Walking With Christ

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.(ESV)

No Roman soldier was born wearing armor. No matter how young they were when they began to train, they still had to train how to put on the armor, how to maintain the armor, and perhaps most importantly, how to wear the armor for long periods of time. The armor would often rub in certain areas and the skin of the soldier had to be toughened in those areas in order for the armor to not hinder them in battle. A soldier who was not used to wearing their armor would be less effective in battle because of the distractions the armor offered. The armor was intended to be as comfortable as possible but that didn’t mean the soldier didn’t have to train for how to move in the armor.

The armor of God is no different. We are not born with it. We do not inherently know what each piece is for or how to maintain it. This requires regular practice and training. This requires spending time alone in our armor off the battlefield so that we can be fully prepared for those moments when we are ambushed by the enemy. Yes, ambushed. Our enemy rarely attacks out in the open when we are ready for it. No, our enemy will sit in waiting to see if he can catch us off guard and without our armor, weapon, and fellow soldiers for Christ. He wants us alone, unarmed, and unprotected because that makes us weak and vulnerable. It leaves us open to simple suggestions that we might not even be aware of. Suggestions that are the seeds of weeds full of the malice our enemy has for us.

Train, family. Train. We put on the armor of God and keep it on because we never know when the enemy will strike.