🤺Armor of God Eph 6:10-20, Ourselves, Our Families, Leaders, 🐑Pastors, Evangelists, 🌾Churches, Ministry Partners, All Believers; Even 🏛️Government

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer for the whole armor of God is good and right, and I join you in it with thanksgiving for the Word and the Holy Spirit who instruct us and keep us from being unaware of the enemy's schemes.

This republic we belong to is not at war with flesh and blood, but with devils and incorporeal powers, with principalities and rulers of the darkness of this age. Therefore the armor suited to this warfare is not formed of hides and steel, but of truth and righteousness and faith and a true love of wisdom. There is a hard warfare at hand, and for this we need strong armor and a noble purpose of mind to handle it as we should, and above all we need our Commander. He stands by ever ready to help us and abides unconquerable, and He has furnished us with strong arms. The body itself is not evil, for it may be made an instrument of righteousness when it is clothed in this armor.

You have asked well to submit to God and to resist the devil firmly in faith, in the authority of the Name of Jesus and His Word and His exalted position, so that he will flee. Scripture calls us to stand, to stand against, to stand firm against the schemes of darkness, and by faith and patience to inherit the promises. The very first feature of tactics is to know how to stand well, and many things depend upon that. So we are told, watch and stand fast, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall, and having done all, to stand.

Therefore let us take up the armor in order. Having girded the waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod the feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking above all the shield of faith with which we quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. The preparation of the gospel of peace is a virtuous life that makes a ready way for the gospel. As it is written, make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. If we have received the good tidings of peace, let us give those tidings a ready way and continue as we began, ready and disposed for peace and faith, doing nothing unworthy of peace. The shield is what first receives the assault of the adversary and preserves the rest of the armor uninjured. So long as faith is sound and life is pure, the armor remains uninjured.

You do well to pray this armor over yourselves first in submission to the Word, as Christ overcame the devil for His own sake in the wilderness and then overcame the world and the flesh and the devil for the sake of the world. As you said, on an airplane we are told to place the oxygen mask over our own face first before helping others, so it is proper to be strengthened in the Lord and in the power of His might ourselves, and then to intercede for others.

So I pray with you now. May the Lord clothe you and your families, and all leaders and pastors and evangelists and churches and ministry partners and all believers with this armor, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. I pray also for those in government, that God would grant them wisdom and restraint and that they may come to the knowledge of the truth, and for those you call enemies, that God would show mercy and grant them repentance leading to salvation, for enemies are opportunities to show love for Jesus by praying for their salvation. And I pray with you for utterance, that God would give to His people boldness to open their mouths to make known the mystery of the gospel as they ought to speak, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching with perseverance for all the saints. May the gospel which is the gospel of peace put an end to the war between us and God, and may we who are at peace with God stand faithfully against the evil one until the end, in the Name of Jesus, who has already won the victory.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer reflects a true understanding of the battle we are in and how God calls us to stand. Scripture is clear that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness, and that the wiles of the enemy are real and cunning. He works constantly to lie about the character of God and to gain a foothold in the mind, and that is where so much of the battle takes place, in thoughts and imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.

That is why the weapons God has given us are not carnal or fleshly. They are spiritual, and they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. The Word of God, faith, and prayer are the means by which those strongholds are torn down, every high thought is cast down, and every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Through prayer we can see the enemy's work defeated, because we are coming against him not in our own strength but in the power of His might.

You are right to put on the whole armor of God and to begin with yourself. Our Lord Himself overcame the devil in the wilderness for His own sake before He overcame the world and the flesh and the devil for the sake of others, and we are to be strong in the Lord first, clothed in truth and righteousness and the gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith to quench every fiery dart, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. These are not physical pieces to be described, they are spiritual realities that cover us as we trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ and walk by faith in His authority and His Word.

From that place of being established and standing firm, we are then called to pray with all perseverance for all the saints, for families, for those who lead and teach and proclaim the gospel, for all believers, and even for those in government. And it is Christlike to pray also for those who oppose you, not asking God to affirm what is wrong, but asking that God would grant repentance and open eyes so they may come to know the truth and find salvation in Jesus Christ alone, as He alone is the way of salvation.

Continue to be filled with the Word so that you have it ready in your heart, to let your requests be made known to God, and to stand firm having done all. As you submit to God and resist the devil firmly in faith, Scripture promises he will flee. May the Lord strengthen you to stand in the evil day, to pray always in the Spirit, and to speak the mystery of the gospel with boldness as you ought to speak, trusting that God will use His Word to reach hearts.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for the full Armor of God according to Eph 6:10-20.

We have continued to lift you up before the Lord, that you would be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and that the whole armor would be applied by faith over yourselves first and then over your families, leaders, pastors, evangelists, churches, ministry partners, all believers, and even government. We have also prayed as you requested for even your enemies, that God would show them mercy and grant them repentance leading to salvation as taught in 2 Tim 2:25, seeing them as opportunities to show the love of Jesus. We have prayed especially that utterance would be given to you and to all the saints to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel boldly as in Eph 6:18-19, and that you would stand firm against the schemes of the enemy, resisting the devil firmly in faith according to James 4:7 and 1 Pet 5:8 so that he will flee, not unaware of his methods according to 2 Cor 2:11.

We are grateful for your example of submitting to God and His Word and taking up the armor by faith. If your request was answered and you have seen God clothe you and those you interceded for with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the sword of the Spirit, please post a praise report and let us all know so we may rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered yet, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer and to keep standing with you until the victory is manifest.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen you daily to stand having done all, that you will walk in patience and faith to inherit the promises according to Heb 6:12, and that your mouth will be filled with boldness to speak His Word. We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen.