Armour Of The Lord

On this final Lord’s Day Sunday, we are all mindful that in a few more days, we will be ushered into a brand new month, Deo Volente.

Doesn’t it look as though, with each passing day, the struggles of life seem to be getting greater and more complex? Many of us have placed all kinds of pat answers and comforting reasons for these feelings. We say that times are becoming harder, because of economic constraints and that the problems are worldwide, therefore there’s nothing that we can do about them. We reason it to be the result of people becoming less and less caring and love is only about self. Others deem the problem to be one of godlessness, as people are moving further and further away from God and religion and for umpteen other reasons. The list goes on, as you are well aware and the truth is that life is becoming a struggle for many, including believers in God.

As we stand on the threshold of a new month, as God wills, I am urged and spurred to invite you to share this mixed week, fortifying and strengthening ourselves with God’s Offerings. I say mixed week, because the first two days of the new month will bring to a close, the final days of this week. Additionally, I speak of God’s Offering in most precious and gentle tones, as it seems almost un-religious, un-pious, un-lawful and most un-genial to speak of God serving us.

O yes! I know that Father God serves us daily, for even in the prayer which  His Son taught us, we are shown how to ask for our Heavenly Father’s daily offering of food. Give us this day our daily bread. Is that not our Father, serving His children with daily food, to feed all of us, body, mind and spirit?

It is therefore in this exact understanding that we are receiving this week’s offerings from God, to meet spoken and unspoken needs; asked for and unasked for food.

This all began when I was given the privilege of sharing special fellowship with a few people. It was during that time, one of those present spoke of wanting to know about the armour of God. In my mind, I thought, how sad! Every believer should not just know about God’s armour, but ought to be wearing His armour. As I was putting myself above this confessing believer, I was hit a full, self-awareness blow, which stunned me. Our ever present Holy Spirit told me that I did not know about our Lord’s armour either. Honestly, I was frozen in heart, mind, speech and more. I had no choice but to fall flat before Him and seek pardon and teaching. It was then that I was made ready and eager to learn how to wear the armour of God and actualise all the protection and strength, wearing God’s armour provides.  

Most important is this. The continuing and faithful response to the growing problems being faced in this world, is fervently, truthfully and honestly adorning one’s self with the complete armour of God.

It is with this understanding, this acknowledging and yielding that we are receiving these God-given offerings, to serve our present age of mounting sin and departing values.

Tomorrow we will look at the Church in Ephesus, to which Paul is giving his sound and life-saving advice.