The LiMP

Now we move on to the next verse, Ephesians 6:16, which says, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

First century Roman soldiers had some of the most advanced weaponry of their time. They created an idea for what the Bible refers to as “darts” that was ingenious. Let me explain. They fashioned long metal spikes with a triangular tip that looked much like an arrow, but it was larger and heavier. They would fasten the dart to the tip of a spear. When they faced off at a distance against an enemy army, they would, in unison, throw their spears at them so that they would rain down from the sky in large numbers. If the opposing army had shields, many of the spears would still get past them and impale the soldiers. But many of the spears would of course lodge into the enemy’s shields.

Back in those days, shields were often made of plywood. And so another tactic used would be to coat the tips of the darts with flammable liquid, light them, and then throw them. If the spear lodged in the enemy soldier’s shield, it would set it on fire, causing the soldier to expose himself as he dropped the shield or tried to put the fire out. That is probably what prompted Paul to speak of “the fiery darts”.

Realizing that the enemy might dislodge the spears thrown at them and use them as return fire, the Roman army also designed the spears to actually bend as they struck their targets. So if the enemy could somehow dislodge the burning dart and throw it back, it would not be possible to be accurate because the tip was designed to bend upon impact because of the weight of the spear attached to it. This rendered it practically useless. How smart is that!

I mention these details to make it clear that the Romans put a lot of thought into their weaponry, especially when it came to defending themselves. For example, unlike their enemies who traditionally had small rounded shields mostly designed for close-quarters combat, the Roman army created very intuitively designed shields that would protect their soldiers even if they would be bombarded from a distance with spears or arrows. You see, the Roman shield was made larger and rectangular in shape, like a door.

As a matter of fact, the Greek word for “shield” comes from the Greek word that means “a door”. It is thoo-reh-os. “…above all taking the thoo-reh-os of faith. To give you an example of the root word, Jesus once said, “I am the thoo-rah of the sheep (which means door). I am the thoo-rah. If anyone enters by me, he will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7 and 9).

It was with this door-like shield that the Roman soldier would be protected practically from head to toe. And should the enemy launch a barrage of arrows or spears at them, the Roman army would have its troops on the outer perimeter of the formation would place their shields side by side in front of them forming a wall of protection, while the soldiers on the inside of the formation would raise their shields above the formation to make a roof. Because the shields had a slightly convex surface, it left a large enough area around the protective barrier for the perimeter soldiers to see out without being hit by incoming spears. This afforded the Roman soldiers almost total protection.

So now that you have that basic picture, let’s look at the parts of Ephesians 6:16 in more detail…

Once again, the passage says, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

This is part three of this series covering the seven elements of the whole armor of God! You ready to break out of the armor that you’ve tried and found to be unreliable? You ready to put on the whole armor of God? You see you can’t hope to actually, “more than conquer” while wearing your own armor. Break out! And begin to break through in your walk with Christ.

This week, we cover item number three as we step into the footwear that is “The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace”. Ephesians 6:14 says, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace...

When you share the gospel of Christ, your feet are beautiful because they are the vehicle by which you, in your daily coming and going, keep yourself prepared—ready—to give an answer to anyone who would know of the hope that is in you with meekness and with fear! You fear God, and therefore no Goliath of man can make you quit! But let’s look a little more at why David’s feet was so beautiful by looking again at some of David’s proclamations.

This is part three of this series covering the seven elements of the whole armor of God! You ready to break out of the armor that you’ve tried and found to be unreliable? You ready to put on the whole armor of God? You see you can’t hope to actually, “more than conquer” while wearing your own armor. Break out! And begin to break through in your walk with Christ.

This week, we cover item number three as we step into the footwear that is “The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace”. Ephesians 6:14 says, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace...

When you share the gospel of Christ, your feet are beautiful because they are the vehicle by which you, in your daily coming and going, keep yourself prepared—ready—to give an answer to anyone who would know of the hope that is in you with meekness and with fear! You fear God, and therefore no Goliath of man can make you quit! But let’s look a little more at why David’s feet was so beautiful by looking again at some of David’s proclamations.

The next piece of armor we are going to look at is called The Breastplate of Righteousness for a reason. In the simplest terms, a breastplate is designed to protect the torso, which is the main part of the body other than the head, arms and legs. The torso houses eight of the body’s ten organs, with the exception of the skin and the brain. Practically speaking, it guards the heart, which of course is one of the most important organs. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.” The writer is obviously using the pumping activity of the heart as it works to issue blood-flow throughout the circulatory system to keep the body alive. There, of course, is much more that could be said about the heart—which biblically speaking is far more than a mere human organ. But the critical nature of the organ suits the purposes of the breastplate of righteousness well enough.

Let me also remind you that the whole armor of God is for a specific group of people. In case you don’t know who belongs in that group, let me clarify. It belongs to the whole earthly family of God. If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, then God’s whole armor is for you. If you are not born-again, then you do not possess the Spirit of Christ! And if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, then you do not belong to Him, and therefore, His armor does not belong to you. Christ makes us righteous. Indeed, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

But if we are made “righteous” then why do we need a breastplate? Here’s why. Salvation is something that we get once and for all through faith in Christ. Never, ever is that salvation in jeopardy of being lost. But there is one thing we are constantly at risk of losing, and that is confidence. So before getting into how David utilized this element of the armor of God, I’d like to present a more modern illustration.

Take a police officer for example. Imagine that you are a cop and your precinct is responsible for a crime-ridden area where the level of gun violence is extremely high. And let’s say that you graduated at the top of the academy, and over the next several years you go on to become a highly decorated officer. Would your excellent standing as a police officer make you any less in need of a bulletproof vest than, say, the lowest graduating rookie just entering the force? Of course not, bullets don’t care how much experience you have. But they do know the difference between Kevlar and human flesh.

Wearing a bulletproof vest provides you with a greater level of protection, and therefore gives you more confidence than you’d have hitting those dangerous streets without one. And that is what the breastplate of righteousness does for you. It doesn’t make you more righteous, it just serves as a reminder to you that should bullets fly, you will be on the right side of the situation. Abraham Lincoln said that, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

The word “right” is a very powerful word indeed. When people truly believe they are right about something, they are willing to fight and to perhaps even die for it—even if what they believe is right is actually wrong. Though, Abraham Lincoln, and the child of God knows better. Lincoln gave his life for the causes of God. Leo Tolstoy wrote that, “Wrong does not cease to be wrong, just because the majority share in it.” While I don’t espouse all of his views, he couldn’t be more right with that statement. Wouldn’t it be nice if, across America today, more people really embraced that truth?

Unfortunately, we are living in an Isaiah 5:20 age when people are saying, “that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark,

The next piece of armor we are going to look at is called The Breastplate of Righteousness for a reason. In the simplest terms, a breastplate is designed to protect the torso, which is the main part of the body other than the head, arms and legs. The torso houses eight of the body’s ten organs, with the exception of the skin and the brain. Practically speaking, it guards the heart, which of course is one of the most important organs. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.” The writer is obviously using the pumping activity of the heart as it works to issue blood-flow throughout the circulatory system to keep the body alive. There, of course, is much more that could be said about the heart—which biblically speaking is far more than a mere human organ. But the critical nature of the organ suits the purposes of the breastplate of righteousness well enough.

Let me also remind you that the whole armor of God is for a specific group of people. In case you don’t know who belongs in that group, let me clarify. It belongs to the whole earthly family of God. If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, then God’s whole armor is for you. If you are not born-again, then you do not possess the Spirit of Christ! And if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, then you do not belong to Him, and therefore, His armor does not belong to you. Christ makes us righteous. Indeed, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

But if we are made “righteous” then why do we need a breastplate? Here’s why. Salvation is something that we get once and for all through faith in Christ. Never, ever is that salvation in jeopardy of being lost. But there is one thing we are constantly at risk of losing, and that is confidence. So before getting into how David utilized this element of the armor of God, I’d like to present a more modern illustration.

Take a police officer for example. Imagine that you are a cop and your precinct is responsible for a crime-ridden area where the level of gun violence is extremely high. And let’s say that you graduated at the top of the academy, and over the next several years you go on to become a highly decorated officer. Would your excellent standing as a police officer make you any less in need of a bulletproof vest than, say, the lowest graduating rookie just entering the force? Of course not, bullets don’t care how much experience you have. But they do know the difference between Kevlar and human flesh.

Wearing a bulletproof vest provides you with a greater level of protection, and therefore gives you more confidence than you’d have hitting those dangerous streets without one. And that is what the breastplate of righteousness does for you. It doesn’t make you more righteous, it just serves as a reminder to you that should bullets fly, you will be on the right side of the situation. Abraham Lincoln said that, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

The word “right” is a very powerful word indeed. When people truly believe they are right about something, they are willing to fight and to perhaps even die for it—even if what they believe is right is actually wrong. Though, Abraham Lincoln, and the child of God knows better. Lincoln gave his life for the causes of God. Leo Tolstoy wrote that, “Wrong does not cease to be wrong, just because the majority share in it.” While I don’t espouse all of his views, he couldn’t be more right with that statement. Wouldn’t it be nice if, across America today, more people really embraced that truth?

Unfortunately, we are living in an Isaiah 5:20 age when people are saying, “that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark,

It is probably one of the most familiar passages in the Bible, at least to most Christians. It is Ephesians chapter 6, verses 13 through 20. It is a part of the apostle Paul’s Roman Prison Epistles, which was a group of letters he wrote and sent to all of the churches he helped establish in Asia Minor.

But note again that it is a part of the Prison Epistles. Yes, even while Paul was incarcerated, he was still busy doing battle with the forces of wickedness of the then-known world. He even mentions them in Ephesians 6:12 when he writes, “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.”

So although Paul was under arrest, he realized that he was under arrest because he was under spiritual attack. He was aware, and wanted to make the rest of the saints aware of the never-ending war of which we are all a part, and how to properly and successfully fight it. And that is where the whole armor of God comes in.

The word “whole” is significant because it reminds us that there is a complete set of armor that we need in order to wage the most successful warfare possible against the three great enemies of humanity known as the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Paul, in Ephesians chapter two for example, talks about these enemies and how Christ has delivered us from their ultimate power. The end-goal of these enemies is to keep people in sin and separated from God.

However, where it concerns the true born-again believer in Christ, it is not possible to ever be separated from God again. Yet it is very possible to feel like it in this life. Sin takes the believer out of commission in many ways, because it brings God’s chastening hand upon us for correction, and it also allows the lies of the Devil to begin to negatively affect our perception of God and His love for us. If Satan can convince us that we are not pleasing to the One who enlisted us, then he knows that we cannot be good soldiers of the Cross. We will feel defeated, and we will act accordingly.

But there’s another way that we find ourselves in defeat as Believers in God that is so critical to know that I cannot even begin to get into the individual elements of the whole armor of God without first addressing it. You see, the Bible tells us that in Christ we are more than conquerors. And I’ll briefly explain what a “more than conqueror” is in a moment. But here’s something you might want to jot down, because you really need to get this. It will be the over-arching focus of the entire series of podcasts. You ready? Here goes…

You simply cannot “more than conquer” while trying to wear yours and God’s armor!

Let me say it again… You simply cannot “more than conquer” while trying to wear yours and God’s armor together. It is absolutely God’s whole armor and none of yours, or even the smallest piece...

It is probably one of the most familiar passages in the Bible, at least to most Christians. It is Ephesians chapter 6, verses 13 through 20. It is a part of the apostle Paul’s Roman Prison Epistles, which was a group of letters he wrote and sent to all of the churches he helped establish in Asia Minor.

But note again that it is a part of the Prison Epistles. Yes, even while Paul was incarcerated, he was still busy doing battle with the forces of wickedness of the then-known world. He even mentions them in Ephesians 6:12 when he writes, “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.”

So although Paul was under arrest, he realized that he was under arrest because he was under spiritual attack. He was aware, and wanted to make the rest of the saints aware of the never-ending war of which we are all a part, and how to properly and successfully fight it. And that is where the whole armor of God comes in.

The word “whole” is significant because it reminds us that there is a complete set of armor that we need in order to wage the most successful warfare possible against the three great enemies of humanity known as the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Paul, in Ephesians chapter two for example, talks about these enemies and how Christ has delivered us from their ultimate power. The end-goal of these enemies is to keep people in sin and separated from God.

However, where it concerns the true born-again believer in Christ, it is not possible to ever be separated from God again. Yet it is very possible to feel like it in this life. Sin takes the believer out of commission in many ways, because it brings God’s chastening hand upon us for correction, and it also allows the lies of the Devil to begin to negatively affect our perception of God and His love for us. If Satan can convince us that we are not pleasing to the One who enlisted us, then he knows that we cannot be good soldiers of the Cross. We will feel defeated, and we will act accordingly.

But there’s another way that we find ourselves in defeat as Believers in God that is so critical to know that I cannot even begin to get into the individual elements of the whole armor of God without first addressing it. You see, the Bible tells us that in Christ we are more than conquerors. And I’ll briefly explain what a “more than conqueror” is in a moment. But here’s something you might want to jot down, because you really need to get this. It will be the over-arching focus of the entire series of podcasts. You ready? Here goes…

You simply cannot “more than conquer” while trying to wear yours and God’s armor!

Let me say it again… You simply cannot “more than conquer” while trying to wear yours and God’s armor together. It is absolutely God’s whole armor and none of yours, or even the smallest piece...

People lurk in darkness all around, just waiting for that call from the reciprocal darkness of the internet that says it is safe now to come forth and carry out their most evil intentions. With the advent of the social media, things like, human trafficking, drug dealing, terrorism, espionage, wire fraud, identity theft, and a whole host of other crimes have skyrocketed as people have come to see ways that they can anonymously do their most dastardly deeds and perhaps get away with it.

But there remains an even more subtle and insidious abuse of social media that more people (even so-called Christians) are guilty of than perhaps any other cyber-crime or online maliciousness that goes on in cyberspace. It is part and parcel to the very prophetic words of the apostle Paul when he wrote the following to Timothy:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Just as Paul was shown by the Holy Spirit, we are now truly living in very difficult times, and things are getting worse. While Paul probably never received a vision of social media, he lists twenty-one things that characterize what social media, like nothing else, has given people the platform to be and to openly express. Surely, as I mention them individually, you can almost immediately think of instances in your social media experience that you or someone you know was guilty of many of these traits.

People lurk in darkness all around, just waiting for that call from the reciprocal darkness of the internet that says it is safe now to come forth and carry out their most evil intentions. With the advent of the social media, things like, human trafficking, drug dealing, terrorism, espionage, wire fraud, identity theft, and a whole host of other crimes have skyrocketed as people have come to see ways that they can anonymously do their most dastardly deeds and perhaps get away with it.

But there remains an even more subtle and insidious abuse of social media that more people (even so-called Christians) are guilty of than perhaps any other cyber-crime or online maliciousness that goes on in cyberspace. It is part and parcel to the very prophetic words of the apostle Paul when he wrote the following to Timothy:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Just as Paul was shown by the Holy Spirit, we are now truly living in very difficult times, and things are getting worse. While Paul probably never received a vision of social media, he lists twenty-one things that characterize what social media, like nothing else, has given people the platform to be and to openly express. Surely, as I mention them individually, you can almost immediately think of instances in your social media experience that you or someone you know was guilty of many of these traits.

Scripture says that a good name is better than gold or silver. But take a name, any name that Christ-followers are known by, and it won’t be long before efforts from without and within will be at work trying to destroy it. Unfortunately, that is part and parcel of Christianity’s existence in a fallen sinful world. But let us remember that the ultimate reason good names come under attack is at least two-fold. Reason one is to try to ruin the credibility of the person or persons bearing the name. And Reason two is to attempt to make the person or persons bearing the name feel too ashamed or afraid to continue doing what they are known for.

And there is a name that is currently under attack like never before. And that is the name “Evangelical”. Webster’s primary definitions of the word are that which is, “of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels” and “emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual”.

This name has come under increased attack in the last year since Republicans, through the election of President Trump, have regained majority control of the House and Senate. Along with this regime change of sorts came an unprecedented level of evangelical leaders having continual access to the Oval Office. And of course with such access comes a great responsibility to maintain the proper definition of evangelicalism while also praying for and attempting to advise the President on policy and other issues.

How successful has it been for evangelicals to have such access to our nation’s seat of power? It depends on your perspective. I’ll say that there are many things I can applaud about the influence evangelical leaders seem to be having over the President. But I must also admit that there appears to be some things seriously lacking. I wonder if any of these leaders are firmly counseling him on how to communicate more maturely as he fulfills his duties as Commander-in-Chief. But more than that, I hope and pray that through some of their efforts, the president will come to a clear saving knowledge of the truth in Jesus Christ. But that is my perspective. Perhaps some other born-again believer who actually gets to sit down with him sees great hope and knows more than I do about President Trump’s faith. I know a couple of those advisors. And I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

It is unfortunate that we get to see so many verbal missteps by President Trump. But it is also our president’s choice to so put himself out there each day. Is he always wrong? No. Is he always right? Of course not. But is he the president? Yes. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And so I will continue to pray that he and all evangelicals involved in the governance of our great country will submit to Christ’s authority. But I also realize that not all will. In fact, to keep it Scriptural, let us never forget that there is a narrow way that leads to life, and only a few find it. Yet, there remains a broad way that leads to destruction, and many or most find it. And that biblical truth helps me to refrain from taking our government too seriously. I will not allow my position as an evangelical to be determined by what goes on in the White House. And I hope that you won’t either.

But the main reason I bring up the Trump White House is because anyone who has a pulse knows that the ongoing argument of the day is whether or not Trump is racist. I personally do not believe that he is. But I also can see how some would feel like he is. I continually maintain that I do not condone the use of sinful language by anyone, but especially not by the President of the United States. He is essentially the leader of the free world. It simply makes no good sense to me to use foul and vitriolic lang...