The Whole Armor Of God - "Take Up"

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all, to stand.", Eph 6:13. Up until this point I have shared about the attributes of us in Christ; now we get to the 'Attributes Of God'. Those first three pieces of the armor were to be put on, and worn; constantly; they actually make up who we are in Christ; 'The New Man'. These next three pieces of the armor are to be taken up for battle, and for doing battle. Think of it like this; Your a Roman Solider and engaged in a war; you are always prepared to be called out to the battlefield. Even when your not engaged with the enemy, you will still be dressed in at least the following; your loins are girted, (you have your pants on), your breastplate is on, and your sandals are on and laced. Then as soon as the trumpet sounds for the battle, you grab your shield, your helmet and your sword, and head out for the battle. Another theme to Ephesians; besides, our position in Christ, our walk in Christ, being able to stand in Christ, and being one in Christ; is spiritual warfare. It is essential to have on the Whole Armor Of God to be able to go forth into the Spiritual Battle; and these next three pieces of armor are the "meat and potatoes' of engaging in a battle that takes place in the Spiritual Realm. And of coarse, I will be illustrating Application; Application; Application; because, just like a solider must be trained to use their weapons of warfare, so must we be trained to know how they are worn, or held; how they are used, or what their purpose is; how they are applied, or yielded in the actual battle. Just like it is with most everything else in life, experience is the greatest learning tool. If you have ever watched the movie 'Gladiator', then you might remember how this Mighty General in the Roman Army used his knowledge and experience from the battlefield, to compete and be victorious in the Arena; especially when it came to banning together as one unit, against all odds. Maybe right about now, you are saying to yourself, "Hey, what the heck are you talking about man; I do not feel like I am in a battle. My life is great; I got Jesus, and I am experiencing His peace in my life; and I am comfortable just resting in the Lord!". Okay; If that is you, and at the risk of seeming judgemental; I would wonder if you are not 'Spiritually Dead'. Maybe you are just in the 'Wilderness'; which is not much better. If you know your Bible and the events that took place through that wilderness experience; then you may want to examine your life in Christ. The generation that wondered in the wilderness for forty years, died without entering the 'Promised Land'. Why did they die without entering the Promised Land? Because, they choose not to cross over the Jordan to take possession of the land! Why did they choose to not cross over? Because there were reports of Giants in the land, and they forgot how Mighty and Powerful their God was to deliver them through anything. So, for forty years they wondered around in circles; with God providing for their needs; leading them night and day; until that generation that did not trust Him had passed away. What a waste of a life in Christ; never being able to experience the riches of the land on the other side of that river. Something else happened in their hearts, that caused God to not allow that generation to enter in; they yearned to be back in Egypt. Egypt to us as a Christian is a representation of the world; and when we do not experience the power and the greatness of God in our lives, we can tend to look back into the world; just wanting to experience something, anything; even if it means going back to the world. So; like I said before; maybe you are spiritually dead; or wait, maybe you think that you have already attained and no longer need to participate in the battle; well to that, I would say, "You have died and gone home to be with the Lord!". "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 ....Are you ready to do battle? Having Done All To Stand!!! (next is the Shield of Faith)