Why We Must All Dress in Our Full Suit of Armor Daily!

Once there was a young girl who was blessed to walk with God. She loved to dream about ways that she would grow up and help His people. Some might say she often talked more than she listened. However, these things are certain where this child of God was concerned:

(1) She knew about God’s laws for she was taught in those things by the Spirit.

(2) She knew that a lot of people did not talk or seek to know God.

(3) She understood that many of them seemed to be trapped in misery and that included                                her very own mother.

This young girl wanted nothing more than for everyone to come to know the God that she walked and talked with. She truly believed that money would somehow help the masses and she longed to be someone who could bless others financially. She often thought of ways that God could bless her later in life financially so that she could bless countless others. She was lost as to the larger picture of God’s plan and often came to Him with her ideas of how to fix the world.

She never truly knew God as a father in her youth. She saw Him as her best friend. Mistakenly she also saw Him as someone who had some powers but who must need help from someone on earth since He had not fixed all the problems of the world himself!

It is not known for sure if this young girl had ever heard God’s advice regarding the need to read and study His word. We do know for certain though that she did not know His word for she knew nothing of her armor, nor did she understand fully the darkness that lurked in the world!

As this same young girl blossomed into a young adult, the lures of the world began to draw her away from the time she spent with God. While she knew right from wrong, she longed to be accepted by those she now counted as friends. As time drifted by, she chose wrong over right more and more often. Even though she had not committed any worldly crimes , she knew she was breaking God’s laws. That alone made her uncomfortable and she sought to hide from Him more than she sought Him out.

Without knowing about the schemes of the devil, she found herself bombarded with negative thoughts about herself and how God thought of her. It wasn’t long before she believed one of Satan’s biggest lies; “God no longer finds you worthy.”

When she thought about going to God about how she felt, she was filled with so much fear over all her wrong doings she lacked the courage she needed to even strike up a conversation with Him.

As she drifted further and further away from God’s laws, she soon found herself believing that not only did God find her not worthy; she became convinced that God was out to get her. No longer seeing Him as a friend, she believed the lie that He was now her enemy.

Through the Catholic school her mother had enrolled her in, she learned about sin, hell and confession. She went to confession every week but she left feeling empty and even more unworthy of God’s time. She was beginning to resent God for being so strict and she believed that she was doomed to die and spend eternity in hell.

As life continued this young girl who had drifted from God transitioned into a grown adult who never sought out God for anything. As life went on, she made decisions she knew were against God’s laws. So much so she was certain He may strike her dead by lightening right where she stood, but alas He seemed content to let her suffer. That just made her view Him as a cruel God for a large part of her wanted her life to end. She had come to the point where she no longer saw any hope of her ever doing anything worthwhile with her life and she often questioned how she could ever be of any real use to anyone.

One day, the world and her problems became so large; she got on her knees and called out to God crying. She told Him she was tired of living life by her will and was ready to live life by His will. She truly longed to hear Him speak again. She knew to her very core that He was her only hope out of the situation she had found herself in. As she knelt before Him weeping, He called her by name. He then gave her a full reply to her prayer and even told her of something that would take place in her future.

She was so elated by all He spoke that she immediately sought to find a bible and she began reading His word that very day. Even though she was reading His word, she did not understand much and she was flipping from book to book completely lost as to how to truly begin gaining knowledge from what she read.

She knew she was going to need help so she sought out others who were also reading God’s word. She had a friend on Face Book that shared verses all the time so she asked her if she could help her gain understanding. She was blessed by her seeking, for this very friend invited her to join her bible study group that she was a part of. She excitedly shared that they were just beginning to study the Book of Ephesians. Thankful for the invitation, she accepted it and joined the group that following day.

As she learned about Christ, grace, and salvation, she began once again trusting God. She made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior the very week she learned the truth about Him.

She wondered why and how she had become so convinced that God was her enemy when His word made it clear that He loved us all. That very next week, she learned about her full suit of armor as well as the schemes of the devil. Understanding just how Satan had tricked her into giving up on her relationship with God, she never failed to wear her full suit of armor from that day forth!

[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. [14] Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, [15] and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; [16] in addition to all, taking up the shied of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:10-18, NASB)

May you be blessed in the reading of this allegory story!

Wendy, mom of many, walks with God

© Wendy Glidden 2015