New Hope Notes
How To Dress As A Citizen Of Heaven
Citizens And Sojourners
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
February 27, 2005 - W0509
Not long ago we were embroiled in a controversy that our troops overseas ill-equipped for the war. They were under-resourced, using outdated equipment, and antiquated armor. So the
As I thought about that, I wonder just how many of us go out daily unprepared and without protection to battle against an adversary not found in the battlefields of foreign lands. George Barna, a pollster recently polled hundreds of Christians and reported 48% of Christians felt that the devil was not real. He was simply a symbol of evil. Yet Jesus describes Satan as the ruler of this world who fell from heaven. Apostle Paul referred to him as the god of this age who has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the glory of Jesus Christ.
The devil is subtle and will gain access into our lives by appearing attractive, harmless, legitimate, and sometimes even desirable. In fact, Paul says the devil often masquerades as an angel of light. A Scottish preacher said that: “If the devil can’t convert you, he’ll keep you diverted”. So the Bible tells us…“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph.6:10-12)
THE DEVIL IS REAL, BUT WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS SCHEMES, SO STAND FIRM!
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13)
“Be on guard, for the devil your adversary goes about like a prowling lion seeking those whom he will devour”. (1 Pet. 5:8) The devil is committed to destroy us and patiently waits for an opportune moment to do so. So how then do we fortify ourselves against the him? We must remember that we cannot do this alone. Not even the wisest or strongest could. The Bible shows us that even Solomon fell to the temptation of worshipping false gods. David though devoted to God was tempted into lust, adultery, and murder. And Samson’s strength could not protect him from Delilah’s temptation. They were no match for the subtlety of Satan.
Even so, God will not abandon for there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Therefore, just as soldiers going into battle wear armor, God provides us with spiritual pieces of armor for us to wear daily so that we will be protected against the wiles of the enemy. In fact there are specifically…
SIX PIECES OF ARMOR
What are they? Paul used the analogy of a Roman Centurion to describe for us how we must dress in this spiritual armor of God. “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the spirit”. Eph: 14-18)
So lets take a look at the six pieces of armor that we must apply daily to our lives in order to be equipped for the spiritual battles we are sure to face. The first is called…
1. THE BELT OF TRUTH: OUR UNDERLYING MOTIVES.
In the days of Roman Centurions, they used a sash or rope underneath everything they wore. It was what held their up their undergarments. Thus Paul tells us to build truth under everything we do. If we fail to do that, things may go well at first. However, one day we’ll get tripped up by our undergarments falling! What are our underlying motives?
“O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart”. (Ps. 15:1-2) Basically, all our plans, our endeavors, our actions, and decisions must be based on truth. And when it is, we’ll have confidence, assurance, and a sense of authority.
Keep in mind that the devil wants us to trip up and works hard at taking away our belt of truth. For example, we may be living and involved in a relationship that seems nice and is acceptable in society. Yet underneath we know it’s not truth. So what do we do? That’s right! We change it. Same thing applies if we’re involved with shady deals or activities we know are not right. Change it! We may abide in His tent if we walk with integrity, righteousness, and truth.
So the belt of truth must be underneath everything in our lives. The second piece of armor we need to put on daily is the breastplate of righteousness because…
2. THE BREASTPLATE: FILTERS EVERYTHING THROUGH THE GRID OF WHAT IS RIGHT.
A Roman Centurion’s breastplate was made of some kind of bronze material that covered the upper part of the body from front to back. This material protected against weapons specifically aimed for the heart. In other words, the breastplate protected the Centurion’s heart.
In the same way, the breastplate of righteousness filters everything through the grid of what is right in God’s eyes. Everything else has to be filtered out. As a result, it protects our heart from being hurt, accused, or slandered by others.
For example, if someone says something offensive about us, we need to filter that by not removing our breastplate of righteousness. It doesn’t matter your relationship with the other person. We’re human and something said in adversity out of anger or exasperation will pierce our hearts. Even what our spouses say and do need to be filtered through this breastplate. Listen, the devil knows our weak points and will aim and pierce our heart by working through our closest ally.
Even David was dismayed by the treachery of a close friend. “But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.” (Ps. 55:13-14) The breastplate of righteousness is a filter that will guard our hearts “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do” (Pr. 4:23)
So, our spiritual armor starts with the belt of truth under everything in our life. The second is the breastplate of righteousness that will protect our hearts. And the next piece of armor is…
3. THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: BE PREPARED TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS WHEN GOD OPENS THE DOOR !
The Roman Centurion’s feet were covered with great boots which prepared him to move at any given moment. Similarly God gives us opportunities to share a preview of heaven to those caught in the web of darkness. That is why we must …“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
(1 Pet.3:15 NIV)
With gentleness and respect…in other words, never force the issue because it tends to push people away. However, when God opens the door, it is our cue to move through it. You’ll be surprised how the Lord opens those doors. Someone once told me, the best ways to share the Good News is to love people until they ask you why!
Now another part of a Roman Centurion’s dress was his shield. It was as big as their bodies. In fact they could actually hide behind it. Shields were made of metal. However, they found when arrows deflected the shield, it hit fellow soldiers. So they instead constructed the shields out of wood, over-laid with leather. And the leather would be soaked in water before going to war so flaming arrows would lodge in and extinguished in the water-soaked shield.
So each day we must first dress with the belt of truth under everything we think, do, and say. Next we are to wear the breastplate of righteousness that will protect our hearts. The third piece of armor prepares us to share our testimony when God opens doors. And the next thing we must remember is…
4. FAITH IS A BETTER STARTING POINT THEN DOUBT.
Doubt is meant to diminish our faith. Remember that the faith of Jesus Christ has been around for the millennia and transformed millions of lives. So when doubt knocks on your door, let your faith answer it. And guess what? No one will be there.
The Bible says in the book of Romans in the end God will be found true and all men a liar. In other words, it doesn’t matter what man says, in the end God is true. Essentially, God is the best starting point for everyone. Why? “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1Cor. 1:25 NIV)
Don’t make faith a reaching point. Instead, let faith be the starting point because it is permanent. Even though we may not understand something, don’t allow doubts to redefine our faith. For example, marriages go through many ups and downs. Let your vows remind you that your marriage is permanent. Sure there may be times our spouses will upset us, but it doesn’t mean they don’t love us. Immaturity or character flaws will pass. And we’ll grow beyond these things. However, never redefine what is permanent by that which is passing. Keep faith as the starting point.
The next piece of armor the Roman Centurion wore was a helmet. This piece protected the centurion’s head. Protecting ones mind is important because everything in our body is controlled by it. So it is important to gear up in truth, righteousness, the Gospel, and faith. Equally important is the next piece of armor because…
5. THE HELMET: KEEPING OUR IMAGINATION FROM BEING CORRUPTED.
Actually it means having the mind of Christ. Each and everyone us have desires along with the will to imagine. But if we’re not careful, Satan will control our imagination and really everything else about you. He’ll scheme and take us in areas that are off limits (in your thoughts) because we think nobody else will know what we are thinking.
However, be very careful because the devil is a head hunter. Our unguarded desires are his weapons. Our imagination is his trophy. Our unguarded desires will often take us down wrong paths. For instance, if a thousand x-rated theatres opened up tomorrow and were free to everyone no matter what age, do you think this would bother parents? Sure it would!
However the capacity, potential, or possibility of this happening is right here in our own craniums. Our minds have surround sound with our unguarded desires being the projector and our imaginations to run it. This is why pornography is so prevalent in the
Yes, our imagination powerful! God gave us the ability to imagine, create, and then bring it to pass. On the other hand, the devil wants to take that part of God’s nature and corrupt it into evil. We must choose wisely for we can redeem this. This is God’s design for the church. So guard your imagination because it’s a powerful ability. “If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6 NLT)
Here’s one of the best prayers we can pray every morning – Heavenly Father, may my thoughts please you today! And yes, it’s a challenge to be aware, to monitor, and control it. But if we don’t, the enemy will.
The last piece of armor the Roman soldier made sure to strap on was his sword. And like the centurion, we too are equipped with a sword. It’s called the sword of the Spirit and it’s the only offensive weapon we have. The rest of our gear is for defense and preparing us for things. Truth, righteousness, testimony, faith, and salvation are defensive equipment and used to ward off the enemies’ strikes.
The spiritual battle is not against flesh and blood, but instead against rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Thus, when utilizing the sword of the spirit, we’ll not only be free of the enemy, we’ll be able to defeat him as well. That’s why…
6. THE BIBLE AND PRAYER ARE OUR OFFENSIVE WEAPONS.
The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. In essence, the Bible is our sword. And prayer is what gives us confidence to use His word. It is one thing to carry a Bible around and another to actually use it. Having a Bible sitting on the coffee table, having tabs on each book, even having a leather cover will not help us if we do not unsheathe our sword.
What are we going to say and do when we’re in battle with the enemy? I paid $52.00 for this sword! What do you think will happen after that? Exactly -- we’ll die! In order for us to defeat the enemy we need to actually use His word because it won’t matter how much defensive armor we have we won’t be able to fend off the enemy.
So I encourage you to memorize scripture. I used to write scriptures down on 3x3 cards and carry it with me. I’d find scriptures for areas in my life where I was sort of dropping my guard. For example, if it was patience or anger, I’d write scriptures on what my mind should be thinking rather than giving in to feelings of impatience and anger. And that was my goal: to memorize one scripture every day.
Remember that on our own we cannot ward off the enemy. However, under the authority of Jesus Christ and with the armor of God we can be confident that the government of heaven stands behind us. Use your authority by unsheathing the word of God. “Jesus answered and said to [the devil], ‘It is written…’” (Lk 4:4, 8, 12)
The adversary will attack us by throwing doubt and discouragement at us. And just knowing that a scripture is somewhere in the Bible will not be enough. We have to know where it is and be able to say it with confidence because we have the authority of Jesus Christ: “It is written “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:14) “No weapon formed against me shall prosper”. (Is. 54) “Greater is He who is in me then he who is in the world”. (Jn 4:4)
The devil may say our future is doomed, but don’t believe it, for it is written: “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. Plans not for your calamity but for your welfare that you might have a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11) And even when the devil sends trials our way, remember…“ Consider it pure joy my brothers when you encounter various trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. (Jam.1:2-4)
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! (
Let’s be citizens and sojourners of heaven -- men and women with the armor of God, whose attire protects us as we stand firm in truth, wear the breastplate is of righteousness and whose feet are shodded in preparation of the gospel. Let us carry a shield of faith and wear helmets of salvation and strap on the sword of the spirit or the word of God.
By faith, we know we will never stand alone, for we will be standing with authority from the
Discussion Questions:
1. Recall a time when you were vulnerable to attack from the enemy. Were you wearing the full armor of God?
2. What piece or pieces of armor were lacking or weakened? Have you since taken steps to protect yourself daily by applying these six pieces of armor the Bible talks about?
3. In your spiritual walk with the Lord, are you ready to take it up a notch and allow the Lord to grow you even more? Explain.
4. Spiritual Growth Exercises: Find and write down scriptures to help in areas of weakness. Day by day, monitor your thoughts and feelings. When tempted or provoked, say these scriptures out loud. Remember, do everything with God’s love!
5. What impacted you most about today’s lesson and how will you be changed because of it?
Much thanks to a wonderful woman of God,