Boys' and Girls' Club - Armor of God

Boys' and Girls' Club is over. We did a study on the Armor of God. I am not sure how much the kids got from their lessons, but I was blessed with teaching and thinking about this passage.

Ephesians 6: 10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

This is what I learned...
How is Truth like a belt? The belt kept the breastplate in place and held the sword. Truth keeps our righteousness from being our sole focus - Christianity isn't about doing all the right things. It is about Jesus - who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

How is Righteousness like a breastplate? Just like the breastplate protects the heart and vital organs, so doing what is right protects our heart from temptation. Although righteousness doesn't get us brownie-points with God, he calls us to be righteous for our own good. Now if I am following God, it will make me a target for Satan's attack, so being good isn't good enough. Interestingly, Jesus is our righteousness also.

How is peace like footwear? This one was a little more of a stretch, but like shoes protect our feet from those annoyances that keep us from walking easily, being at peace - with God, with ourselves, and with others - allows us to overlook offenses rather than letting them tempt us toward responding in sin. And Jesus is our peace.

Faith, being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, shields us from attacks of Satan. Whether it is the attack that God won't love us because we aren't good enough, or the attack that says we don't need God because we are fine without him, or any variety of those attacks, Faith reminds us that Jesus is the center of our lives.  Shields often identified the bearer, and our faith will identify us as followers of Jesus.

The helmet guards the head and Salvation protects our minds from attacks. Our reason is remade by salvation and it may seem like foolishness to those around us, but because our head is protected, we can stand firm. Jesus is our salvation.

And finally, the sword of the spirit. We are protected from temptation, but because we have the word of God, we can attack and conquer temptations. I need to remember that when I am facing temptation, I don't just need protection, I need to fight it. And I fight it by using Scripture. But Jesus is also called the Word made flesh.

So what did I learn? I learned that I am clothed with Jesus Christ. I am guarded by his blood and I can fight all temptation by his strength. I also realized that this armor isn't something I need to earn or find somewhere. It was given to me as soon as I became a Christian. Being a Christian doesn't mean that I use it naturally though. It is work. I have to "put it on," and "take it up" for it to be of any use. But I also learned that Jesus is right beside me working with me to do good works that will glorify our Father in Heaven.