Reading Mr. Gurnall, I have come to realize a very important truth. Our spiritual armor is actually being developed within us as we change from the inside out, as we become more like Christ and walk less in our flesh and in the world. The armor isn't something we claim and put on, it's a result of being changed, in our inner man, as we grow more like Christ and become more holy. Our armor is perfected as we learn where our weak spots are, whether it is our walking in the flesh or God allowing the enemy to attack us so we learn from the encounter. The spiritual armor is an intimate part of our character, developed by learning from the Holy Spirit and walking with our Lord. Our spiritual armor is who we are, not something we wear. Our armor is literally part of us!
When we look at the list of
the spiritual armor (see Ephesians 6:11-17), it is apparent that it is to be
worn to protect us. These are the five pieces
that are to be "worn": the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod
with the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet
of salvation. This leaves the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in our hand. What I didn't realize, before reading Mr.
Gurnall's book, is that all of the
pieces of the armor, except for the sword of the Spirit, are to be worn to
defend ourselves, to protect us from sin and the enemy's attacks. Only one piece of the armor is to be used for
offense, and that is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
When we read
these Scripture verses, we need to understand that our stance is to be mainly
defensive. God has given us this armor to defend ourselves. The enemy, and
our own flesh, continually tries to overcome us. Using these defensive pieces
empowers us, with God's help, to make sure that we are not overcome. As a Christian, we must always stand in a
defensive posture with our armor on,
ready to defend not only what God has entrusted to us, but to repel all
attacks, from wherever they originate. The armor isn't meant to keep you out of
trials, it's used to defend you while going through a trial.
One of the biggest mistakes that Christians make is to believe that it is their duty, their obligation, to go after the enemy and take the fight to him. This is simply not true! We are never to step outside the boundary of protection that God has set about us and go looking for a fight. Satan is the assailant, not us. And he will try to tempt us to go after him. Churches often teach that we are to do exactly that, that it is our mandate to attack the enemy. Sadly, many a Christian has been destroyed by the enemy, because he/she did not have a healthy respect for the enemy and did not understand that we are never to go after the enemy unless God has specifically told us to and equipped us for that purpose.
The armor of God has nothing
to do with casting out demons, which is a specific calling. There are very few people who are called and
anointed by God to do this type of work.
The armor is meant to be your defense.
I say again, the only piece of
armor that is meant to be used offensively against the enemy is the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures.
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