Armor of God -- Fight for Your Life

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

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

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

-- Ephesians 6:10-17

Loins girt about with Truth.  In Biblical times to 'Gird up your Loins' would be to wrap the bottom of you cloak into your belt, and by doing so you would be more able to move about and perform the days labor.  You really don't want your clothing to limit your movement in battle.

The Breastplate of Righteousness.  The Breastplate covers your Heart and Lungs, as well as other vital organs.  When the scriptures say that in the last days, "men's hearts shall fail them", (Luke 21:26) it is because they do not have their Breastplate protecting them.  Your Righteousness, which is your diligent obedience to the Commandments of God, will protect you from having your heart fail you.

Feet Shod with Preparation of the Gospel.  When the Hebrews were 'Preparing' to leave Egypt they were told to eat the Passover.  This was done with their Shoes on their feet and their staff in hand, and you ate while standing.  This is because even though they had not yet received permission to leave Egypt, they were planning on going somewhere.

Whenever I go home for anything my Mommy always gets frustrated with me because I never take my jacket off.  This has several reasons behind it, but the first and foremost reason is because I like having my jacket on, even in the middle of the summer.  Then there are the reasons that are actually logical, like my jacket is somewhat a safety object and i am more comfortable around people when I am wearing it.  My jacket has all my stuff in the pockets, my keys, my iPod, my phone, and an assortment of other things for the day.  My jacket is what prepares me to go do what I need to later, and I don't take it off just because I am going to sit down for a few minutes.

 

A Shield of Faith.  You must have Faith in order to be equipped with your best defense, your Shield.  This Faith is required because when you put your Shield up you cannot see your enemy.  You cover your head and most of your upper body to block the opponents sword, but also block him from your eyes.

Much like when Luke Skywalker puts the BlastSHIELD down and cannot see the remote, but must follow the promptings within, or his instinct, to know what to do.

 

The Helmet of Salvation.  The Helmet protects YOUR BRAIN.  There are a few things we need to know in order to return and live with our Heavenly Father.  First is that Jesus Christ is His only Begotten Son in the Flesh.  Second is the Plan of Salvation.  Once you have a Knowledge you must protect it and continue learning.

The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  The only offensive weapon you have in the Armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit.  In combat your sword is your life, you need it in hand if you are to fight the foe. 

If you do not have your sword and you go up to battle anyway, your only option is to try and block the blows of your enemy.  Sure you have your other Armor, but how long can your Shield last when it is being beat upon repeatedly.  How long do you think it would be before your breastplate either came loose, or perhaps had a small gap between the plates where the enemy's sword found a way through.  How long before your legs grew tired and you trip over your own feet.

The answer, not very long at all.

Without the Spirit you begin to lose faith (Shield), it is harder to keep the commandments (Breastplate), and you become less prepared for the fight (Feet Shod).  Once you lose these other pieces of Armor you are an easy target and then POOF, you die.  When it comes to the Armor of God you die Spiritually, and Christ is the Light and Life of the world, therefore the only way back is through His Atonement.

So remember to always have your Armor, and be on Guard.

God will protect you, IF you are doing what is Right.
 

"And it came to pass that I said unto them 

that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, 

according to the truth; 

and the righteous have I justified, 

and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; 

wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, 

for it cutteth them to the very center."

-- 1 Nephi 16:2 (emphasis added)

The Scriptures are the Word of God.  Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  God teaches only Truth, and therefore the Wicked take the Scriptures to be Hard.

Keep the Commandments, Read the Scriptures, and do whatever it takes to truly have the Spirit with you at all times, in all things, and in all places.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.
Truth will fight your battles for you, as long as you keep it close by, and in your Heart.

I am the Light and the Life of the World

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying,

I am the light of the world:

he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,

but shall have the light of life."

-- John 8:12

"Ye are the light of the world.

A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle,

and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;

and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

-- Matthew 5:14-16

"The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."

-- Proverbs 4:19

He who walks in Darkness, knows not where he goes.  But if you have received the light of Christ, the Words of Christ shall tell you all things that ye should do. (see 2 Nephi 32:3)

"For we walk by faith, not by sight"

--2 Corinthians 5:7

Keep Your Eyes Where They Should Be

"Look eye, always look eye!"



This is one of my Favorite parts of the Karate Kid.  You show respect by looking into your opponents eyes, and you can also learn how they are feeling.  Today, I want to relate looking into someone's eyes to looking towards Heaven.

When you look in someones eyes while they are speaking you show that you want to know what they are saying.  So when we look to Heaven we are saying that we really want to know what God has to tell us today.  You don't sit and wait for someone to say something yesterday, you wait for them to speak today because you don't need yesterday's instructions for todays problems. 

While it is true that "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever", He gives us knowledge "line upon line, precept upon precept."  This is done through a Prophet, like Moses, who can speak with God and then reveal to us what is going to happen.

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing,

but he revealeth his secret

unto his servants the prophets."

-- Amos 3:7

The other part I wanted to point out is that when you are looking in the eyes, you are showing respect for them whether you agree with what they are saying or not.  Not everyone believes the same, not everyone likes the same things or wears the same clothes.  This is because we are all different, and if we weren't we would be quite annoyed all the time because the wouldn't be any flavor to life.  However, just because we have differences doesn't mean we should rule out anything else just because it is in opposition to our own view.  By the time the Christ shall come and reign we will all be united in one faith.

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"

-- Ephesians 4:5

Lets do as Mr. Miyagi says, and "always look eye."  Always look to God for the truth, always follow His chosen Prophets, and always respect what He says, even if we don't understand it.