Armor of God

I really wish that the metaphors mentioned in the Bible were more than just concepts. Wouldn't it be great if we could dress up in the actual armor of God? "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, have put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" - Ephesians 6:14-18.

I haven't thought of the armor of God for a while, but I came across it this morning when I was reading through a little devotional book I have, in the section for temptations. I was just thinking how awesome it would be if we could just do away with our sin issues (I don't know about you, but there's always a little battle going on my head between the saved side of me - the "new man" - and the sin nature that is tucked away in everyone's soul) by using the proverbial "easy button" - I guess in this case it would be more like an "easy suit of armor". It would be suh-WEET if we could just grab this belt of truth (I wonder if that's the inspiration behind Wonder Woman's lasso of truth...), stick on a big old breastplate that makes us righteous, put on some shoes that preach peace to the world without us having to say a word (it's always been an issue for me to talk about my faith), pick up a shield that essentially stops the fiery darts of Satan (which I'm going to assume is temptation - I really want this shield), cram on a helmet that takes us to heaven, and wield this sword that in my mind is like the one that the angels guarding the Garden of Eden have, with flames and this sense of unbeatable awesomeness. How amazing would it be to walk down the street in that outfit? Nobody would have the guts to mess with you, and what with having all of this great Godly stuff on you, sin would just... go away.

But isn't it just like us to look for the easy way out? As much as I hate to admit this, it's probably a good thing that God doesn't have an "easy suit of armor" that we can put on whenever we feel tempted. If we had some material possession that saved us from ourselves, then what need would we have for Jesus? Facing temptation builds character (does anyone else hate that statement? "Son, go rake the backyard." "It's too hot, I don't want to!" "Raking the yard in one hundred and ten degree heat builds character." *sigh...*). Jesus had to go through it. I know you're thinking "but Jesus is God, He's kind of got the upper hand on sin here, seeing as how He's the Creator of the universe and Savior of mankind and all,", and I KNOW, RIGHT? That's what I thought too. But there's a verse in James that says "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). If we didn't have to endure temptations, what would we have to look forward to? If there's no mountain to climb, then we would never have the relief and elation that is experienced upon reaching the top and the sweet, sweet knowledge that the worst is past. If there was an easy way, a material way, to deny our sin and stop it in its tracks, the muscle of our faith would atrophy and the very thing that is sacred to us (i.e., the fact that we are delivered from our sin and saved from hell through Christ Jesus) would lose importance and turn from something that is extraordinary into something that is mundane and not needed. Even though I wish that I didn't have to really sacrifice the things that my flesh loves in this world, I know that every time I do, every time my "new man" beats out the sin nature and I, by my own choice, choose to pursue the righteous path, I have this sense of triumph, of complete joy that I am (with Jesus's assistance) becoming more and more like Him. Of course I fall through - I'm human. But the fact that God enabled us to fight that temptation, and gives us the strength to beat it through the gifts that He's given us is a blessing and a faith builder. That, coupled with the knowledge that every day is a new day in Christ, and that our sins are flung as far as the east is from the west (every time I say that phrase, the song pops up in my head) the minute we fall, is enough to encourage me to work out my faith muscle and build it up enough so that next time, doggone it, my "new man" will win.

All that to say, I guess I'm glad that we have the option to work out our faith muscle instead of taking the easy way out. All the more for God to use when He needs it, you know? I hope that what I said encourages you to work out your faith muscle too. "It burns so good!!" God bless :)

-Saved by Grace