“And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness”
(Gen. 15:6). Righteousness means to have a right standing with God. It has to do with our
relationship with God. Righteousness cannot be earned by our work. Righteousness is higher than
good works. It is imputed unto us as Christians when we become born again. That means, that to put
on the breastplate of righteousness, I have to make sure that I walk in the righteousness of God and
not in my own righteousness. Isaiah explains this better: “But we are all like an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).
Even though the Lord has clothed us with His righteousness, it is our responsibility to keep it on
by living lives compatible to His Word. It means to walk a walk of cleanliness and to guard our hands against any corruption.
“Keep your heart with diligence for out of it springs the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). The
breastplate covers the chest. Underneath the chest is one of man’s most vital organs, the heart. Our
hearts influence our affections, and our affections influence everything else in our lives. It is amazing when you begin to ponder why God placed the heart of man in his chest. Man’s 57heart is protected by
ribs, and when we put on the breastplate of righteousness, we protect our heart
and all that has to do
with it.
Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
A soldier must always be prepared for battle. He has to be instant in season and
out of season.
You cannot bind the strong man and overrun his stronghold when you are not
prepared for battle.
To shod your feet with the gospel of peace is to wear shoes that are able to speed
you on as you
preach the Good News. It means we have to be ready and eager to preach or
share the gospel
always. It means we have to put on our boots for battle.
Boots are put on by the soldier for two reasons. Firstly, they help the soldier to
stand firm. They
keep him from slipping and sliding on difficult terrain. Sharing the gospel
solidifies and stabilizes
you in faith. The responsibility falls on us believers to study to know the Word of
God, so that we
can share it in confidence to have stability at all times. The second reason for
putting on boots is that
boots increase one’s mobility. They enable one to move quickly and fearlessly
over rough or
unfamiliar ground.
58“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who proclaims
peace, who brings good tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion,
‘Your God reigns’”
(Isa. 52:7).
The weapons of our warfare must be used in unison. For example, prayer alone
cannot save
your family members from the control of the enemy. Prayer has to be used with of
the Word of God.
The Word of God, which is the gospel of peace, must be used alongside prayer.
The Shield of Faith
“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench the
fiery darts of
the wicked one” (Eph. 6:16).
There are many definitions of faith, but the faith that is spoken of in the above
scripture refers to
unreserved confidence in God, absolute dependence on the integrity of God’s
Word, and complete
reliance on the goodness of God. Faith is an unquestioning belief in God. “But
without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
The shield of faith, the Scripture says, will enable you to “quench the fiery darts
of the wicked
59one.” Those fiery darts are flame-tipped arrows, and there is usually a barrage of
them that is
released before a main assault. They are sent out by Satan to weaken your
resolve and faith in God
so that he can overpower you.
Fiery darts represent fierce, sudden, and unexpected attacks from the enemy. The
enemy will
want you to question God’s Word and promises by drawing your attention to
things that seemingly
are not going right. But, lift up your shield of faith and protect yourself and then
get ready to assault
the strong man and completely overrun the stronghold while maintaining your
stand.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom.
10:17). One of the
assignments of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is to put the believer in
remembrance of the Word
of God. Therefore, the more of the Word you have in you, the more the Holy
Spirit will remind you
of the Word in any particular situation. Conversely, if you do not study the Word,
the Holy Spirit
cannot remind you of the truth. Know that God has a word for every occasion.
Let us who live in the light keep sober, protected by the armor of faith and love,
and wearing as
our helmet, the happy hope of salvation. Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and
always keep your
60conscience clear, doing what you know is right. Let us draw near to God with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, because we have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, because
our bodies have been washed with pure water. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Thess. 5:8; 1 Tim.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0