Are you naked?
I am seriously asking you this. Are you naked? You very well could be. Let me share a story, and then we will get into the message. I was young, just saved, on fire for God. I was also a fan of “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues”
I share this little tidbit because this is how I thought at the time. I grabbed my Bible, which I knew little about, put it in my passenger seat, and said, “God, this day is yours; guide me where you want me to go, and meet who you want me to meet.” Do not ever do this unless, one, you are ready, and two, you mean it.
You see, I thought I meant it. I thought I was ready for anything. I had no clue what I did not know. I have no clue that I was naked. I failed. I went to the next town and stopped for coffee. Then I thought, “Well, I will just do this first. Well, I have all day, so I will do this and then, then God, the day is yours.” That did not work out well. My car just stopped. I had to walk three and a half miles home. I gave, then took one day from God. He took three from me.
I was ignorant. I was arrogant. I was naked. I was far from ready. This is what we will be discussing today. Let us pray. Father, we come before You with thanksgiving and praise. I thank You for forgiving me for that and for all my foolish ways. Please, Father, show us that, as with all things, Your ways are better than ours. Your wisdom is far superior to our foolishness, and Your plans for us are better than we even know. Father, as we learn about the Armor You have given us, we ask for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a Spirit to understand Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
What did I miss? I was on fire. I was genuinely willing to put myself out there. I was bold enough to step out. So what was I missing? Well, to be truthful, uh, EVERYTHING! Not only did I not have knowledge of much of anything, but I also had no idea how to wield the Sword of the Spirit. I was ignorant, naked, and completely unprepared.
So here is the thing. When you get saved, you have entered the third step of an anointed life. God foreknew who you were; He set up a plan and purpose for you and your life, and He called you. (Romans 8:29-30) Running out to save the world is NOT the next step. That would be preparation. That would be justification. That would be learning about, and putting on, the whole Armor of God.
You see, you are facing three very large obstacles. 1- There are enemies of God and children of the devil out there. 2- Some are Giants. 3- The enemy himself is out there, and he absolutely HATES you, if for no other reason, you said “Yes” to God.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Now let's set aside for a moment the complete insanity of fighting against something you claim to not even believe is real, but there are those out there who are very skilled and very persuasive, even. They are ready to attack you. And you? Well, you're naked.
You go out “ready” to conquer the world for God, and someone steps up to you and?
"If God hates sin, why did He plant the Tree of Knowledge and allow the serpent into the Garden of Eden?" "Why does the Old Testament lay out rules for owning slaves, forcing rape victims to marry their attackers, or executing people for gathering wood on the Sabbath?" "Where did Cain get his wife?" "How could light be created on Day 1 if the sun and stars weren't created until Day 4?" "Why are there four Gospels with conflicting details about Jesus’s resurrection and final words?"
And here is the big one. The one that most young “Christians” are NOT ready for. "Why would a loving God send good, moral people to eternal torment in Hell just because they were born in a non-Christian country?"
Can you answer? "If God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful, why does evil exist?" An all-powerful, perfectly loving God would not permit the intense, unprevented natural disasters or child suffering. Right?
Make no mistake about it. Not only are there those who simply do not believe; there truly are children of the devil out there ready to deceive.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
You have to grow. Look here,
“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:14
You have to take time to prepare. To lay a solid foundation. After all, how can you have the right mind if you know nothing of God, Jesus, the Word, etc.? You truly can't. First, you must have a solid foundation. What is Spirit? Who is God? Who is Jesus? Is this stuff real? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Without a foundation, you will never grow in Faith.
Jesus tells us that there are very few types of people. We all fall into one of these categories. He explained this through the Parable of the Sower.
"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." Matthew 13:18-23
As a Child of God, you are a Sower of the Seed. However, what were you before? You see, you will meet all these types. Of course, the Wayside people are those who don't have any time or desire to even hear what you have to say. These are the mockers, and these are those who want you to just keep your "Religion" to yourself. These are those who fight to keep God out of public life. The sad truth is, they cannot hear God's Word because they are not of God. If you have your Bible, turn to John 8:42-47
"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my words. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."
They are there. These people are in your life. It does not matter who these people in your life might be. Sadly, in a lot of cases, they are your family members and loved ones. They may be your best friends. They are in all our lives.
Remember, when you first become a Child of God, those nearest you remember who you were before. You sinned right there with them. You used to do all the things they are still doing. More importantly, they see nothing wrong with continuing to do so. Now you are a new creature, but they are the same as they have always been.
Some of them will come to hate you. I know, I know. But they truly will come to hate you. Why? Because now they think you think you are better than they are. They have no time for that "God nonsense." Jesus literally tells us that the devil himself comes and steals the Word away from them.
Then you have those who are the stony places and the thorns. Truth is, this describes many Christians and may even describe the way you were in the beginning. Maybe the way you are now? Many hear the Word and receive it with great joy. They get on fire for God. They want to go out there and tell everyone about Him and Jesus, and Salvation. But they know very little.
They have not set for themselves a solid foundation. They do not have any Armor. No Protection. No Weapons. No backup. Nothing. These are those who will go out and attempt to tell others about God, but when the others confront them and ask them questions, they have no answers, and they themselves may become confused. Then, when they see this not working, or they start questioning the "Contradictions" and the concept that the Bible was simply "written by men," they fall away. Or the cares of the world, the love of money and stuff, come in, and the little knowledge they had received dies. Do not be like them.
What we will be discussing is this. During the time of preparation and training. We will learn about the Full Armor of God and what that actually means. Ephesians 6:10-18
The Full Armor of God
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Intro
We will start next time with the Belt of Truth. Then:
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Boots of Readiness
The Shield of Faith
The Helmet of Salvation
The Sword of the Spirit
Join us, won’t you, as we put on the full Armor of God. Remember, if you miss any of this series or want to go back to another, there is a vast archive here at TAG.
If you want to email me, it is truthbygod1@gmail.com. Don’t forget the 1
May the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.
Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!
