How to Use the Armor: Notes from Last Night

by | Jul 10, 2012 | Monday Study Notes | 1 comment

Last night we finished our look at Paul’s teaching on the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Here’s the notes:  

How do we use the armor of God in our personal battles?

First, Our Lifestyle:

  1. Truth: Eat and Drink God’s word as your daily food. Live a life of integrity.
  2. Righteousness: Receive God’s righteousness by faith, and let it shape your whole life.
  3. Prepared readiness from the Gospel message : Let your life choices be shaped by the need to spread the Gospel.
  4. Faith: Cultivate and inflame your trust in God as a perfect, divine person.
  5. Salvation:  Let what God has done in Christ dictate how you see the world. (see above)
  6. Word of God: Trust God’s word—believing it and speaking it—as your go to in life. Not other things.
  7. Prayer: “Pray at all times.” Regular set times of prayer, all-day constant prayer. Pray for other believers—6:18!

Second, in Specific Instances:

Temptation   (Source: Circumstances, Personal Inclinations, Spiritual Attack)

  1. Truth: Speak and live truly in every situation.
  2. Righteousness: Test everything by the character of God.
  3. Let all-day readiness characterize you, and you’ll see opportunities instead of temptations. Use the gospel to diffuse tempting circumstances!
  4. Faith: Use God’s word to remind you what God says about life to contradict the temptation.
  5. Salvation: See sin as the thing that Christ suffered for, and that God will eradicate from the world.
  6. Word of God: Know and use Scripture to contradict the lie of the temptation.(Eph 4:22, Pr 6:27, Mt 5)
  7. Prayer: Pray about not entering in to temptation (Mt 6:13) and pray when you’re tempted (Heb 2:18) Pray for other’s issues with temptation (6:20)

Discouragement

  1. Truth: Let what is real weigh more heavily on your mind than what is not
  2. Righteousness: Dwell on the righteousness God has given to you freely—Christ’s!
  3. Gospel prep: Let the fact that God is winning the battle drive you to share his Good news.
  4. Faith: Believe God’s word instead of what a discouraging thought says.
  5. Salvation: See the world through the lens of redemption. Remind yourself of your salvation.
  6. Word of God: Know & use scripture to bring encouragement to yourself.
  7. Prayer: Talk to God about your discouragement. Look to him for encouragement.

Disorientation

      1. Truth: Remember that God and His universe exists even if we can’t see it.
      5. Salvation: Remember that God made the world and is working to bring it to an end.
      6. Word of God: Let the actual words of Scripture shape your thoughts when you can’t find the way
      7. Prayer: Keep asking God for what you need.

 Persecution

  1. Truth: Live out what is true no matter what is costs. You won’t gain anything by cutting corners.
  2. Righteousness: Let your life of righteousness assure you that your suffering is not from sin.
  3. Gospel prep: Fight opposition by speaking the Gospel—Rom 1:16!
  4. Faith: Believe God over the promises of persecution—that loss or suffering are ultimate.
  5. Salvation: Remember that you are part of God’s plan to remake the world anew. Remember that Christ suffered and helps those who suffer.                            
  6. Word of God: Believe and speak God’s word in the face of persecution.
  7. Prayer: Bring your needs to God.

Spreading the Gospel

  1. Truth: Know that everyone and every situation needs the gospel. Never shy away from it.
  2. Righteousness: Trust what Christ has done to make you righteous “enough” to share. Live it out to strengthen your assurance.
  3. Gospel prep: Let the implications of the Gospel make you eager to share it. Prepare!
  4. Faith: Believe the gospel for yourself and others, over appearances or opposition.
  5. Salvation: Know and get excited about your personal salvation ,an about the big, global sweep of what God is doing in the world through the death, resurrection and return of Christ.
  6. Word of God: Trust the Word of God by using it to speak in to people’s lives.
  7. Prayer: Pray for opportunities, for specific unbelievers and during every conversation. 

Sum up: God has provided everything we need for the battle we face. We should notice when we’re trusting other things, and seek to rely on what He has provided instead.