"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Eph. 6: 11

Whenever we mention armor you know that there is a fight, warfare. The enemy in this case is the devil. He never fights fair, never abides by the rules. His way of fighting is not coming out in the open and matching strength for strength, he'd never do that. But he uses wiles, subtle ways, craftiness, traps, and the foulest tricks to gain his ends; and that is what we have to deal with. An enemy may pretend to be your friend. And at times, even suggest peaceful coexistence. Can there be peaceful coexistence between evil and good? Of course, he will suggest that, if it will gain him advantage. He isn't always recognized. Folks have temptations and never have the least idea where it's coming from. He disguised himself as an angel of light in the garden, a cherub, a shining one! And so he can appear as an angel of light and occupy some "high pulpits" if the people allow him.

And questions come up, "Well, what's this fight all about? What's going on? Why a need for warfare and armor? What are the stakes? Who are quarreling and about what? And what would one lose in the fight? And what has he to gain?" If we are going to get into a fight, we have to be realistic and weigh all of these things before we get involved.

Paul fought a good fight, henceforth a crown. That is what he was working for. And there's the issue, we fight for a crown, the crown of righteousness, represented righteousness. And Satan is on the job to see that we don't get it. So he would beguile us of our reward. Satan can not touch our life that is hid with Christ in God, but he can approach us through the old nature.

A lot of people in Christendom, do not take up the fight. They never put on the armor, willing to just concede defeat to the devil just so they can be saved as by fire (I Cor. 3:15). And they live to satisfy the old nature, making their belly their god and thereby are constituted as enemies of the cross of Christ, as Paul told us in Philippians. A defeated life, and there can't be any joy and satisfaction in that.

These folks have never grown up, never known what maturity is, therefore, unfit to put on the armor. Some have never come to put their trust in the armor so are defeated before they start. David went out without Saul's armor on and with only a little sling and five stones; but he had on the whole armor of God because he trusted the Lord.

Some have failed to put on "The Whole Armor" and they have not learned what the fight's all about, well, it's no use they think - Christian's going down to defeat. When the judgment comes there will be no crown for them. We have to feel sorry for folks who are missing so much, these in Christendom, doing things to satisfy the flesh, and doing nothing to feed the new nature.

These lessons can also be heard on tape - ask for Ephesians Practical Series, 10-30-1984.