Ephesians 6: 11
Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Perhaps you have heard many teachings on the armor of God. Well, today I wish for you to think of it a bit differently. First, let’s look at the five pieces of armor. There is first truth, then righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation (v. 14 – 17). After donning this raiment of protection you then take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Having put on all of these shielding characteristics you are able to stand against the schemes of the devil and defend yourself from his fiery missiles.
When you pull this scripture apart in this manner you may find something curious. Each of these characteristics is reminiscent of a particular person. Look again. Who are you reminded of when you hear truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God? Well, of course, each one of these is Jesus. He is the truth, our righteousness and so on. So the revelation this scripture should lead us to is that we need to put on Jesus. The essence, then, of triumphing in spiritual warfare is to put on Jesus.
So, how do we don Jesus? Paul had the right of it. He told us that we must put off the old self with all of its encumbrances and put on this new self in Christ which is in the very likeness of God, which Paul tells us, is accomplished by renewing ourselves in the spirit of our mind (Ephesians 4: 22 – 24). This is very much like the teaching he gave to the Romans, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12: 2).
We put on Jesus which is the equivalent of putting on the protective armor of God and then we are able to stand “strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6: 10). We are to abide in him and him abide in us (John 15: 4). Picture yourself taking on all that Jesus is. Imagine him stepping into your body even as you integrate yourself into him. See yourself so enmeshed, so intertwined that it is difficult to tell where you end and he begins and vice versa. Now, how would that impact your life? Might your priorities shift a little? Would your thoughts and meditations be different? This isn’t about behavior modification it is about letting Jesus live with you, letting him be a part of every part of your day? It’s not about imagining what Jesus would do or have us do and try to live that but rather to live him; to put him on and just be. This is the armor of God, living in Jesus, living with Jesus; making him a part of us and everything we do. He is our breath and our life. He is our victory.
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