Alf Davis
Agape International Christian Counselling
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
by Alfred C. W. Davis MBA, M.Div.
Spiritual ArmourThe armour of God is a spiritual armour that protects us as described in Ephesians 6:10.
Why do we need the armour of God? It says, "To stand against the devil's schemes."
What are the devil's schemes? In Rev. 12:9, it says, "The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan – who leads the whole world astray."
Therefore, we need spiritual armour so that we will not be led astray.
How does Satan lead us astray? John 8:44 says, "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Example: He leads astray through lies, just as he did with Eve in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:3: "Eve said God said, "You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden or you will die." Satan replied, "You will not surely die."
Satan led Eve astray with the lie that she would not die if she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Is that story of Eve only about the Garden of Eden or is it relevant today? It is also for us today because it talks about "Our struggle" in Ephesians 6.
Well then, how are we led astray and how do we stand against the devils schemes?
- We are led astray by lies just as Eve was. Examples: God heals other people but he does not heal me. Or, I am unworthy.
- We stand against the lies as explained in Ephesians 6:13, Therefore, put on the full armour of God, so that we will be able to stand our ground."
What is the armour of God? It starts with the "belt of truth."
While the symbol of armour and a belt is used the key point is that our defense starts with truth. If Eve had stood her ground with God's truth, she would have been OK.Truth is an important concept in the Gospel. In John 8:32, it says, "If you hold to my teachings, you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Also, in John 8:36, "So of the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Who sets you free? The Son and who is the Son with a capital S it is Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life." So, the belt of truth is the truth of Jesus Christ. It not only protects you, but it also sets you free from the lies.
In one sense, praying the words, "I buckle the belt of truth around my waist" has spiritual power because the words of scripture have power in the spiritual realm. However, even stronger is the power of believing and accepting the truth that Jesus provides in his living word. The struggle referred to in Ephesians 6:12 is not against flesh and blood, but rather it is a struggle in our minds as we wrestle with truth and lies.
It would have been helpful if Eve had said to herself when Satan was trying to lead her astray, "I buckle the belt of truth around my waist." But, I believe it would have been even more powerful if she had said, "I choose to defend myself with the truth of God that if I eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, I will die." The defense of truth has the power to defeat the enemy. And, the specific truth of God that relates to the lie is the armour that is needed as we struggle with Satan's scheming to lead us astray.
For example: the lie, "I am unworthy" can be defended with Psalm 139; "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And Isaiah 43: "I am precious and honoured in his sight and he loves me" and Zephaniah 3:17 "He rejoices over me with gladness" Not only is there protection in these words but there is also healing.
The second piece of armour is described as the "breastplate of righteousness".
In Revelation 19:8, it says" fine linen, bright and clean", which is used to describe the
"righteous acts of the saints". God appreciates the righteous acts of his saints. While knowing the"truth of Christ" is the first step, being obedient to the truth is the second important step. Obedience is righteous.
Abraham was obedient and it says in Romans 4:3 "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." In 2 Corinthians 10 it says, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
How do we make a thought obedient to Christ". Believing the truth is how we do it
and then living the truth is how our obedience becomes righteousness. Using the example, "I am unworthy", if a person believes this lie, then it will be difficult to live out of the truth that they are worthy. These two steps: 1) actively believing in Christ's truth and 2) righteously obeying the truth are the keys to spiritual defense and protection.
The third part of the armour is the "feet of peace" I have come to learn in my work that the truth, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of God bring peace. When a client does Christ-centred inner healing work, the person invites Jesus to come into the painful memory and embedded in the memory is a lie. When the person asks Jesus to reveal truth to counter the lie, the truth Jesus brings literally transforms the person's mind. The lie is dispelled. The truth is received and the feelings inside change. After the Lord has revealed truth, I will ask the client, "How do you feel now in the memory" and very often the person says, Peaceful"? I have observed this over and over that Jesus Christ, the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace brings peace to the person.
A second thing that I have observed when inner healing occurs is that the person is able to think more clearly. It is as if the lie or lies have blinded the person and the truth frees the person to now understand and perceive life with a new and greater clarity. So it makes sense that the third piece of armour is described as "Feet filled with readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace".
When the person has accepted the truth, lived the truth righteously and received the peace that comes from being free, the individual is now better able to stand firm because the mind is clear and able to know right from wrong. There is now readiness that flows from a clear, peaceful mind that cuts through the confusion and the muddiness of lies and deception. It is as if the person is blind and lost when the lie dominates the mind.
Anxiety, fear, panic, anger all add to the disorientation. But, a clear mind lets you know where you are and from where the threat is coming. It is easier to defend against something that is now outside of you and you can see it. Your defense of readiness can be activated because your mind is clear and at peace. One client said, the arrows and the hurts would come and before I knew it, they would penetrate my heart. Now, since my inner healing, I am able to deflect them. They don't pierce my heart anymore because now I can see them coming.
Summary: the first three elements of spiritual armour are:
- understanding and believing the truth of Christ,
- being obedient to that truth, and
- being able to distinguish between truth and lies with a clear and peaceful mind.
 |
Pain free memories are possible with Christ-Centered Inner Healing. Now, your memories can be transformed in the privacy of your own home with the help of this guided DVD prayer process. All the steps and prayers are provided so that you and Jesus can do the work together. If you are interested in being free of your pain, you can order this unique new DVD by visiting the Agape Healing International web site as follows: agapehealing.org. |
Alfred C.W. Davis, MBA, M.Div.
Agape Healing International Inc.
111 Prince Charles Drive, Unit 103
Oakville, ON L6K 3X3
www.agapehealing.org
Tel. 905.815.9638
Fax 905.842.9757
Alf Davis is a Clinical Member of AAMFT. He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Tyndale Seminary, majoring in counseling. As well as being a therapist, he provides spiritual direction and counseling for pastors and Christian care givers. He is on the Board of Asia Mission Center International and he teaches the seminar, "A Theory and Process of Christian Counseling and Inner Healing" both internationally, at Tyndale Seminary and at local churches.
