The Full Armor of God – By Laura Seebode

At first I laughed because the man in the video was seemingly not mentally “ok.”

My “worldly” perspective had me looking at him sideways for the first few seconds, wondering if he was all the way there.

But my spirit began to understand that he was a man of God and he was not mentally unstable at all, but rather, “equipped” by God in more ways than one.

You see, this man was showing the world how he puts on his “armour of God” every day.

In a robotic, almost dance-like method, he reenacted his daily routine of putting on his spiritual shield of protection.

To some, he was a fool.

To others, they could see and feel that he was warrior for the kingdom of heaven.

I’ll never forget this video.

And how after that I began to take “putting on my armour” more seriously.

I had never done this before.

*I always prayed.

*I read my Bible daily.

*I led small groups.

*I was obedient to The Holy Spirit.

*I declared victory and spoke declarations over myself that were on my refrigerator each and every morning.

But yet, I had never made it a point to physically put on my armour in preparation for the daily spiritual warfare that I knew all too well.

Over and over in my day I would tell the devil to stand down.

“STAND DOWN IN THE NAME OF JESUS!”, I would shout, as I stomped my right foot.

And I meant business!

I didn’t care what others thought.

I know deep in my soul that I am a demon-slayer in the spirit, whether people understand that or not.

And my flesh knows these things sound insane to those who don’t follow Jesus.

But just as the comments of negativity flooded this man’s video, so does the feedback from humans in my life on a daily basis, to try to discourage me from using the very weapons that I have come to count on to fight against evil and criticism and the judgements formed in complete ignorance.

It is pointless to get mad at those who don’t understand; it is easier to simply know that it is a blessing and a gift that God himself will equip us from head to toe, for the daily battles we face.

Battles seen and unseen.

And all we have to do is USE THEM!

It’s so simple!

He has afforded us the greatest weaponry in our arsenal and all we have to do is seek Him in obedience and they are rightfully ours.

We’ve inherited luxuries beyond comprehension!

And the world laughs and mocks us.

But yet, we are to carry on.

Carry on warrior, but do so in such a way that leaves you fully covered and protected.

Why??

Because the Bible says this…

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The devil is always working.

And while he has power, our God is MOST powerful.

God reminds us that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

And I believe Him.

And I believe He wants us to not only know this in our mind, but to physically engage in this belief in such a way that when we rise each morning and give Him thanks for the very breath in our lungs, that we stand firm and not think twice about what the world would call “ridiculous”, knowing that it is actually vital.

His protection is VITAL.

Ephesians says, “13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

We all have battles we face.

Some of them are personal battles others may never understand, but as humans I know that our common ground in these battles is that we fight FROM victory and FROM the power of The Lord Himself.

*Is your battle that you compare your life to everyone else’s?

*Is your battle in your head-where you remind yourself daily that you are worthless and you continue to judge yourself instead of armoring yourself?

*Is your battle in trying to love people who are COMPLETELY opposite from you?

*Is your battle in your marriage and trying to make it healthy and happy?

*Is your bottle in your finances, because you seem to work harder than your bank statements reflect?

*Is your battle in NOT wanting to go out in the world for fear of getting sick?

*Is your battle that you are surrounded by non-believers in your work place or home and it’s draining to your soul?

*Is your battle in your career, because you feel like God has more purpose for you than what your “job title” reflects?

*Is your battle with your Health or your children’s health and you’ve been dealt a diagnosis, condition, or disease that seems unfair and you are asking for healing?

*Is your battle in distractions and you can’t seem to stay focused?

*Is your battle to do with lust and trying to fight off evil temptations?

*Is your battle with your kids… because you feel like you’ve lost all control and that they have become so far from you and God that you feel hopeless?

*Is your battle in the territory that God has given you-to fulfill promises He has had over your life that you feel ill-equipped to handle?

*Is your battle in your tongue… where you find that you are gossiping and littering the ground with bad seeds instead of good ones that will bear fruit in you and others?

Friends…I don’t know what your exact battle is, but I know we ALL have them, and I know for certain that there is ONE who fights them for us, and He does this effortlessly.

Our God is our greatest defender.

He goes ahead of us.

He knows where we have been because He has already been there.

And one thing I am certain of, is that He is good.

He’s good to His children.