\Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Title: The Whole Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)
By Chan Yew Thai

There are a total of six pieces in the armour of God and though prayer is not described as a piece, it is just as important as any other piece described in the armour. In verse 11, Paul tells us to put on the whole armour of God so that we are able to withstand the wiles of the devil because our fight is not with humans but with the unseen powers of the evil one. This implied that it is a spiritual warfare (vs 12). Therefore, we cannot fight with our own power but need the backing of God since Jesus has already won the war.

Hence, God has given us His armour, represented by the following:

  • The belt of truth, indicating that Christians must be truthful in the way we live our lives, not being fake or a hypocrite (suggested by John Piper).
  • The breastplate of righteousness is an imagery drawn from Isaiah 59:17, referring to Jesus redressing all wrong. Since we have received the righteousness of Jesus, we must strive to live a righteous life free from sins so that we can present ourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13). Staying away from sin by doing the right things in the power of the Holy Spirit will defeat the devil.
  • Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace is being equipped with shoes, indicating the readiness to move with the gospel at any time just as we put on shoes when we are ready to go. This means to go and reach out to others with the good news of peace.
  • The shield of faith is for protecting against the fiery darts. We can expect darts to come our way in the form of disappointment, in being by-passed for promotion, losing our job, in illness, temptations and in many other areas of life. However, our faith, like a shield, can protect against them. How can we do that? By recalling the faithfulness of God in previous crisis or Bible verses of God’s promises.
  • The helmet of salvation. We must cherish our salvation and remember the heavy price that Jesus has paid. This will protect our mind and whole being. Consciously thinking of the cost of our salvation will remind us to be truthful, righteous and most importantly, to share with others the love of God and the gospel of peace.
  • The sword of the Spirit is the word of God used to fight the devil. Jesus did it by quoting from the Bible in Matthew 4:1-11. In order to do this we need to know the BIBLE and the only way is by reading it daily.
  • Prayer is not mentioned as part of the armour but it is a very useful and powerful tool and should be used often. We must pray against the rulers of darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places and praying for our pastors, leaders, elders and one another.

Paul stressed the importance of being ready for action by repeatedly using the word “stand”. In war, one can only be ready to move while standing up. We cannot afford to be on the ground or seated. Therefore, God’s armour must be suited always.

Prayer: Thank you God for Your armour. May we never be without it and reminded of its purpose. Amen!

班底浸信教会
每日灵粮
星期三, 2021年11月10日
标题：上帝的全副军装（以弗所书6:10-20)
作者：陈有娣姐妹
翻译：陈健萍姐妹

上帝的军装共有六件，虽然祈祷没有被描述为一件，但它与军装中所描述的任何一件同样重要。第11节，保罗告诉我们要穿戴上帝所赐的全副军装以能抵挡魔鬼的诡计。因为我们不是与人争战，乃是与那恶者的无形势力争战。这暗示这是一场属灵的战争(第12节)。因此，我们不能靠自己的力量战斗，而是需要上帝的后援，因为耶稣已经赢得了这场战争。

故此，上帝赐给我们祂的军装，如下所示：

  • 真理的腰带 ，表明基督徒在生活中必须诚实，而不是伪善或伪君子(约翰·派珀建议)。
  • 公义的胸甲 是以赛亚书59:17中的一个意象，指的是耶稣纠正了所有的错误。我们既已领受了耶稣的义，我们就必须努力过义的生活，脱离罪恶，以致我们能像出死入生的人，将自己献给上帝，并且将自己的肢体也献给上帝作义的工具(罗马书6:13)。靠圣灵的能力做正确的事，远离罪，就能打败魔鬼。
  • 穿上已预备好的和平福音 ，即穿上鞋子，表示随时准备好与福音前进，就像我们准备好出发的时候穿上鞋子一样。这意味着向他人传递和平的好消息。
  • 信心的盾牌 用以抵御火箭。我们可以预期火箭会以失望的形式出现在我们面前，在晋升时被忽略了、失业、患病、诱惑，或在生活的许多其他领域。然而，我们的信心就像一块盾牌，可以抵御它们。我们怎么能做得到呢？藉着回顾上帝在先前危机中的信实，或者祂在圣经中的应许。
  • 救恩的头盔。 我们必须珍惜我们的救恩，牢记耶稣所付出的沉重代价。这将保护我们的心灵和整个生命。有意识地思考我们得救的代价，会提醒我们要诚实、正直，最重要的是，要与他人分享上帝的爱与和平的福音。
  • 圣灵的宝剑 是用来对抗魔鬼的上帝的话语。耶稣在马太福音4:1-11中引用圣经做到了。要做到这一点，我们需要明白圣经，唯一的方法就是每天阅读圣经。
  • 祈祷 并没有被提及为军装的一部分，但它是一个非常有用且有力的工具，应该经常使用。我们必须祈祷以对抗那管辖幽暗世界的掌权者和天上属灵的邪恶势力，为我们的牧师、领袖、长老祈祷和彼此代祷。

保罗通过反复使用 “站立” 这个词来强调随时准备行动的重要性。在战争中，只有站立着才能准备行动；我们不能呆在地上或坐着。因此，必须时刻穿戴上帝的军装。

祈祷：感谢上帝赐予祢的军装。愿我们一直穿戴它，并记住它的用途。阿们!