Ephesians:6:10-13 (Part 2)

In Ephesians:6:10-13, Paul says: "10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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".

What does it mean, when it says, Put on the whole armor of God. What does this mean?

Looking back in life, I probably fall into the category, who took the longest to come to God, after I knew about Him. I've seen people change their lives in a heartbeat and not look back. I have seen and talked to young people, and they weren't just changed on the outside, or just trying to sell something they wouldn't buy. I've seen people who are so fired up about it, that it was inconceivable. I've tried and used Logic against their beliefs but they wouldn't budge.

What was the difference between these people and me?

One thing that I've come to realize is this. The people who believe, are not using their own ability to believe; they are not using their own ability to keep the faith; they are not using their own plan to execute. It's a much simpler and straightforward act, which is surprisingly elusive. They found a way to surrender. They found a way to see the thin rope hanging and jumped to latch on to it. They found a way to see beyond all the vile and the waste, and recognize and hold on to the precious. They found a way to "hear Him above all the din of opinions and ideas of people" as someone who I barely knew (but was impacted by) once put it.

If you haven't watched the movie, "An Officer and a Gentleman" by Taylor Hackford, here's a quick overview. Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, born to a womanizing father and a mother who eventually commits suicide. He decides to become a Navy Pilot and joins a 13-week long aviation officer candidate school, where he runs into the no-nonsense drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant, Emil Foley. Foley thinks Mayo (or Mayonnaise, as he calls him) is an excellent Officer material, but extremely self-involved so he rides him mercilessly during the training sessions.

But when Foley catches Mayo breaking a rule, he makes his life unendurable by making Mayo do various hard tasks hoping he would eventually resign. When Mayo doesn't give in, Foley continues to ride him really hard and finally kicks him out. That's when Mayo reaches his breaking point and cries out "I got nowhere else to go! I got nowhere else to go... I got nothin' else."

That's the breaking point. That's the breaking point that all these people managed to reach. That's the breaking point where they considered themselves completely broken. That's the breaking point where they all said to themselves - I cannot do it by myself anymore and I surrender.

And once you reach this breaking point, you will eventually surrender to God and accept Jesus Christ, as your Lord; as some one that will lead you; as some one you will depend on. As you start doing that every day you will see your eyes and ears opening to new things. He reveals to you things that you've never seen or heard before. As you grow in your relationship with Christ, you will also see an opposition from the dark. As you grow stronger and closer to God, the resistance or attacks from the dark grow stronger and stronger too. And the way to handle this is to deliberately and methodically, identify these attacks and resist them. And since you need wisdom and strength for this, you need to pray to God for such wisdom and strength. And as you gain wisdom and strength, it will in turn increase these attacks in number, strength and the range of aspects of your life.

And you will realize eventually that to consistently resist these attacks, your approach has to be diligent, persistent, methodical and surgical. And for this you need to put on the whole armor of God. Now what entails this whole armor of God?

Verses 14-17 say: 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Therefore, the whole armor of God includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of Salvation and the sword of the Spirit (Word of God).