by Douglas Brauner

Becoming intimate with the full armor of God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” 
Ephesians 6:11 New Living Translation

The best way to focus on composing a picture is to know your camera so well that you can make adjustments in shutter speed, aperture, and ISO without taking your eye off your viewfinder. I have missed shots, because I had to take my eye off of my subject and look at my camera’s dials and buttons.

Paul encourages us to put on the whole armor of God, that we might stand against Satan when he shoots his flaming arrows at us.

Even in our scientific, I can explain everything world, Satan is real. As I have mentioned in other blogs, Satan does care if we believe in him, worship him, or think that he’s a figment of human imagination. He wants us to become complacent, lethargic, and dismissive in our walk in Christ. He wants us to find the slippery slope into unbelief; into rejection of the one who died for us.

Paul knows that we need the armor of God, so that we can fight against being dismissive, lethargic, and complacent in our faith. To keep us vigilant, God has given us his belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes that carry the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit. We are to know this armor like a photographer knows his camera.

Each part of this equipment plays a specific role in our defense against the devil. We will struggle when one aspect of this armor is missing. It’s not enough to quench Satan’s flaming arrows, and not take the sword of the Spirit, to fight against the devil as Jesus did in his temptation. Every part of this armor is necessary.

May we become so familiar with God’s armor, that we find ourselves standing firm against the devil.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado