Spiritual Warfare: The Whole Armor of God

Are you prepared for the unseen battles that shape your everyday life? Discover the crucial importance of wearing the "whole armor of God" as we explore the spiritual warfare within us. Inspired by Ephesians chapter 6, we bring to light the significance of spiritual readiness in the face of modern adversities. By drawing parallels to cultural icons like "Braveheart," "300," and the "Avengers," we make a compelling case for the symbolic and practical role of spiritual armor. 

In this episode, we delve into a rich discussion of various biblical passages, including 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 10:19, John 10:10, and 2 Corinthians 10:4, to illustrate the continuous spiritual warfare against the forces of darkness. By recognizing our divine authority in Christ, we emphasize the necessity of vigilance and spiritual health in overcoming these challenges. Tune in to grasp the essence of spiritual warfare and arm yourself with the knowledge and readiness required to confront the evi

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Chapters

• 0:52 The Spiritual Warfare Within Us
• 14:23 Preparing for Spiritual Warfare
• 20:49 Spiritual Warfare and Divine Authority

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:52

Welcome back to the all-purpose pod for an all-purpose life. Wherever you are and however you are listening today, call me Mr you the podcast. We thank you again for making us a part of your morning, your day, your week, your life. Thank you for joining our show. We definitely appreciate it. We are the all purpose pod for an all purpose life. We talk about a lot of things on this show that you guys well know. It's been four glorious seasons and we're definitely grateful to God for allowing us to have the opportunity to have this level of platform, have the opportunity to have this level of platform for all you guys that are listening Audio only. We appreciate all the support. It's been undying support. In my opinion, it's basically the roots of what we do. We started off this way and we're going to end it this way. Audio podcasts are definitely, in my mind, the future. We're not getting away from it. So you get a lot more audio podcasts so that you can be able to listen while you're driving, while you're jogging, working out at the gym, doing laundry, taking a break from homeschooling, whatever it is you do on your day, on your commute. We're going to definitely be here for you audio podcast wise. So you probably see or I should say you should hear a lot more of our show than you're probably going to see it. It won't be a lot of video going forward, but we're grateful for the support and we're very, very thankful that you're still listening to the Call Me, mr you, the podcast and all of our brand of show that are out here on all the social media platforms, platforms. So thanks again for doing what you do.

Speaker 1: 2:29

In regards to today's show, I just want to ask you guys a question Are you aware that we're at war? I'm asking a question For all you guys that are listening, especially you guys in the back Are you aware that we're at war? When somebody is aware that they're at war, this is what it should look like. There should be preparation, they should be robed or have the appropriate attire for the occasion and they also should be living their lives adjusting, preparing. You're taking every single day with the mindset that they are at war.

Speaker 1: 3:12

When you're at peace, it's a different story. Ask anybody that's been in the military before. You can ask any one of them and they can tell you. Everyone to a man and say the same thing when you're at peace and you're not at war per se. Your demeanor is different, your attire is different, the way you approach every day is different. You don't walk through the same disciplines and the same regimen. You even eat differently, you sleep differently, you address your, your regular errands and your workplace responsibilities Differently, when you know you're at peace per se and not at war. It's a different approach. That's why I'm asking the question today Are you aware that we're at war?

Speaker 1: 4:00

See, some folks are going to look at the newspapers or on their news feeds to try to find out what is he talking about. But this is not about the kind of war that you're thinking of. It's not the kind of war that you hear about in third world countries or in places such as the Ukraine and Russia and Iran and Iraq and places where actual war is taking place in the literal sense. But we actually are at war in the literal sense. It's just, there's just a spiritual component to it that I don't think we recognize, that we don't understand. So when I ask you are you aware that we're at war? It's a really important question, because if you question, because if you're not aware of that, then you walk around here like we're in peacetimes and we're not. You won't have the appropriate attire, you won't have the right approach and mindset. You think everybody you meet, everybody you talk to, everybody you connect with, is your friend and not an enemy, or you approach it as if everything that happens to you is just happenstance and it's not a targeted attack against you or some aspect of your being to cause you to not function in the full capacity and purpose that God called for you to walk in. So there's a lot to go with it. I question if I can get it all put out in one episode. I'll do my best, just don't see it happening. But when we talk about being at war, I think one thing to be really, really aware of is that the Bible speaks about this. So if you're wondering how you can get the answer to the question that I asked you earlier, it's very simple. The Bible has the answer.

Speaker 1: 5:52

If you turn to Ephesians, chapter six, it speaks about what people may think of as just maybe just an analogy, but it really is more than that. The apostle Paul was saying something that was pretty deep here. It's not an analogy, it's actually a standard, it's actually a discipline, a mindset that we need to have in order to function in everyday life. He references something called the whole armor of God. Perhaps you've heard of it, perhaps not. Hopefully I'll be able to help out a little bit with that today.

Speaker 1: 6:31

The whole armor of God. Now, the word whole means entire, all parts together. So that's important because a lot of times some of us pay attention to some aspects of our armor and neglect the other ones, and then we wonder why we're having trouble in specific areas because it's not complete. We're not walking in complete preparation. We're kind of walking in incomplete preparation. Imagine what that can do to a natural life, a natural lifestyle. So imagine what is exponentially worse in a spiritual lifestyle, if that makes any sense.

Speaker 1: 7:12

So the whole armor of God, as referenced in Ephesians, chapter 6. What it's talking about is being prepared for war. What it's indicating, if you read it, is that we are actually at war. We're not in peace times, we're at war. And I want to kind of explain a little bit more as we get into this. But I want to read Ephesians, chapter 6, so you can kind of get a bit of a picture as to what's being said here Now, ephesians, chapter 6, we're going to start at verse 10 and we'll probably end at verse 17.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Okay, so Ephesians 6, chapter 10. I'm sorry, ephesians, chapter 6, verse 10, excuse me to verse 17, and it reads finally my brethren, be strong in the lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of god and you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Now read verse 18. I think it's important, praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Speaker 1: 9:03

Now this is important in many different areas. That's why I know this entire episode couldn't encapsulate even all that I just read. There's that much going on there. But I'm going to try to do my best to kind of help this make sense and kind of flesh it out a little bit. And if we need to, we'll cause this to be a part one of an extension of episode that we'll get into to kind of flesh this out further so we can kind of complete this.

Speaker 1: 10:13

But In regards to this check out, the beginning part says we're doing all these things that we do so great, greatly and so successfully in our own strength. And we don't we in our own strength, we probably mess things up. As you look around the world around you, we see enough indicators to let you know, to let you see that if it was up to us, we really screw things up royally if it was left to our own devices. So thank God that we have him to give us wisdom and insight, or we'd be a hot mess out here, which is kind of the case. But verse 11 says put on the whole armor of God. It's emphasized twice in this passage that I just read In verse 13, it says the same thing. So there's definitely emphasis on the whole armor of God. I think it's important. Don't miss that part. You can't leave a part out of the armor.

Speaker 1: 11:14

I did lay out all the different parts, but I want to mention some part of verse 11. I think it's important to you. It says put on the whole armor of God. You may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. Now, if we get into a place where you feel as though there is no God, there is no devil, then this may not appeal to you, but I hope that you will listen anyway because I believe there's something in it for everyone that's listening to this show. Excuse me, there's something in it for everyone that's listening to this show.

Speaker 1: 11:47

Excuse me, but verse 12 says for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And there's a whole story and background, excuse me, of where this is coming from, but most of the time, people that we know in the natural sense, in natural relationships. We are spending so much time fighting against each other and we got people that we call enemies in our workplaces, enemies in our neighborhood, enemies on our on our neighborhood watch committees and enemies at our church, and I'm like these people I mean, I'm just going to make a blanket statement here and we'll try to get into it if I can but these people that you're talking about, that you label as enemies, they're not your enemies. They may not be your friends, but they're not your enemies. The enemy is one that is after your life, after your soul. That's the enemy, and this passage I just read is talking about Principalities and powers. That's why it says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

Speaker 1: 13:01

The people that we are Bothered by or Aggravated by, because they said something Out of turn to us, they came out of pocket Against us or they tried to Hinder something we were trying to accomplish. Maybe it was a goal or a project we wanted to get off of the ground. And at every turn, every project we wanted to get off of the ground, and at every turn, every time we try to come up with a great idea, this person rises up in the boardroom to try to combat what we're talking about. It feels so personal, like they're coming against us, but it's not. You have to understand. It's not that person. There's a physical and a spiritual aspect to all of us. There's a spiritual aspect working in that person against what you're trying to accomplish, the practice you're trying to get launched that you think is going to be a benefit to the community or a benefit to the world, or that person who's always on the board, always being negative about great ideas. It's not just someone who has an attitude problem or who didn't grow up in a nice loving home, life or environment. There's a spiritual component and that's a lot of deep stuff to try to get into in one episode. I understand that Love to have an ongoing conversation about it if that interests you, but what I'm trying to let you see here is that we're talking about the whole armor.

Speaker 1: 14:23

Nobody puts on armor unless it's actually a war to be had. It doesn't make any sense Whether it be in biblical times or in historical times or both. When somebody puts armor on, it's because there is a battle about to be fought. If you watch the movie Braveheart, you saw people get into their armor. If you saw movies like 300, what's happening? They're putting on armor because it's about to be a battle. Even in the Avengers. Some of you Marvel fans would love that reference. Putting on armor means it's about to be a war, a battle is about to take place. There's no reason for armor here, unless it's a war. So for anyone who has a question About the question I asked you guys earlier on In the episode, I think the answer is very clear here. If you're putting on the whole armor, it really means that one there's a war. Putting on the whole armor, it really means that one there's a war. And then the whole arm of God means that the arm is being given to you to wear, not to put in a shelf or a closet or to put it on a hole when you feel it's convenient for you, but you put it on because it is for your protection, it is for your benefit.

Speaker 1: 15:36

Benefit against what? Again in verse 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. People wonder why the world looks so bad, why so many evil things are happening. People are sacrificing children, sacrificing animals, they're burning down churches, they're shooting up churches and you're wondering okay, this is a person problem. This is a human problem, is it? I think a lot of this that we're seeing has spiritual connections and origins, and this passage of scripture kind of validates that for me. Hopefully it does for you as well.

Speaker 1: 16:26

But we also know in verse 13, and we just read that earlier Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. How many of you can deny that the days are evil that we're looking at right now? Bad things are happening, evil things are happening around us, but we can't withstand it without the whole armor of God. And that's how we stand, excuse me. So in verse 14, we start getting into the different parts of the armor, the different tools that we need. There's six in place, and the seventh would be prayer. We have six in place. The first one is going to be the girding your waist with truth, or the belt or girdle of truth. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. Ephesians 6 and 14. It's translated as Because in those times when they used to wear the girdle, it would refer to the lower back and the crotch area. In ancient days, men would wear long robes that would get in the way of their working or their fighting, so they would wrap up the long Dripping material and it was a way to grip their loins to be ready for a battle because it was so long. So in this culture, in this time, we recognize that we need to have truth.

Speaker 1: 17:55

People are fighting out here on message boards and in the community and on social media about their truth. Everybody's talking about what their truth is and what they feel the truth is, and they have their own personal truth and every other truth outside of their personal truth. If it doesn't line up or align, it doesn't matter. Excuse me, but it really does matter Because, at the end of the day, we can have our idea of our own truth, but it's always going to be warped. Because we're infallible, we're imperfect and we are prone to as humans. We are all prone to take our experiences, our hurts, and make them into either something that we worship or something that we Give honor to or make a symbol, or we wear it as some kind of badge of honor, or we use it as a defense mechanism when we can't function In relationships because of what we've gone through. That's the human experience, not trying to downplay it, we all deal with it.

Speaker 1: 18:55

What I am saying is that we can't be trusted to be in charge of quote unquote, having our own truth. I mean, look what happens when we share our views on social media how much, how many bad things happen, how many generations of people we impact because of our idea of our own truth. So we need to have truth, without question. The Bible says stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth. It's the best way to not be embarrassed publicly. It's the best way to not be embarrassed in the marketplace.

Speaker 1: 19:31

Walking in truth and integrity and honor those are words that we don't hear much anymore. We hear them in the military world, we hear them in certain organizations, but very, very rare in today's vernacular to talk about truth and honor and integrity. They're really, really hard to find. Lately we're coming into a place where we're talking about political elections and those kind of words they pop up, but do you believe that they're applicable To the candidacy and to the whole political Forum as a whole? Do you feel like truth, honesty and integrity Actually match what we see when it's not November? It's just something to think about.

Speaker 1: 20:17

But truth should be important to all of us, not our truth, not the truth that we create out of our own hurts or our own fears, but the actual truth, and what is that? Hopefully we can touch on it a little bit as we move forward. But we have to first acknowledge that there is actually a war to be had. But we have to first acknowledge that there is actually a war to be had. Now I read a scripture that kind of verified that there is clearly a war taking place. Even if we don't understand what's going on and we're not really involved, there's still a war taking place.

Speaker 1: 20:49

I want to read a couple of other passages to you Kind of help out to balance that point, so you understand what's happening. Alright, so here's a couple. So First, peter 5 and 8 Says be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a Roaring lion, seeking someone To devour your adversary. So this is somebody who is against you On every level. They are opposing you in all that you do. That's what adversary means. And they prowl around like a roaring lion seeking to devour. They're on the prowl day in, day out, 24-7. That sounds like an enemy, that sounds like an adversary, that sounds like somebody that is against you or at war against you. Luke 10 and 19. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Why would something hurt you? Something is coming against you. We are at war. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not something being made up here. This is what's actually happening.

Speaker 1: 22:02

John 10.10 says the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. These are words from Jesus Christ in the scriptures. Most thieves in the natural sense sense A thief comes to steal. They come to get a particular good. If you ever had anybody steal anything from you, you get how that feels the helpless feeling of being stolen from. But thieves generally come to steal. They don't come to do anything else. They come to get the goods and get out of there as fast as possible. You've seen it in movies and cinema, tv movies, tv shows. It happens all the time. It's pretty common the thief wanted to get the stuff and get out, even in Ocean's Eleven. Use that as an example. That was thievery, even though you enjoyed the plot, they wanted to get the goods and get out as if they were never there. This thief that Jesus is speaking about, comes to steal and kill and destroy.

Speaker 1: 23:07

We're at a place where we got to recognize where we are. We don't. We're putting our armor and we're being guarded, and we're being given authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And we're being given authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and we're being watchful and sober because there's an adversary the devil, out to destroy us. We're at war. I don't know how many different passages we need to lay that idea out, but it's very, very clear. We're not in peacetime. We can't walk around glad-handed people and singing kumbaya. We don't have the luxury. Too many bad things are happening around us and they're all indications of war, not just the natural war that we've seen in foreign countries, but the war we've seen here, even on American soil. We are at war. We are at war against big businesses and companies that are feeding us foods that are not good for us, showing commercials about food that's not good for us, trying to entice us to buy it. That's just a part of all that's really going on around us. We're at war and every day you wake up, you have an impact in that war. You have an impact in the final victory. You have an impact in that victory being exhibited in your life. You play a part in this and we're not going to be able to get into all of this on this episode. But we definitely flesh out all of the parts of the whole armor on a future episode. But just acknowledge that we're at war.

Speaker 1: 24:44

I'm not saying walk around guarded and unable to live and and be free and have friends and create relationships and networks. That's all life stuff. We have to do it. Please do that. It's best for you to do that. Be mentally and physically and spiritually healthy. But don't walk around thinking you know what we're at peace and because I know who Jesus is and because he's my Lord and Savior, this stuff can't touch me. Let's not lie to ourselves.

Speaker 1: 25:09

The Bible says anybody who chooses to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Nobody's exempt from that. But I'm just saying today, if there's no other message you get from what I'm saying today, if you don't get anything else, at least please get this part. Be prepared, be sober minded. Like it says in 1 Peter, 5 and 8, recognize you have authority. Like Luke 10 and 19 says, recognize that. In John 10 and 10. Jesus gives us life, and life more abundantly. We have blessing because of him, not because of who our mom and daddy is or what kind of job we have or how much money is in the bank, but it's because of him. Recognize the authority that we walk in. There's so much more.

Speaker 1: 25:54

Even 2 Corinthians 10 and 4 Is a great passage of scripture that tells us about the fact that we need to acknowledge that we are at war. I'll read that before we closed out today. Second, corinthians 10 and four says for, though we walk in the flesh, we're not waging war according to the flesh. Listen to that. We're not waging war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power To destroy strongholds. And this gets deep now. But what's a stronghold?

Speaker 1: 26:26

Think about it like this, and you've seen this in cinema and TV movies and television shows as well. It's a very common Situation. But look at somebody Whose great grandfather Was an alcoholic. Right, his son may have challenges with that, but maybe he overcame it. His grandson may be full-blown alcoholic and people say, oh, his genetic is passed down. How is it passed down? Is alcoholism in your genes or is it spiritual? Those are the kind of questions that we probably couldn't answer on this episode, but it's something to think about. It's not as simple as what people tell us. It's not as simple as oh, you're just born with this. I don't believe that you're born with alcoholism inside of you. I don't believe that you're born with alcoholism inside of you. I don't believe you're born with the propensity to do violent acts inside of you.

Speaker 1: 27:28

It's spiritual and even in the Bible, in the Old Testament, when the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, there was a caveat given as well that if you choose cursings, that you see the cursings on your future generations. If you choose blessings, you see blessings on your future generations. This is a spiritual context. This is not natural. You can pass down through genetics. This is spiritual. And even this war is spiritual.

Speaker 1: 27:58

2 Corinthians 10 and 4 said, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh it's not about a physical sword in our hand but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We have the ability to do that, not in the flesh, as you heard multiple times just now. We're not waging war according to the flesh, but we are at war. It's not denying that we're at war. It's acknowledging that you got to do the same thing. You got to acknowledge that we're at war. You got to acknowledge that we're not avoiding that part, and I want to get into it a lot more Talk about how to prepare for this, how to be on guard and to be mindful and watchful. We'll talk about it on a future episode.

Speaker 1: 28:40

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Speaker 1: 29:05

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