Armour of God

We are soon coming into battle against the dark forces of the Devil and his powerful wickedness.

While the truth and light of Jesus Christ will eventually win the battle overall, there will be some casualties and collateral damage.

It is the duty of all good soldiers to adequately prepare themselves for battle, and put on the available armor prior to battle.

In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul writes from Rome unto the Christian church of the Ephesians, an ancient prosperous Greek colonial city on the Mediterranean, on the South-West coastline of present day Turkey.

The Full Armor of God

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Here we learn that all Christians have both Defensive Armour and Offensive Weapons:

Defensive Armour

• Truth
• Righteousness
• Knowledge of the Gospel (ie. New Testament)
• Faith
• Trust in Jesus' Salvation

Offensive Weapons

• Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.

You can't sit on the couch with snacks, binge watching  your favorite Netflicks shows (or similar), then suddenly stand up and decide you will go compete that same day in the Olympics and win the Gold Metal.

The world doesn't work that way.

There will be no cell phones nor Internet at the moments of crisis.  You will be unable to thumb through a book to quickly find something to help.

The Devil will know his lines.  The Devil has memorized his propaganda and rehearsed his lies.

Will you know your Bible and other resources by memory, and be able to recall them during moment when you feel the most fear and stress you have ever experienced?

You need to practice, train, and prepare on a dedicated basis.  If you don't, somebody will get hurt and/or disappointed, or will suffer greatly

If you aren't able to battle effectively at the time, maybe one person, maybe millions will be injured, killed, or may take the Mark of the Beast because they had no other pragmatic choice at the time, because one or more of God's warrior wasn't there on-time, or was poorly prepared.

The Devil plays for keeps.  This isn't a practice drill.  We have one chance of getting this done right.

Will you fail, or take the easy way out, or subject others to fending for themselves?

I will be there.  I will help.  I will be ready.

Will you?


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God's 19 Commandments for Christians

*** Updated 2019-5-5 ***

I propose the following as the 20 Commandments for Christians.

The Bible is full of great ideas and suggestions for a better, more effective, and happier life.

To me, Christianity is all about getting to everlasting life with Jesus Christ in Heaven.  Everything else on this planet is of secondary importance, or of no importance.

However, I was interested in boiling it down to the Biblical essentials; what MUST be done to be assured of getting into Heaven.  All of the "nice to do" can be stripped away.

Here is what I came up with.

I have discovered that God's Laws for Christians are similar, but significantly different from the Jewish Law (commandments, statutes, laws, and ordinances; a total of 613 items, more or less).

Some so-called "experts" suggest that Christians only have to believe in Jesus, nothing else, and you get a pass to Heaven.  Can someone merely believe in Jesus, then safely murder and/or create no end to mayhem, and still get into Heaven?  I doubt this is what God intended.  Paul says those who commit the 17 Deadly Sins will not be going to Heaven, especially those who chronically live in them.  Note that Jesus clearly said, on numerous occasions, all who say "Lord, Lord" (see Matthew 7:21) , or are poorly prepared foolish virgins (see Matthew 25:1-13), or depend on good works alone aren't getting into Heaven.

I would like to get your comments and suggestions on this.  Am I misguided to take this approach?  Have I missed something from my list?  Have I included something that is not a mandatory inclusion?

God's 20 Commandments for Christians