Jesus Armed Himself:

I have started to read the new devotional about the Armor of God.  I have already learned a lot through this devotional book.  One thing I have learned through this devotional is actually that God himself when He came down from Heaven, armed himself with the armor of God.  He did this because he was going to be fully man.  This fully man part meant he could fall under temptation and trials.  In order to fully protect himself from the evil one, in order to be the perfect sacrifice for Him to die on the cross for our sins for our salvation, he protected himself from sin.  

There is a section in Isaiah describing the prophecy of the Messiah coming to earth with the whole armor of God.  This is found in Isaiah 59:17  which says, “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”  I read this verse, and I was very surprised.  These are again, the same words and the same pieces of clothing being put on that we have been asked to put on in the future.  God showed us how to protect ourselves from sin through his son Jesus putting on his armor.  

This reminds me of how Jesus was tempted just as we are.  There was a time Jesus was tempted with food by Satan when he was in the desert and had been fasting for forty days.  However, he never did eat the food.  Jesus was also tempted when he was around people.  There were so many people who turned against him, but Jesus never decided to go against them or turn his love away from them.  Then lastly, Jesus was tempted when He was hanging on the cross dying for our sins.  He was told to rescue himself, so he wouldn’t have to experience the pain.  However, he knew this would go against God’s Will, and therefore He chose to continue to follow this pain till the end, completing the sacrifice that gives us our salvation.  

This reminds me that God wouldn’t do anything He doesn’t expect us to do.  The way Jesus was able to guard Himself against the temptations and the sin was because He had the full armor of God.  He kept God with Him, the whole time He was on earth, and this is the desire He has for us all as well.  Sometimes, I can believe in myself too much.  I can believe in my ability to avoid temptations and the desires of the flesh without the help of the Lord.  I don’t know if there are times you do this as well.  However, it is important to realize the truth.  We need God’s armor.  The devil is sneaky and is able to trick a lot of people.  We need to be safe in God’s armor.  

So what are the pieces of armor of God?  There is the 1. The Belt of Truth 2. Breastplate of Righteousness 3.The Gospel of Peace on one’s feet 4.Shield of Faith 5.Helmet of Salvation and 6.The Sword of the Spirit.  This covers the whole body, from the head to the toes.  There are garments filled of truth, peace, and faith.  This covers our body to avoid us from the temptations from the evil one, but at the same time reminds us how we can best spread the Gospel of truth to others around us.  

The challenge for this week is to spend time reading about the body of armor.  This is found in Ephesians 6:10-17.  This is just a very good passage about the importance of guarding ourselves against sin and evil.  This gives a description of the reasons we need to put on the full armor of God because there are often temptations and trials coming our way, and we need to make sure we are ready.  This also reminds us to spread God’s Word and to be a light for all those we encounter. 

Then the second challenge is to spend some time in prayer over the armor of God.  This is maybe going to take some reflection on which part of the body of armor we better have but which parts of the body of armor we need to work on.  I know for me personally, I know I have the belt of truth.  I know who God is.  I haven’t really ever struggled to believe in who God is and what He has done for me.  Although there are times I doubt his plan, I have never found myself not believing in God.  However, I am not always ready with the readiness of peace.  I find I can become very scared to share the faith story that I have and love so much! While I know the message of faith in the Gospel, I am not the best at showing it.  

Jesus showed us the way to cover ourselves in God’s armor.  Jesus showed us the way to protect ourselves from trials and temptations.  We can always look to His example and cover ourselves with the full armor of God to protect us from any issues we may encounter. I pray you are able to put on the full armor of God and are able to protect yourselves from any of the trials and tribulations coming your way.