the whole armor

I know it has been done a lot, but we talked this Sunday about putting on the armor of God.

I still feel that the most touching, the most heart-wrenching part of the scripture is that we put on the armor that we can "withstand the evil day, having done all, that [we] may be able to stand." I know that there are a lot of important times in our lives when we stand, and I believe that there is probably a deeper meaning in that. But I think of it quite literally and recall times in my life when it was all I could do--in fact it was more than I alone could do and I needed God's help--just to stand. I think that for some of us, and maybe for all of us, when all said and done, the best we can hope for is 'to stand,' and we will know that it is with His help only.

When I think of armor, I actually first imagine medieval armor, and I have to try to force myself to think of period armor... I guess like Roman soldiers

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,"

Truth. Loins. Girt? The imagery I get from that is a belt. I think that girding your loins has a direct connection to the law of chastity, but I think that it also key that your belt surrounds the core of your body, and it holds your weapons and provisions. I think that we need to surround ourselves with truth. It should surround the core of who we are, and we shouldn't ever side-step or back pedal from the truth. If we do so, it will hold things together and support us in our lives.

"Having on the breastplate of righteousness"

Your breastplate protects all of your vital organs, it is the most prominent piece of armor and can be used to distinguish you from your enemies, and even show information about your rank and position. I have heard that in Jesus' day they believed that your thoughts came from your heart, and your emotions came from your bowels, so that would encompass all you think and feel. Righteousness will keep your thoughts and your emotions from becoming tainted. In the most heated of battles you may still be bruised and wounded, but your lifeforce is protected by your righteousness.

"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"

I think that this is one of my favorite images. Preparation equals shoes. Your feet are the obvious from of transportation, they are the means of progression. Think of trying to walk through your own backyard barefoot. Can you imagine a battle? When we are barefoot our progress is ginger, cautious, we may take large detours to avoid uncertain terrain and much slower than our potential. When we are unprepared we don't know how to proceed. We test our footing, second guess our approach, and move as on eggshells.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith"

Faith is our protection. When "fiery darts" come at us, whether they be doubts, fears, trials, sins or whatever we can use our faith do deflect them. If we have faith in prayer, we can deal with some times when our prayers appear to have gone unanswered. If we have faith in our leaders, we can just faithfully fulfill assignments as Adam did when he offered sacrifices. Now those darts could also be absorbed by our breastplate, helmet and shoes (and sometimes they will have to be) but faith is our first line of defense and can take the brunt of an attack, while leaving our righteousness, preparation, and understanding of truth remain relatively unhindered. And pure faith can make up for the weaknesses we have or gain.

"And take the helmet of salvation"

As noted above, they didn't really believe that they needed their heads for thinking. Of course they knew that it was vital, but I think that they saw it more in terms of the eyes and the ears, the mouth. Through your eyes and ears you find out about all of your surroundings and identify goals. Your head also directs the rest of your body. So protecting your head with salvation means that you will always have that as your goal. If your head is turned towards salvation, the rest of the body will follow.

"And the sword of the Spirit"

This is when you take the offensive. Actually swords can be used defensively too, but the Spirit is what will make changes in the lives of others. We shouldn't try to overcome people with our righteousness, with our salvation, or with our truth. We should let the Spirit touch the hearts of others. It can and will protect us from the most immediate blows of adversity, but it will be key in making changes with anyone else.