Put On The Whole Armor

Greetings and may the Lord bless you with understanding and wisdom not only as you minister in His name, but also as you reach out to Him in your prayer closet this week, munching on His awesome revelation manna to you!

The more we get to know the Lord personally, and the more we spend time with Him in the spirit, the more we recognize that He is our armor. He is the one whose blood covers us, and He is the one who is shedding forth the things of the spirit which you now see and hear. He does these things via the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you have never read Ephesians 6 from this perspective. Let’s take a look.

Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Paul, writing by the Spirit, instructs us to be strong (endunamoo = built up on the inside) in the Lord. Because of the strengthening with might by His spirit in the inner man of Ephesians 3:16, I always used to mentally translate becoming strong in the Lord to mean that I was to speak in tongues a lot. Certainly such action is very much included, but another major portion of being built up in the Lord occurs around His dining table. When you spend time in the spirit with the Lord, hearing His voice to you as you fellowship around His table, you become built up and strengthened such that you can then walk in the power of His might. It is then that you have armor to put on, not before.

Many Christians try to put on the armor offered by the King Saul’s of this world. When little, youthful David proclaimed to the physical realm what we can proclaim to the spirit realm, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" he was walking in the strength of the Lord. And the armor he chose was the Lord’s, not King Saul’s.

The Lord’s armor is not found by much speaking in tongues. Neither is it found by seeking to duplicate the rich spiritual experiences of others. It is found by seeking the Lord, and His face. This is not to degrade the tools, but rather to elevate the Master Craftsman.

Psalms 63:1-4
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Have you seen the Lord in His sanctuary? He is waiting there for you. His table is prepared for you to sit down and enjoy a most amazing meal in the joy of His presence (Rev 3:20). The Holy Spirit will show you how to open the door as He did for David, as He will do for those who seek to become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Lift up your hands and hearts and receive the power of His might!

Ephesians 6:10 is all about relationship. In verses 11 and 12 when your relationship with the Lord is strong, you receive the power necessary to stand against the wiles (methodeia = methods, art, artifices, cunning, craft, wiles) of the devil. Ever wonder why some Christians remain defeated, oppressed, burdened with family strife? If you don’t remain strong in the Lord, spending time in His sanctuary at His table, the devil has a much freer reign to work via his hierarchy of demons. Romance with the Lord every day and you’ll find yourself dancing less with the devil. There are only two dancing partners to choose from, and one of them will sneak in by default if you don’t seek the right one daily. Yup, daily.

The intellectualist will cry, "Oh but Paul, you’re being religious about this, a person’s salvation is not dependent on how often or how much they spend time with the Lord." This is not about salvation, it is about walking in the victorious footsteps of John 14:12. King David wouldn’t have a bit of trouble with it (read Psalm 63 again). Nor does anyone who has tasted of the goodness of God in His presence around His table. It’s time we got serious about the Lord and not only becoming strong in Him, but getting stronger today than you were yesterday. It doesn’t happen by osmosis. It happens by spending time alone with Him and being faithful about it as one committed to serve.

The fact is, complacency, spiritual laziness, and religious intellectualism stops God’s people from acting like King David toward the Lord (and after all, David was only a man after God’s own heart!). This is partly due to the fact that we are indeed wrestling with a spiritual enemy who has a host of principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and wicked spirits (demons) in high places. That’s just about everywhere you turn around with spiritual eyes to see.

Your only armor is Jesus Christ, and the only way to put it on is via submitting before Him in His presence, in His sanctuary, receiving revelation manna at His table. The Holy Spirit will help lead you to this place if you ask Him.

So Hallelujah! Let’s do what we have been given the privilege of doing – seeking His face every day. This will help the complainers stop complaining in their hearts about how tough life is, how someone did them wrong, it will stop ministers from squandering the Lord’s time by trying to help the goats instead of the sheep (goats are sheep imitators who haven’t learned to hear the master’s voice and really don’t want to learn) and you’ll be able to rejoice in His mighty work in you and others in the Body of Christ! The Lord wants us to get with His program, not the devil’s pogrom, by spending time each day alone at the table with Him. And remember, like the Holy Spirit said in the last newsletter, don’t bring your watch into the presence of the Lord.

I love you very much. I’ll invite you to read the remaining verses of Ephesians 6 and challenge you to ask the Lord to teach you how He is the truth that you are to gird your loins with, how He is your breastplate of righteousness, how He is the gospel of peace and the shield of faith with which you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. He is your salvation helmet, and He is the sword of the spirit, the living Word of God.

May your holidays be bright with the light of His presence and revelation in you. Glory to His name.

Sincerely In His service, and thankful to stand with you for Him,

Paul Norcross