Get That Armor of God Back On

Get that Armor of God Back On 

by David Brenneman 

Life Principle 8: Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

Faith is saying to God, “I believe You will.” In our battle to overcome the enemy, we might pray this way: “I believe You will defeat the enemy and cause him to flee from me as I resist him and put my trust in You.” Again and again, David made this declaration of faith to the Lord: “O my God, in You I trust” (Ps. 25:2; also 31:6). Perfect faith views the battle as being done and God gaining the victory. When David said, “In You I trust,” he meant: “It is done. Lord, You are perfect in nature. You do all things well. And You have victory over all my enemies.” He had absolute faith in God’s ability. There was no hint of “I hope He will” because David knew it was as good as done.

We grow in faith by exercising it, by trusting God in situation after situation, circumstance after circumstance, relationship after relationship. We develop a personal history in which we obey God and He remains faithful in His loving care of us.

It’s impossible for you to resist the devil for very long if you don’t believe that Jesus through you can and will defeat the devil. Furthermore, you can remain firm in your faith only when you completely submit to God in all areas of your life. When you refuse to submit a problem or area to the Lord, you’re saying, “I can handle this. I don’t need Your help.” That’s precisely what Satan wants you to do: trust in your ability and not in omnipotent God. It’s also the place where he will level his greatest attack against you!

The good news is that God has given each of us a measure of faith to develop. He also gives us the ability to trust Him and surrender our lives to Him. We can stand firm and resist the enemy, but only by the power of God. He’s the One who hears our prayers and rushes to our defense. When we pray, Satan flees.

- Life Principle Devotional Dr. Charles Stanley. 

"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.  Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths." Psalms 25:1-2, 4.

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night.  The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.  The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever." Psalms 121:1-8.

The verses from Psalms 25 used to be the heart of a chorus we learned at church in my youth.  To this day I still remember it well.  

In this present darkness trying to overcome my heart, I stand with my Savior and Lord.  I am seeking Him and His guidance while the enemy attempts to drag me down.  My prayers are presented at the feet of Jesus.  My time in my Bible study is not wavering.  I trust in God my Savior the One who will never fail and has never failed me yet.

I don't really know at all what my tomorrow's hold but I do know who holds my tomorrow's in His hands. 

Many people tried, and all failed until the hour in which they were to 'succeed', with my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  Many tried to thwart God's plans with the saints of old and none prevailed. 

The prayers of the saints shook the place.  The prayers of His people are always heard by Jesus.  There's no way Satan can block them.  

Waiting can be stressful yet I am not.  I continue to pray and continue to put my life in my Savior's hands and arms.  

There's no doubt that my Savior knows the truth.  Everyone else must discover it but He knows it. 

What are we fearful of?  Why fear what mere man can do?  

In prayer I go when stray thoughts come my way that aren't beneficial.

In prayer and praise when a song is needed to guide my thoughts into the righteous life that God desires for me.  

Whatever is decided isn't a reflection on me.  My Savior knows who I am.  My integrity is intact in Christ Jesus.  

There's no benefit to moping around playing the what if game. 

That's going in circles in your mind. 

If that same Jesus who raised from the dead saved our souls when we came to Christ for salvation then He can easily handle our everyday lives. 

In every way He was tempted but sin never prevailed. 

He was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief.  There's nothing anyone can go through that He doesn't know how to help us with. 

Fight your battles on your knees.  Things come up, pray.  Things don't come up, pray.  The writer in the Scriptures says to pray without ceasing.  It's Spiritual breathing. 

Whatever the outcome my praise will still be with my Savior and my God. 

My encouragement for you is to indeed make the time to pray.  So what if you don't know how to pray.  Try it anyway.  The Bible says that when we don't know how to pray that the Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.   You have to start somewhere in your deeper relationship with Jesus. 

Sometimes our battles are only for that to happen...a deeper relationship with Jesus.  

Sometimes it's to purge something from our lives that is contrary to the work of the Spirit in us. 

Regardless of what it is...trust in God our Savior the One who will never fail and never has.

Satan's wanting us to entertain a single shred of doubt in order to gain a foothold in our minds and hearts.  

Know your enemy.  

Know your Savior more. 

Know that you are in His hands and that He is in the Father’s hands. 

Take your next step in trust by embracing your prayer life in new ways.  Write letters to God and read them to Him.  Start somewhere.  Use the mightiest weapon of your arsenal against Satan's schemes.  

Literally it's only the foolish who have a weapon to defend and don't use it. 

Pray, pray, pray.  Enjoy your time in prayer.  My mowing time is my time of praising God my Savior for an hour or so.  Get creative in your world to be able to use that whole armor of God better.  The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  The helmet of salvation. The breastplate of righteousness.  Put the armor of God on and test it, flex it, get used to it being there.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6.

All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.