The Warfare...The Whole Armor #2

By Oscar M. Baker

Satan would have you believe he is not an enemy, he doesn't want you to believe that! And he would convince you that he has no dishonest intentions, or that he would do you any harm, and so you could make peace on his terms and avoid all the difficult things that go with and stand for truth. Quite a temptation, isn't it? You might become a family outcast! So the devil's going to try to make peace on his terms and have you avoid all these unpleasant things -- that's the idea!

As you study this armor, you begin to see that this is a Person - Christ Jesus. And so the soldier is to put on Christ. Babes are not intended to put on the armor, but there is a responsible age. Also, we are to strive lawfully, be dedicated to fighting a good fight and put on the Whole Armor, not just a part. Nothing less than the whole armor will do. And we don't wait until the evil day comes to put it on, either! We must always be ready for anything that will try our spiritual strength, and it can come at the most unexpected times and places.

It was an evil day when Peter denied the Lord, and an evil day when the disciples all forsook Him and fled, and an evil day when Judas lost his bishopric, and an evil day when David fell into temptation and lost the joy of his salvation. And it's in the evil day that many of us may lose our rewards, the prize, and the crown.

Watch and pray, as the Lord told His disciples when He was there in Gethsemane. And having worked out our salvation with fear and trembling we're still to stand till the evil day is past - till the danger is gone. There isn't any time to relax and get careless.

Remember, we have that old nature till resurrection. We are not to fight the devil. You're not going to beat the devil, and no use of trying it. We are to put on this whole armor as we're told to. The devil can throw a dart at us at anytime, that is in the old nature, but he can't touch the new nature.

Parts of the armor we are to put on equal , putting on, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph. 6:14-17.
1. "Loins girt about with truth." - Even Truth For Today,
"the Lord said He was truth" John 14:6.
2. "The breastplate of righteousness."  He is our righteousness.
Rom. 5:19-21; II Cor. 5:21.
3. "Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." He is
our peace. John 16:33.
4. "Above all..the shield of faith." This could be our faith or His,
faithfulness, quite sure however, this too is putting on Christ.
Gal. 2:20.
5. "Take the helmet of salvation." He is our only salvation.
Acts 28:28.
6. "And the sword of the Spirit,which is the Word of God."
And He is the Living Word. John 1:1.

There it is, putting on Christ. Since the time of Jerome, its been understood that putting on The Whole Armor of God is - putting on The Christ Jesus.

From TFT tape Ephesians Practical Series 10-30-84.