TEST YOUR ARMOR

Minister Francine Herrington, Florida

1st Samuel 17:34-39: 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

David used his own tools of defense in order to defeat Goliath. We have our own battles therefore we must know what our tools of defense are. We must be prepared at all times and the best way is to dress up in our armor daily. Ephesians 6:11 strongly advises us to: Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We are in constant battle with our mind. The belt will help us to recognize the truth and will convict us of thoughts that are unacceptable to God. Truth convicts us and holds us accountable. It helps us to make right decisions and keeps hope alive. When trials come the belt of truth will help us to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.

1Peter 4:12-13 advises us that trials will come. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Psalm 30:4-5 soothes us by saying Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Breastplate of Righteousness - Ephesians 6: 14 The word of God instructs us to guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. No matter how much we love the Lord and promise to keep all of His ways,

There may be times that we run into situations that will tempt us to sin. Rude people, lack of finances, breaking the law by speeding, etc. will try to cause us to fall. It’s not always easy to keep focused on God’s Word 24 hours a day.

Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The importance of putting on our shoes is that they will keep us from tripping on rocks and hurt out feet so that we won’t be able to move. We may trip on the rock of yesteryears when we experienced the fear of rejection or the rock of anger because someone disrespected us.

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. We know that we have faith however it may weaken at times. Have you ever spoken to the Lord and said, “I know that You can do it because You are God but will you do it for me?” 1st Peter 5:8 says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. We need to know who we are in Christ Jesus and ask Him to understand that all things happen for a purpose which is God’s purpose. We may not like what is happening but as long as we understand that He will not give us more than we can handle, we will be able to see the rainbow at the end of the storm. 2Corinthians 1: 3-7 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation

Put on your helmet because the enemy’s arrows can come from anywhere! We need to protect our minds for ungodly thoughts can show up at anytime! Have you ever asked yourself, “Where did that thought come from?” or have you ever wondered why you can read a storybook and stay focused but when you reach for your Bible, all kinds of thoughts enter your mind? What about when we hear an awesome sermon and just at the time when the preacher hands out a nugget that will enrich us, we get lost in out thoughts? So many of us hear a wonderful sermon on Sunday morning and when someone asks us to describe the sermon we don’t remember it?

Ephesians 6:17 the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

It is impossible to know the truth if we don’t know the Word of God. It is like a driver’s manual. A driver’s manual will help us to keep the law and save us from getting tickets or even jail. The Word of God will keep us safe and secure. It is our fighter’s manual, the only way to living a victorious and prosperous life.

One last word of warning - WE MUST TEST OUR ARMOR! Lack of testing may bring us to disaster!

…………………………LINKS