The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:10-16)
Is it easy to be a Christian? What are the things that make it difficult? Is there a devil who tries to stop us doing what is right? Can he stop us?
The devil fights against God’s people. He tries to trick us into doing wrong. He tries to make us feel guilty even after God has forgiven us and forgotten those things (Micah 7:19, Jer. 31:34, Isaiah 43:25). Sometimes he tries to make us feel guilty for things that we have not done wrong (false guilt). Sometimes he makes other people angry with us because we follow Jesus. He wants to stop us living in God’s way and doing God’s work.
Another way that the devil attacks us is when people make trouble for us, or hurt us, because we are following Jesus. This is called persecution. In many countries, God’s people are attacked in this way. Some are beaten, some are put in prison, some are killed. But we must stay strong. God will help us and bless us (Matthew 5:10-11). Pray for your enemies, because it is not really them, but the devil who is using them to attack you.
We must not be afraid of the devil. God has given us the strength we need to protect ourselves from him. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He is alive in heaven today. He can make us strong against the devil and the spirits that do the devil’s work for him. We must use the power of Jesus, not our own power.
We need to believe strongly in God’s love and power. We need to live good and true lives. If the devil tries to make us do wrong, we must ask God for strength to do what is right. But if we do anything wrong, we must straight away ask God to forgive us. Always pray to God about everything you need.
In what ways has the devil tried to make you do wrong, or stop you from doing what is right? Consider the ways that God has helped you when you were having a fight with the devil. Don’t be afraid to admit if you have sometimes failed. We can learn a lot from our mistakes.
Take time to tell God you are sorry for anything wrong you have done, or anything that you have not done which you should have done. You do not have to say these things out loud. You can do it quietly in your mind if you wish.
Think about the bad spirits that have power over people’s lives where you live. [Here are some things that are at work in the world: strong drink or other drugs, immorality (wrong sex), hatred for another tribe or race, traditional religion, idol worship, desire for money or power, witchcraft.] Ask God to fill you again with the Holy Spirit. Then spend time praying for people to be set free from these things.
The devil fights against God’s people. He tries to trick us into doing wrong. He tries to make us feel guilty even after God has forgiven us and forgotten those things (Micah 7:19, Jer. 31:34, Isaiah 43:25). Sometimes he tries to make us feel guilty for things that we have not done wrong (false guilt). Sometimes he makes other people angry with us because we follow Jesus. He wants to stop us living in God’s way and doing God’s work.
Another way that the devil attacks us is when people make trouble for us, or hurt us, because we are following Jesus. This is called persecution. In many countries, God’s people are attacked in this way. Some are beaten, some are put in prison, some are killed. But we must stay strong. God will help us and bless us (Matthew 5:10-11). Pray for your enemies, because it is not really them, but the devil who is using them to attack you.
We must not be afraid of the devil. God has given us the strength we need to protect ourselves from him. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He is alive in heaven today. He can make us strong against the devil and the spirits that do the devil’s work for him. We must use the power of Jesus, not our own power.
We need to believe strongly in God’s love and power. We need to live good and true lives. If the devil tries to make us do wrong, we must ask God for strength to do what is right. But if we do anything wrong, we must straight away ask God to forgive us. Always pray to God about everything you need.
In what ways has the devil tried to make you do wrong, or stop you from doing what is right? Consider the ways that God has helped you when you were having a fight with the devil. Don’t be afraid to admit if you have sometimes failed. We can learn a lot from our mistakes.
Take time to tell God you are sorry for anything wrong you have done, or anything that you have not done which you should have done. You do not have to say these things out loud. You can do it quietly in your mind if you wish.
Think about the bad spirits that have power over people’s lives where you live. [Here are some things that are at work in the world: strong drink or other drugs, immorality (wrong sex), hatred for another tribe or race, traditional religion, idol worship, desire for money or power, witchcraft.] Ask God to fill you again with the Holy Spirit. Then spend time praying for people to be set free from these things.
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