The Word - January 5, 2012 - Spiritual Warfare Part Two

"Stand therefore,....having put on the breastplate of righteousness......above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (Ephesians 6:14-18).

The first time I ever heard Billy Graham speak was in Toronto, Ontario while attending Emmaus in 1949. One thing he said to us young preachers has never left me. He said, "Remember young men, God never uses a discouraged Christian in His service." At the time I really didn't understand what that meant. Since, the lesson has come home. If we cannot look at ourselves through the eyes of faith, then we are scarcely eligible for service in God's kingdom. Today briefly I want to suggest to you God's answer to discouragement and how to deal with that type of the devil's spiritual attack.

The answer is to be discovered in our Scripture for today. In the sixth chapter of Ephesians we have listed six items of military equipment. Among them are two I want to deal with now and come back to the others later; namely, the Breastplate and the shield. Ephesians 6:14 says, "the breastplate of righteousness", and Paul is not talking about the righteousness of self-effort or good works, but the righteousness of faith which works by love. This, by the way, is central to all the rest of equipment and also to the protection of the vital organs of the body.

What vital organ of the body does the breastplate protect? The Heart. Bear in mind that scriptural faith is always in the heart, not the head. Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness." Real faith is nor just intellectual concepts or theology nor doctrine. It is heart faith which works on one primary base.....love. Galatians 5:6 says "but faith works through love."
That is a simple, yet profound statement. We need to constantly remind ourselves that the only thing that really matters in the whole of Christian life, is faith that works by love. So we can truly say the breastplate that protects the heart from the enemy is faith that works through love. If the breastplate is removed, our most delicate vital organ, the heart, is exposed.

The breastplate that protects our heart is faith in the invisible God and His Word; and this faith works by love. Since faith works through love, it is no wonder we get irritable, frustrated, impatient, and snap at those we care for the most. When that happens, it means our breastplate has been let down. Consequently, out comes that old nature with all its nasty quirks.

By the way, God even gives us the strength to hold that breastplate up where it belongs! He renews our strength as we come to Him through His Word and prayer......every day! (I have discovered for me, sometimes several times a day!) Oh yes; almost forgot: Whose armor is it we are to put on?