Resisting The Devil – Put On the Armor of God (Part I)

Once we have developed enough awareness of the ways we are conditioned by sin, and worked to accept that we are indeed conditioned in these manners, we can then prepare to go to battle. The apostle Paul provided us with the following information on God’s spiritual armor:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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. (Ephesians 6:11-17).

First and foremost, understand it is God’s armor we are to put on. Any notion that we have the means to fight against such a formidable adversary as Satan on our own would amount to foolish pride. If Adam and Eve fell from their holy dispositions as a result of the schemes of the devil, how much more vulnerable are we? Any ground our adversary might have gained in our mind will not be given up without a fight. After we have geared up with the full armor of God, we are instructed to stand our ground. We are to be steadfast, not double-minded (see James 1:8; 4:8).

The enemy will work to fill our mind with all kinds of thoughts. Unless we seek God’s wisdom and make a stand against the devil, we will continue to cope in much the same manner as we always have. Past behavior really is an accurate predictor of future behavior; that is, until we interrupt our faulty belief system.

Portions of this post were excerpted from my book, The Conditioned Mind. To discover more about resisting the devil, click on the book title above. Blessings upon you and those you love!