Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11, 12
This is VBS week at Living Waters Fellowship! The theme this week centers around the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-20. This morning I was reading in Romans 13 and was struck by the verses above. Paul had just talked about the fact that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and then moves into discussing the urgency of living for Christ. As followers of Jesus, we need to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
The simple command to put on was challenging to me. God did not provide armor for us so that we could merely admire it and talk about it. He gave us armor to protect us. It is easy to think of armor as ornamental because that is how we often see armor these days. And armor is fun to look at. I know because this past Christmas as we went out to look at Christmas lights, we drove by a house that had a suit of armor displayed in its entry way. It was so cool that we drove by a couple times.
However, too often we treat the armor of God the same way. We look at it, we talk about it and admire it. And this is not bad, we should know the armor of God, we should be thankful for it and understand it. However, it is negative if that is where we stop. God did not give us armor to serve as something cool to look at or talk about. He gave us armor because we are currently in a spiritual battle. We face constant attack from our own sinful hearts and from the sin that is at work in the world around us.
Paul tells us that that night is passing way and that the day is at hand, but the battle is not over yet. We are still here on earth in the middle of a spiritual war ground. We have the armor necessary to protect us and sword of the Spirit, which is the word God. God has graciously given us all we need; however, He has given us the responsibility to put the armor on.
How do we put the armor on? Read God’s Word and learn it. Obey the simple truth and commands He gives. Love God and love others as yourself. Pray and ask God for help. Encourage others and receive encouragement from other believers. The list could go on, but it starts with simple obedience. Take steps today to put on the armor of light.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14
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