry provided by the Commander of Heaven's armies.
The Helmet of Salvation
I am a big proponent of helmets. When I see someone riding their bike or motorcycle without a helmet, the first thing I think of is brain injury. I can't help it....I have worked too many years in health care. I know the value of a good helmet. But this helmet......this helmet is priceless. The helmet of salvation. My Complete Jewish Bible describes it as the helmet of deliverance. Salvation brings us into right relationship with God through deliverance from sin. For our part, the act of salvation is simple. Romans 10:9 tells us that if you "confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"(KJV). I was raised with the King James Version of the Bible. The old English language may sound strange today, but the meaning of the verse from Romans is easy to understand.The mind-blowing part of salvation is more complex. The idea that Jesus gave his perfect life to pay my debt of sin is an idea that must be accepted on faith alone, because it does not make sense. It is not logical. It is a gift from God. It is solely by God's grace and mercy extended toward us that we may don the helmet of salvation.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
During the time of the disciples, picturing the uniform of a Roman soldier would have been easy. In our world a soldier's gear is very different but we can look at images of a Roman soldier and see how each piece of his attire can relate to our Christian walk. Picture a breastplate. It covers the chest and provides protection for the vital organs of the body. Our very heart, our core, is covered with righteousness. The word righteousness is defined as being ethically and morally just or rightful (dictionary.com, 2020). In Biblical terms, righteousness is an attribute that belongs to God and therefore we are unable to attain righteousness on our own. So how is it that we are allowed to put on the breastplate of righteousness? The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus)" (KJV). Maybe you should read that last verse again. I know I have to read it, re-read it, meditate on it and ask God to help me accept the truth contained in that scripture. Another translation says it this way, "God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God's righteousness" (CJB). The breastplate of righteousness is not based on how 'ethically and morally just or rightful' I am. It is not based on anything I can do. We are privileged to put on the righteousness of God because of what Jesus did for us. I am the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus! Can I get an AMEN!
The Belt of Truth
Okay... we have our helmet securely in place and our breastplate fastened over our heart. Now it is time to put on the belt of truth. When I thought of a belt I first considered its purpose. A belt holds things together, it keeps everything in place. Why do we have a belt of truth? Why not a belt of hope, or strength, or any number of other descriptors? I am not sure....but I think it has something to do with Jesus. That was an easy guess because the whole Bible has something to do with Jesus. But specifically, the belt reminds me of Jesus's words in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (KJV). If Jesus is the truth, then wearing the belt of truth keeps us surrounded by Jesus! The truth (Jesus) keeps everything together....it holds everything up! What a wonderful image to know that wherever we go Jesus is all around us. We come to the Father through Jesus, the Truth. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. If I make sure to clothe myself with the belt of truth I can rest assured Jesus is there, too.
The Shoes of the Gospel
Anyone that knows me will know I have a shoe issue. My issue is....I have no issue with shoes at all! I love shoes: heels, flats, sandals, boots, tennis shoes....yes, yes and yes. I do not discriminate in my shoe obsession. However, no shoes in my closet can compare to these. My Complete Jewish Bible says, "wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom". My cherished King James Bible states you are to have "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace". The word gospel is derived from Old English and literally means Good News. The Hebrew word shalom expresses much more than what I normally think when I hear the word peace. Shalom does mean peace, but also wholeness, completeness, harmony and prosperity. As I visualize these shoes, I think about another scripture regarding the word of the Lord being a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105, KJV). So if we are walking with the shoes of the gospel (the word) is it any wonder our way will be easier to see? Our path will be well lit? There have been many times I felt I was stumbling along down my own dark path. Why didn't I have on my gospel shoes? I must have slipped into a pair of my own shoes rather than the pair my Lord had provided for me. Or perhaps I was barefoot.....you never know what you might step on if you forget your shoes, so be sure you are wearing proper footwear. These wonderful shoes are always the perfect fit.
The Sword of the Spirit
Have you ever watched the television show "Forged in Fire"? That show comes to mind when I imagine a sword. Some of the knives they craft on that show are very intimidating! These are serious weapons that can cut through large objects as easily as a table knife cuts through butter. A sword is an offensive weapon. Up to this point, the soldier's equipment had been items worn on the body. The sword is something you must pick up or it is not of any use to you. Just what is this sword? Ephesians 6:17 tells us the sword of the Spirit is the "Word of God"(KJV). The scriptures concerning the gospel shoes talked about preparation or readiness regarding the Good News. Those scriptures imply the importance of being familiar with the Word...and that requires effort. Just as it requires action to pick up a physical sword, so it requires action to 'pick up' the Word when we need an offensive weapon to defend against 'the tactics of the Adversary'. You wouldn't want to reach for your sword only to discover you knew nothing about the Word of God! I'm not saying we have to know chapters and chapters of scripture, although there is certainly nothing wrong with that goal. But use the Word you know. It may only be one scripture....most people are familiar with John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (KJV). God's Word is powerful and you probably know more than you realize. Make a plan to learn more through reading and listening to scripture. Just as a soldier would carefully maintain his weapon, so too we must maintain our weapon through consistent time in the Word. Sharpen your sword!
The Shield of Faith
Lastly, we have the shield of faith. I saved this for last because Ephesians 6:16 says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked"(KJV). Now we are talking defense!! Just like the sword, a shield is something you must carry. The Bible says...above all take your shield of faith. I was wondering about that when it occurred to me you must have faith before you can have any of the other weapons. Faith is required for salvation, "For by grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). Before we could even put on the helmet of salvation, we had to have faith. It takes faith to believe that we are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. It takes faith to believe that Jesus is always with us, surrounding us with his truth. It takes faith to walk the path with Christ, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV). It takes faith to wield the sword of the Spirit, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"(Romans 10:17, KJV). Faith is the piece that connects all the other pieces of the armor. Sometimes I have felt like I had faith to move a mountain! Other times I seemed to have no faith at all. Have you been there? The good news is God has given to every man "the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3, KJV). I'm not sure how much faith is in 'the measure of faith', but in Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "Yes! I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there!' and it will move; indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!" (CJB). Praise God! A little faith goes a long way....but you have got to pick up your shield of faith and carry it with you.
I am sure there have been tons of material written on the Armor of God. I am not a Bible scholar nor do I have a degree in theology. My blog is intended to share thoughts and questions I encounter in my study of the Word, and I have much to learn. In the midst of the current pandemic, many people are concerned with having the proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). In my field I am required to wear proper PPE while caring for my patients. As I read about the Armor of God, it occurred to me that PPE was a concept God was very familiar with. He loves us so much...He doesn't want us to fight our battles without the proper equipment. God leaves nothing to chance, no stone unturned in showing His great love and care for His children. So if you are facing a battle in your life, picture yourself putting on your Heavenly Armor, piece by piece.Your armor is tailor made for you. It's just the right size and provides perfect protection. So suit up!!! Then stand........
Be prepared and prepare to win!
"So take up every piece of war equipment God provides, so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist, and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. Therefore stand!" (Ephesians 6:13-14, CJB)
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