Day Five
Chapter 6 Armor Off For the Battle
Colossians 3:5-9
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry? Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
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There is something much more dangerous about not being clothed with God’s armor than just being vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. It is possible for Christians actually to clothe themselves in the garb of Satan. Since there are only two spiritual kingdoms, we deliberately must choose which clothing we will put on and which we will take off—God’s or Satan’s?
It is possible to put on two sets of clothing or armor at the same time.
I wondered, Or are there things God expects us to “put off” in order to “put on” His armor?
Yes, there are. The Bible is just as clear about the pieces of spiritual armor we must “put off” as those we should “put on.” They are the practices from Satan which God calls sin. And they must be removed before we can put on God’s holy armor.
Entering spiritual warfare for the souls of those still in Satan’s kingdom while clothed with Satan’s instead of God’s armor is foolish indeed, for it deprives us of the protection to stand and withstand Satan. So, it is imperative that we “put off the sins with which we have clothed ourselves so that we can “put on” God’s armor. Only then will we Christians be protected from Satan for the spiritual battle.
Here is a list of things
that people might need to take off: Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander,
malice, filthiness, wickedness, guile, hypocrisy, envy, slander, and the list
is endless.
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The Old Self
What should we
strip off? The old self with its evil
practices. The Bible is very explicit
about what sins of the former life a Christian should take off.
And in them you
also once walked, when you were living in them.
But now put them all aside:
anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from our mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid
aside the old self with its evil practices (Colossians 3:7-9)
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God’s holy lifestyle, people will not be able to tell whose side we are on. If our lifestyle is much the same as theirs—defeated, powerless, and evil—we won’t have much of a chance to convince them they should change spiritual kingdoms.
Counterparts of “Armor On”
Satan has his
opposites for the pieces of God’s armor for us to put on. They are the same as the lifestyle of those
still in Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
These opposites were the way Christians lived before they accepted
Jesus—not after.
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Last, the
crucial step in getting rid of Satan’s garb is doing something about that
sin. But what should we do?
How, the
unconditional rule for getting rid of that sin is the Christian confessing it
to God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins,
and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
READY FOR
COMBAT
And when God
forgives, the guilt of that sin is removed, and Satan’s armor is removed from
the Christian so that God’s can be put on.
Without the protection of God’s armor it is sheer folly to enter into
evangelism’s battle for souls. And it
also is foolish to think we can wear the two sets of armor at the same
time—God’s and Satan’s.
It is only when
we Christians have taken off all Satan’s inhibiting sins with which we have
clothed ourselves, that we can put on God’s armor. And only then are we protected and equipped
to go forth into the spiritual battle of rescuing captives from Satan’s evil
kingdom.
Am I ready for combat or am
I content just living my life and not even caring that people are lost in their
sins and will spend eternity in hell? I have
always had the desire to share the love of Jesus with others, but I have not
thought about the urgency of sharing the gospel with family, friends and
anyone.
Hell is a real place that
sounds terrible. Am I content with just
living my life not even caring that people I know and love are headed to
hell? No, now is the time. I need to put on the armor of God and get out
there in the battle field and love my world to Jesus.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for your great
love. Please help me to put on my armor
daily and get out there and tell people about your great love for them. Restore the passion I once had to do
this. Please help me to take the "nothing
things" out of my life and get out there in the battlefield. Thank you for what you are going to do.
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