Whose armor are you wearing?

 

I was out for a walk last week, praying for my community at PSU and agonizing over the need for breakthrough and for chains to be broken in our lives. As I walked, God reminded me of a story that I have read a thousand times, and a detail that I had never considered.

 

David and Goliath. And Saul’s armor.

 

Before fighting the giant, David donned man’s armor because it seemed like it would bring greater security and protection in the battle. Yet David’s response to this armor was so appropriate! He immediately realized that it was only going to encumber him, impeding his vision and ability to fight.

 

And so he took it off.

 

I wonder how many times in our lives we have put on man’s armor. Maybe in response to the sharp words of a teacher, the betrayal of a friend, the abuse of a father, the hurt of misunderstanding and loneliness and fear. Perhaps that armor is the clunky, debilitating helmet of unforgiveness, or the disfunctional, dented breastplate of lies we have believed about ourselves, or the oversized, hindering footwear of fear that keeps us from moving forward.

 

As we wear this armor and continue to add to it, we are hiding not just from each other, but from God. We are isolated. We are unable to engage in battle. And in refusing to be vulnerable to each other, we are making ourselves extremely vulnerable to the enemy.

 

So maybe, just maybe, Jesus is inviting us to take off that armor. To open ourselves up in vulnerability and expose the true person beneath the mask, mess and all. Because let’s be honest – we all have messy stuff in our lives!

 

When we take off that armor, we have the opportunity to don a new set of armor: the armor that Paul tells us about in Ephesians 6. God’s armor!

 

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil… Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 14-17 NLT).

 

Over this last week, and during the weekend of Intervarsity fall conference, I have seen my brothers and sisters open themselves up and choose into authenticity. We have been vulnerable and real, and it has involved messiness, tears, and painful, gut-wrenching honesty. But as people have stripped off their armor, it has brought a new level of unity, commitment, and trust! Tonight we worshipped as a community in the park blocks at PSU, confronting the darkness, rain, and lies of the enemy with songs of praise and stories of the ways that Jesus has been meeting us.

 

 

We are donning the armor of God and going to battle! And as we step out in authenticity, renouncing guilt, fear, and bitterness, we can boldly declare that the devil is fighting a losing battle.

 

So the question that remains standing when all of this is said and done is simple.