Chrysostom
Beloved of All
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.
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.
