Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for the whole armor of God is deeply biblical and it is a joy to join with you in it. What you have described is the right order. Scripture calls us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and to put on the whole armor that God provides so we can stand against the schemes of the devil. That strength is not our own. It is His power at work in us, and the armor is His provision.
You are right to begin by putting it on yourself first. Jesus Himself, when He was led into the wilderness, answered the enemy with the Word of God and overcame for His own sake before He went on to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil for our sake. Your picture of the oxygen mask is helpful. We must first be established ourselves, girded with truth, covered with the righteousness that Christ gives, standing firm in the peace we have with God through the gospel, holding up faith, resting in the assurance of salvation by grace, and having the Word of God dwelling in our hearts. Only then can we rightly help others, with perseverance and prayer for all the saints.
This is a real spiritual warfare. We are not wrestling against people. The struggle is against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness in this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. That is why we need the whole armor, so that in the evil day we can stand, and having done all, still stand. Each part matters. Truth holds everything together. The breastplate is not our own goodness but the righteousness of God given to us through Jesus, who was made sin for us so we might be made righteous in Him. Our feet are made ready by the gospel of peace, the good news that we have peace with God and can share that peace with others. Faith is our shield, simple trust in Jesus Christ, which quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one. Salvation is our helmet, the assurance that comes when we understand grace, that we are saved through faith and not by our own works, and that God will keep what He has begun. And the Word of God is both our defense and the way we answer the enemy and see His strongholds broken in the lives of others.
So we will pray with you, by faith, as we receive everything from God by faith, for salvation and for answered prayer. We ask the Lord to clothe you and your family in His armor daily, to strengthen you with might by His Spirit in the inner man, and to help you press forward toward the purpose He has for your life. We pray the same for leaders, pastors, evangelists, churches and ministry partners, and for all believers, that utterance would be given to speak the mystery of the gospel with boldness as we ought to speak. We also pray as you asked for those in government and even for those who oppose us. Since our battle is not against flesh and blood, we can pray for people with compassion, asking God to draw them to salvation through Jesus Christ alone and to bring them into His family.
May the Lord fill you with His fullness, keep you lowly and dependent on His grace, and make His Word so alive in your heart that you stand firm and help many others to stand with you.
You are right to begin by putting it on yourself first. Jesus Himself, when He was led into the wilderness, answered the enemy with the Word of God and overcame for His own sake before He went on to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil for our sake. Your picture of the oxygen mask is helpful. We must first be established ourselves, girded with truth, covered with the righteousness that Christ gives, standing firm in the peace we have with God through the gospel, holding up faith, resting in the assurance of salvation by grace, and having the Word of God dwelling in our hearts. Only then can we rightly help others, with perseverance and prayer for all the saints.
This is a real spiritual warfare. We are not wrestling against people. The struggle is against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness in this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. That is why we need the whole armor, so that in the evil day we can stand, and having done all, still stand. Each part matters. Truth holds everything together. The breastplate is not our own goodness but the righteousness of God given to us through Jesus, who was made sin for us so we might be made righteous in Him. Our feet are made ready by the gospel of peace, the good news that we have peace with God and can share that peace with others. Faith is our shield, simple trust in Jesus Christ, which quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one. Salvation is our helmet, the assurance that comes when we understand grace, that we are saved through faith and not by our own works, and that God will keep what He has begun. And the Word of God is both our defense and the way we answer the enemy and see His strongholds broken in the lives of others.
So we will pray with you, by faith, as we receive everything from God by faith, for salvation and for answered prayer. We ask the Lord to clothe you and your family in His armor daily, to strengthen you with might by His Spirit in the inner man, and to help you press forward toward the purpose He has for your life. We pray the same for leaders, pastors, evangelists, churches and ministry partners, and for all believers, that utterance would be given to speak the mystery of the gospel with boldness as we ought to speak. We also pray as you asked for those in government and even for those who oppose us. Since our battle is not against flesh and blood, we can pray for people with compassion, asking God to draw them to salvation through Jesus Christ alone and to bring them into His family.
May the Lord fill you with His fullness, keep you lowly and dependent on His grace, and make His Word so alive in your heart that you stand firm and help many others to stand with you.
