Put It On

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:13-18)

This is a pretty famous passage that most Christians are familiar with. I've even lead an adult Sunday School class in a study of the passage. But last week I was listening to a local Christian radio station, and something was pointed out that I had never thought of before. You see, God gives us all of these things, but it's up to us to do something with them.

God gives us the tools that we need: a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation and a sword of the Spirit. He has provided us with everything that we need to survive in the world and to protect ourselves from Satan's influences. However, God doesn't do it for us. We have free will, and we can choose who we follow. In the end, it's up to us to actually do something about our circumstances.

Look at the passage: "put on the full armor...", "stand firm...", "take up the shield...", "take the helmet...". All of these direct us to do something with what we are given. It's kind of like if you are trying to hang a picture. Somebody gives you a hammer and nails, and you stand there looking at them. The picture isn't going to hang itself, and you have to pick up the tools you've been given and actually use them. The armor of God is there for us, but we have to put it on an use it.

So the next time you think that God isn't doing anything for you, look at what your part is. Are you standing there whining and complaining? Or are you actually using what God has given you. Instead of yelling at God, put on the armor.