“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” –Ephesians 6:11
When I was a little girl, I was definitely enthralled with the “knight in shining armor” concept. From Cinderella and Snow White to The Karate Kid and The Man From Snowy River, my mindset had been heavily influenced by movies in particular, and I grew up “Holding Out For a Hero.” Then life happened. I made some poor choices, others around me made some poor choices, and voila–the hero image disintegrated into a pile of unidentifiable, crumbled pieces. What does this have to do with Ephesians 6:11? I’m glad you asked…
God endowed us with five physical senses, and many of us rely on our vision in particular to make informed decisions; however, we must not discount our other gifts of sense, and specifically the non-physical, often-ignored common sense. When a “hero” looks like we’d expect him to, maybe even sounds like the part, we may be inclined to accept him at face value. Ephesians 6:11 admonishes us to put on God’s armor as a way of life; the entire chapter overflows with godly wisdom. The pieces of armor as defined in this chapter include wearing truth, righteousness, and peace while also protecting ourselves with a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and a sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.
Someone who wears the armor of God is a true “knight in shining armor.” This world will paint many appealing pictures of ideals for us, but we must refer to the Word of God for truth and wisdom. We must focus on putting on the armor ourselves, so that we don’t fall prey to the tactics and schemes of the devil. Verse 12 in this chapter informs us about where the conflicts and attacks come from in this world–dark powers are real. We need not be afraid, however, because we haven’t been given a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), but one that consists of power and a sound mind among other positive aspects. In addition, we will be attracted to others who wear this shining armor, knowing that they, too, have embraced the truth of God’s Word.