Question:
Regarding the armour of God… my wife and myself during our morning devotionals and prayers ask the Lord to put on the full armour of God as described by Paul (Ephesians 6). As we see it we need all the protection we can get to help us to resist the devil. I have heard other Christians claim that this “daily ritual” (although we don’t see it as that) is not necessary and that once we have received the armour of God we don’t need to ask again. What do you think?
Answer:
Well, I usually get in trouble when I think, but I’ll give it a shot anyway…
God chose through Paul to use the analogy of “putting on armour”. So it would not be unreasonable to draw an OPINION from examing and extending the same analogy.
What soldier puts on his armour once, and that’s it? None; rather he puts his battle gear on each day to do that day’s fighting. Then he spends time AWAY from the battle to repair, retool, refit and reapply armour regularly and consistently to be ready for that day’s warfare.
For the Christian, that “time away” is your alone time with God. The “retooling and refitting” is more Bible study and prayer that are appropriate for the situations and circumstances that face you on a given day.
The reapplying, or putting on, of new armour each day is simply getting a hold of God’s Word through prayer and meditation in a way that prepares you for the conflict and the victory of any given day.
Now remember, the “armor”, is an ANALOGY. All analogies break down if exaggerated, taken to extremes or dogmatically applied.
The idea Paul is communicating through the symbol of “soldiering” is that we are to pray, be in God’s Word, prepare for spiritual warfare, and fight the “good fight” of faith every day.
Now tell me, how much sense does it make to say that we are suppose to read God’s Word once, pray once, and prepare once…. then never do it again because “we have received it and don’t need to” do it again?
This is not an issue or area of “positive confession” or “believing that you have received” as Christ tells us about asking for things in prayer (Mark 11.24). This is an issue of spiritual warfare and the daily preparation it takes to withstand the “principalities and powers of darkness” (Ephesians 6.12), our flesh (Gal 5.19) and serves to SENSITIZE us to the leading of the Holy Spirit during that day.