Putting on the Armor of Yahweh
This Sabbath's message was brought to us by Caleb Oliva as he walked us through donning the Armor of Yahweh. The passage of scripture we will be examining is Ephesians 6:10-18. The Church of Ephesus was known for pagan worship, and Paul warns them not to be distracted or to be pulled into the ways of the world. In the same way, we are living in a world filled with different beliefs, many that stray far from what Yahweh has commanded up. Many of the battles we face are not only physical, but spiritual as well. We look at things like lust, fear, doubt, anxiety, depression; all these things are spiritual battles that we deal with.
The first piece of armor that we put on is the Belt of Truth. Our culture today has many ways to define truth, but we know that objective truth is just an opinion. Absolute truth is valid, 100% admissible, cannot be argued, and stands firm no matter what. The enemy uses objective truth to slowly corrupt and manipulate the truth until it no longer is the truth. We know that Yahweh is absolute truth, and as such the scriptures are truth, and when we walk in that truth we are protected. (John 8:44, John 17:18)
The next piece of armor is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness is defined as behavior that is morally right, Yahweh’s own perfection, his attributes, his morals. We need to take on this behavior for ourselves.
Next, we are to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We reference Romans 10:15b “as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.” Part of our armor is our willingness to go out with what Yahweh has given us.
As we are prepared to go out, we take up our Shield of Faith. A weak or inadequate shield leaves us vulnerable. We need to know our faiths, testing them against Yahweh’s truth. We each have faith that looks a little different, but it needs to be what fits us perfectly. We look at the story of David for this. Saul has David come into his tent to give him armor so he can face the giant. This armor does not fit though, it is too large and would not protect David in battle. We need to have proper equipment to fight and defend ourselves effectively.
Next, we take the Helmet of Salvation. We understand salvation as being redeemed from sin and given eternal life. Salvation should be our crowning joy, the thing that covers us! Your salvation is what sets us apart, what makes people look at us and wonder what we have.
We now have several pieces of armor and have come to our first weapon. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Yahweh. Up until this point we have had several defensive pieces of armor. Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of Yahweh should pierce and saturate every part of you. It is our best weapon against the enemy. We see in Matthew 4 that Yahshua himself uses the scriptures when tempted by the enemy. In fact, almost every time that Yahshua is challenged by the Pharisees, quoting scripture as His defense.
The Bible is used not just to combat people who might question you, but also in spiritual battles like loneliness, sadness, hopelessness, depression, feelings of being lost, and other issues we face in life. Our fight is not just against flesh and blood, but against spiritual attacks.
Prayer is our final weapon. We are to pray without ceasing, seeking wisdom and shelter from the enemy. We do not know when Yahshua will return, but we do know that we need to be ready. Put on your armor daily, and you will never be taken by surprise.
If you are struggling, or need a place to call home, we would love to welcome you with open arms. We meet every Saturday at 2pm for Sabbath service.
