The Whole Armor of God - "PUT ON"

"Put On the Whole Armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil", Eph 6:11. Okay, now it is time to get into the actual pieces of the armor that Paul describes here in Ephesians. Application; Application; Application; as you may have surmised, I have been really focused on application; how we apply these things to our daily lives. The first three pieces of the armor that are described by Paul are to be put on; these are pieces that make up the very essence of who we are in Christ; and are to be worn, constantly in our daily lives. This is probably where I might lose some of you; I pray not; but given the fact that this is not normally the way this is looked at, some may not receive it; so be it. I believe God is showing me how this portion of Scripture is applied into our lives. There has to be a reason that the church is so weak today; and I really believe God is showing me how to overcome; at least how it pertains to my own life. Each and every one of the parts to 'The Whole Armor of God' are unique in the function it has to complete our walk in Christ; that we may be able to stand, and to be strong in the Lord. All together there are six pieces listed here by Paul; the first three, like I said, are to be worn: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and you feet shed with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" Eph 6:14 & 15. All three of these are worn as part of who we are in Christ; yes, I said that; they represent our walk in the Lord, and the applications we need to practice in our daily lives. I will explain how each one works to that effect, in greater detail later; but for now, let us just consider this basic principle; each one of these first three items are actions taken with all of our heart, mind and soul to perfect our walk in Christ; or at least to strive for perfection. We must remember, we are seated in Christ, walking in Christ, and therefore are able to stand in Christ; so all things are in Christ; and these three, are the putting on of the new man. "That you put off concerning the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph 4:22-24. The next three pieces are taken up, and are placed upon us, or provided to us; these too I will explain later. For now let us just chew on the first three items, and think how each one is applied into our daily lives; the application of truth; the application of righteousness; and the application of the gospel; and try to make it personal. (Here is a hint to help you swim in that: The first three are attributes of us in Christ; the second three are attributes of God.)