Fully and Appropriately Dressed?
If you are like me, when you plan out your day, what you will do and where you will go, you also plan out what clothes you will wear. You get fully and appropriately dressed for what you are doing and where you are going.
My work attire is typically khakis or jeans, colorful socks (my coworkers look for my socks on a daily basis), untucked shirt, maybe a sweatshirt, comfortable shoes. Nights and weekends find me in shorts and a t-shirt, most often barefoot and with a ballcap on my head. When we go to the beach, a swimsuit and flip flops or barefoot. However, a few months ago we went to the beach, and it was somewhat chilly, so our clothing was weather appropriate. I sleep in what is comfortable for me. When my wife and I go out for a special occasion, I enjoy getting dressed up, since I don’t do that every day anymore for work. No matter what I am doing, I try to always be fully and appropriately dressed.
Not only should we wear appropriate clothing, oftentimes that clothing also helps to protect us. Winter coats and gloves protect us from the winter elements. Athletes wear protective gear to keep them from being injured. Flip flops on the beach help my feet not get burned when the sand is hot. And wearing clothes, versus not wearing clothes, keeps me “protected” from being arrested for public indecency.
If you are a Jesus-follower, you know that we are in a daily battle against Satan, who wants nothing more than to drive a wedge between us and God. He wants to keep you and me from being victorious in overcoming sin. And when we go into battle, we need to wear gear that keeps us well protected.
The apostle Paul gives us a list of “clothing to wear” that will help us be victorious, to be protected, regardless of Satan’s strategy. Here is what we read in Ephesians 6:10-13 – “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”
In v.11 we see Paul instructing us to ”put on” (to clothe or be clothed with) a complete outfit, full armor. This armor is provided by God and is modeled after what he himself wears (Isaiah 11:5, 59:17). In v.13, the verb is slightly different than in v.11. Here we see “put on” being the idea of taking up or raising, for the purpose of standing firm even against the fiercest attacks.
Paul then lists the various pieces of armor in vv.14-18. Click here to read those verses. I then encourage you to grab whatever scripture study materials you have available to you to see what each piece of armor represents.
So, each morning as you get appropriately dressed for the day, also ask God to clothe you in His full armor. Today, and every day, get fully and appropriately dressed for battle!
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