I talk a lot about the Apostle Paul and how he introduces and guides us through the full Armor of God. I also talk a bit about his philosophies in life, including how he intercepts the attacks on his life and how he offsets what the enemy can send his way or our way. A lot of what will protect us lies in our anticipation of what may come our way in life.

I don’t want people to focus entirely on what might happen to them or to live in fear of the enemy in any respect, but I do think that as Christians we need to be primed and ready for attacks of any kind on our faith and in how we live with God daily.  Paul, in his life and his writings, was diligent in teaching us how to protect ourselves from what the enemy may fire our way. In real life, we know that can be anything from hostility in the workplace or school, to problems with family at home, to less specific feelings like self-doubt or depression, and more. The enemy is all around us. While I do not want people to obsess over what may happen in life so much that it throws us off course, I do want everyone to be vigilant and prepared.

Paul reminds us that we have a lot in our daily armor that allows us to protect ourselves. The helmet we wear protects our heads where reason and logic prevail, the breastplate protects our most vulnerable hearts, the shield provides further protection and gives us ample opportunity to protect ourselves, the girded loins protect our mobility so that we can continue to learn and improve, and the shoes keep us nailed in place where our faith is strong and true. Paul also reminds us that, as disciples of Jesus Christ, our strength in offsetting the attacks should actually damage the enemy. Wearing our faith so boldly should scare the devil from approaching and should keep the bad feelings, the bad people, and the bad decisions at bay. 

Being a Christian is not only about learning to spiritually respond to life, but also being intentional and aggressive about how you advocate for Jesus Christ and how you offset the evil and the trouble that is in the world. While we all know we should give to the hungry, attend church, and treat others as we would want to be treated, we should also strike back at violence in society by advocating for the underdog in situations involving racism, sexism, or exclusion of any kind, constantly standing up for what we believe is right, and helping others along the way. This is how we use the Armor of God to protect us from and attack the enemy.