Author: Dr. Mark D. Flattery 

Chapter Four

Victory Action #1 Put On the Full Armor of God

 

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering” (I Peter 5:6-9).

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

 

Champ started Round Four with a rapid flurry of jabs that stunned the Destroyer. But then the hardened opponent recovered quickly with a powerful left hook that snapped back Champ’s head and drove him deep into the ropes. The Destroyer moved forward with steely determination and attacked with such raw power that I figured he was trying to end the fight right then and there. It was all Champ could do to lift his fists in front of his own face in a defensive survival posture and pray that the nightmare would end. The Destroyer pounded and pounded into Champ’s midsection, trying to break his ribs and knock the wind from him. It was evident to all there that night that this fight was going to be over quickly.

As I was preparing mentally for Champ to stop a lethal blow with his face and be mopping the canvass with his blood, he surprised me once again. While the Destroyer was positioning himself for the kill shot, Champ peeked shyly over his gloves to see what his opponent was doing. That quick glance was the key to his strategy. He was doing the old “rope a dope”!

My mind shot back to 1974 when I was a kid and woke up at 3 AM to watch “The Rumble in the Jungle” with my Dad. That was the night that Muhammad Ali fought George Forman in Zaire for the Heavyweight Championship of the world. Champ was employing Ali’s tactics of

allowing the bigger and stronger opponent to throw hay-makers right and left while he leaned on the ropes in a defensive stance. Ali saved himself from being knocked out while in the process sapping the strength of the aggressor. While the beating inflicted upon Champ was painful, no doubt, he was able to deflect the blows with his arms and avoid a knockout punch to his face.

Initially, the few fans in the aluminum bleacher seats were hollering loudly for all they wanted to see was a thorough thrashing of one of the boxers. Even the young boys quit selling their wares and focused on the match. They smelled blood and thirsted for a compelling ending that would traumatize them deep into the night for years to come. But even they began to realize that Champ’s defensive strategy was actually a brilliant offensive tactical ploy.

The strategy worked perfectly in the middle rounds. As the Destroyer kept pounding away you could see his frustration increasing. He tried to attack in every way possible but each assault resulted in nothing but glancing blows. When the bell sounded to end the sixth round, the Destroyer collapsed in his corner in total exhaustion. Champ stood firm in the ring, took the best shots his opponent had to offer, and knew that his victory was imminent.

 

We discussed already the idea that we must get off the canvass of life, regain our sense of balance, and live again. The passage in James provided us with an effective strategy to defend ourselves so that we will not be hit again. Now, it is time to counter-attack. It is time to look our opponent in the eye and punch him in the mouth! The moment of victory that has been your focus since you were wounded has now arrived. But, the winning strategy that will put you back on the road to fulfilling your God-given destiny is probable not quite what you envisioned.

 

 

In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul presented powerfully the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ and then detailed how we, as ones who call ourselves Christians, ought to live in light of our relationship with Him. Paul wrote that believers should throw off the old nature and put on the new self. We are to be imitators of God. Wives and Husbands should love and respect one another. Children and parents should get along. Workers and Masters must realize that they are all accountable to God for their behavior. This wonderful book encourages us to be in harmony with others. This is amazing material that we should apply to our lives in every relationship.

It fascinates me that the final chapter encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Paul knows that when we are living a righteous life that honors Christ then the devil will fight back. When we live rightly our life story will not end with “and they lived happily ever after” without challenges. Attacks are going to happen! Attacks are unavoidable! The devil will not sit idly by while believers are growing closer to the Lord by living in harmony with each other. He will launch his counter attack and throw all of his energies and resources into destroying God’s children. But, we are not captive to the devil’s schemes. We can live in freedom that comes only from Jesus Christ.

In the remainder of our journey together, we will examine closely Paul’s strategy to winning life’s battles that will lead you to give a biblical response to being hit in the mouth by life. He encouraged us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” and followed that directive with specific actions that you must take to get back on your feet and living a life of victory. You must not be suffocated any more by the hopelessness of your situation. You can be released from the bonds of helplessness and regain your sense of hope. You can rebuild your live and move into a season of a positive sense of self-worth, productivity, and yes, even genuine joy.

Paul’s strategy to winning life’s battles begins with “Victory Action #1 Put on the Full Armor of God.” Paul directs us in no uncertain terms to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Putting on the full armor of God means that you will respond in the way that He directs, trusting in Him completely, seeking His desired outcomes, and leaving your future in His hands. Your heart and will must be in this completely or you are doomed to an endless cycle of frustration and despair like Sisyphus whom we mentioned earlier. It must be God’s way or no way; you are in all the way or not at all.

If we were sitting across a table right now, I would stop and ask you as plainly as I could, “are you willing to play by God’s rules and not by your rules?” If you are ready to declare to the Lord, “not my will but your will be done” then you are ready to implement Victory Action #1 and move confidently in Paul’s winning strategy. If you want to hang on to your pain, live as a victim, and respond according to the way your old nature is screaming in your ear to respond (for example, with revenge), then you are not ready to move forward in victory. Truthfully, if this latter description characterizes your heart then you should quit reading right now and go back to your fight or flight responses. You are wasting your time and my time. Your path for vindication will lead to more pain, more hurt, and an immense amount of collateral damage to your family and friends.

Let’s consider briefly the Old Testament character named Job as our example and place him in our contemporary context. Job was a man who had it all: wife, children, wealth beyond imagination, respect, admiration. He was living the good life! “He was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). Suddenly, and for no reason known to him, life hit him smack in the mouth and laid him out on the canvass. He lost everything! His children died, his financial empire destroyed overnight, his respect from others turned to distain, and he had to endure ridicule from lesser men.

This was the most challenging battle in Job’s life for his character was being tested. Would he continue to love God because God is worthy or would he curse God and die because God had seemingly turned His back on him? Now, you are in Job’s position and you must decide how you will respond to the one who hurt you.

By whose rules will you play now? Some people whose lives are ripped apart by adultery respond by getting into a new relationship immediately with someone younger, or wealthier, or more beautiful just to show the offending spouse, “Who needs you? I am better off without you!” This attempt to rebuild quickly and to a “better” live is portrayed by our old nature as an appropriate response and one that will elevate your self-worth and diminish the self-worth and actions of your offender.

Some trapped in this nightmare will seek revenge and respond with the attitude of “you hurt me but, I will hurt you more!” But, when you employ this strategy then you are following the schemes of the devil by lowering yourself to the mindset and tactics of your offender. You are then out of control for you are driven by your offender instead of living in freedom.

You may feel justified then by exhibiting your anger on the way you were treated upon the one who you can see and the one who you can hurt. While this may bring you temporary joy you will soon discover that your quest for revenge in fact makes matters worse for you are acting in a manner that was produced from your old nature, the one you had before you met Christ, and baits you into fighting by the rules of your spiritual adversary. When you do this … you lose.

The battle in which you are engaged will not be won by overpowering your adversary but by aligning your heart and mind strategically with Christ Jesus. Now is the exact time for you to throw off the response devices given to your by your old nature. Now is the exact time for you to put on the full armor of God. Paul wrote that you put on the full armor and not part of the armor or the part of the armor that you like or even the part of the armor that you understand.

You are to put on the armor in its entirety. You must take off your armor completely or there will not be room for the full armor of God.

Your attempts to rebuild your life and recover your self-worth and the “glory” of your former life may bring results temporarily but will prove fleeting because your new house is built on sand and not on the rock. But, if you choose to follow Jesus then He will recreate your life on solid rock and you will then be equipped to withstand the raging storms of life.

The prerequisites for our Victory Action #1 are that you must want to stand (as discussed in Chapter Two) and you must embrace your pain and regain your sense of balance (as discussed in Chapter Three). Now, you must rediscover Jesus and respond to being hit in the mouth by living in a manner that serves and honors Him.

You must play now by Jesus’ rules! I will quote again Matthew 11:28-30, “’Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” It is in the most difficult circumstances of life that you must rededicate yourself unequivocally to the Master. Put on the yoke of Christ and learn to “’Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you’” (Luke 6:27-28). Learn to “’Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured out into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’” (Luke 6:37-38).

Playing by Jesus’ rules does not come naturally to us, especially in those seasons of intense hurt. It may go against your old nature to not retaliate with words or actions but you

must remember that you are driven no longer by your old nature! You are a new creation in Christ Jesus and His ways of responding will get you through this trial.

If you take on the yoke of Jesus you will learn to live in the freedom of His presence in your life and be freed from the enslavement of your adversary. If you follow Christ wholeheartedly then He will balance the scales of justice, He will clear your name, He will rebuild your life, and He will bring you blessing. He will take that which was meant to harm you and turn it into good. He will take you in your weakness, get you on your feet again, and make you stronger as you follow Him. He will refocus your season of pain and despair to be one of refinement and character building as you trust in Him.

Our friend, Job, could have been mad at God, tried to gain revenge on those who attacked him during his weakness, and attempted to regain his empire by all means possible. Instead, he chose to remain faithful to the Lord even though he did not understand the reason for his trials. The Bible recorded Job’s response to being hit in the mouth by life in Job 1:21-22, “’Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” The ultimate outcome of Job’s season of tribulation was that he discovered the greatness of God. God revealed His character to Job and “blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first” (Job 42:12). I pray that you and I will respond in the same manner for this allows us to put on the full armor of God.

The reason that you are to put on the full armor of God is so that you will be equipped to take your stand against the devil. In the Ephesians 6 passage, Paul directs us to “stand against, “stand your ground,” and “stand firm” in response to the devil. It is only when you wear the full armor of God that you will be prepared and equipped to withstand the spiritual attacks of the evil one. Let me rephrase this: the winning strategy to rebuilding your life starts with living God’s

way and it brings a guarantee of victory. Putting on the full armor of God empowers you to stand firm against the devil and guarantees that you will see victory for the following reasons:

 

#1 God’s armor wins all spiritual battles. The ultimate cause for your pain and suffering is not the adversary you see but rather the puppet master behind the curtain who is deviously manipulating humanity and he is the devil. Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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.” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

You know full and well that Jesus Christ conquered sin by His death on the cross and that He conquered death by His resurrection on the third day. There is no power greater than Jesus Christ. He rules and reigns forever! It’s like this … when you are wearing the full armor of God then you are wearing the jersey with the word “VICTORY!” written on the front. The devil’s only hope of defeating you is for you to throw off that jersey and fight him on his terms and according to his rules. It is because of what Jesus did for you that you are no longer forced to stoop to the enemy’s level. Instead, all you have to do is to wear the full armor of God and stand firm. God will fight your battle for you!

 

#2 God’s armor exposes the devil’s true identity. It is interesting to me that you can be in the deepest, darkness cave in the world and be completely disoriented and lost. But, the moment that you shine a light, no matter how small that light may be, hope returns and you can discover how you relate to your surroundings. Light changes everything! Jesus is the Light of the world. When you focus on Him, you life has meaning and purpose.

When you suffered a blow and fell face down on the canvass of life, you had the wind knocked out of you. Hope evaporated, lies told you seemed viable, and you felt isolated and exposed. But, if you will focus on Jesus then you will view your life in a completely different way. You will see that Jesus is still in control. As you then put on the full armor of God and encounter the enemy in God’s strength then you will discover the identity of the devil. He is a thief and a liar. When you stand firm against him in this manner then you will discover, as we discussed earlier in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Submission is putting on the full armor of God. Standing firm is resisting the devil. The evil one then will be exposed and he will run away!

Like Champ in our fictional boxing story who used the “rope a dope” tactic, you must learn to stand firm. Standing firm in a manner that honors our Lord will cause the enemy to sap his strength, to quit, and to run away.

 

#3 God’s armor brings glory to God. One of my favorite childhood stories was that of David and Goliath. It was awesome how a small boy could defeat a powerful giant! Truly, this was a miracle that only God could provide. There is one element of that story that I learned later in life. David rejected wearing King Saul’s armor because it did not fit him. But, the reason that King Saul wanted David to wear his armor, I believe, was twofold. First, the King wanted to send his “soldier” into battle being as best equipped as possible. No one had armor and a sword better than King Saul. Second, if a miracle did occur, and David did defeat the giant, then King Saul could claim the victory, or at least a major share in the victory, because David was using the King’s equipment.

Our God is so great that He shared credit with no one! There is no one equal to God and worthy of sharing His glory. When you wear the full armor of God, you show the devil that you battle in God’s authority, in God’s power, with God on your side, and for God’s glory.

Jesus taught us not to engage the devil by our own power in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Instead, when we stand on God’s side then we can stand firm. Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

 

#4 God’s armor unites you with others who are wearing that same armor. You are not standing alone for you are not the only one recovering from being knocked down by life. Like-minded people with a kindred spirit are following diligently after God and are responding to being hit in the mouth by taking a biblical offensive strategy.

An amazing story of God’s power is told in I Kings 18-19 when the prophet Elijah encounters the prophets of Baal. He stood alone in front of his king and the king’s false prophets, all in effort to stand firm for God and against the evil one. God brought a mighty victory that day but it was so traumatic that Elijah was forced to run for his life. Elijah ran himself to the point of exhaustion and hid in a cave in fear and depression. His conversation with God sounds much like conversations you and I had when we are in the midst of our bleakest moment. “’I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejects your covenant, broken down you altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Does this sound familiar? You feel isolated. You feel that you were walking rightly with the Lord and then life blindsided you and almost knocked you out. You believe that no one had

endured your tragedy that the shame of being a failure. These feels are not from the Lord and, in fact, come from the devil.

The Lord replied to Elijah by giving him an action plan and revealing what will happen in the immediate future. Then the Lord said, “’Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him” (I Kings 19:18). This is truth for you as well! There are thousands of believers who are wearing the full armor of God and standing firm against the devil. Find these people! Stand with these people for they are your friends. You will discover that you are not alone, that you are not the first one to experience such a trial, and that others who followed God now walk in victory. This will be your story too, if you respond in the same manner.

 

#5 God’s armor shows that you love God more than life itself. When you wear the full armor of God you declare that you are on God’s side and that you will stand firm regardless of the outcome. In Daniel 3 we read of the three Hebrew young men who faced immediate death as a consequence of their refusal to bow to anyone except the True God. They stood firm before the most powerful man of their day and said to the king declared that God would rescue them. They then said, “But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18). When you love God more than life itself then you are standing firm against the evil one and you are on the road to victory. Revelation 12:11 puts it this way, “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony; they did not love life so much as to shrink from death.” Stand with God as if you life depends on it. The truth is that you life really does depend on it.

 

Right now, I encourage you to declare that you will respond to your life struggle by following God wholeheartedly and without turning back. You are either 100% in … or not. You are either going to follow God … or not. Otherwise, the only one you are fooling is … you. Being lukewarm in your walk with the Lord serves no positive purpose, to state it mildly. In fact, Jesus commented on a church called Laodicea who was trying to be on both sides of the proverbial fence; “’I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one of the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth’” (Revelation 3:16).

Put on the full armor of God! Play by God’s rules from this day forward. Declare as Joshua did when considering his future, “But for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Initially, this will cause you great discomfort because you may be tempted to respond to your offender in like manner. But, if you are faithful to take the high road … God’s road … then you will be rewarded.

 

Paul’s strategy to winning life’s battles begins with Victory Action #1 Put on the Full Armor of God. This action will equip you to stand firm against the evil one. Like the Destroyer in our boxing story, he will punch away at you but will ultimately give up and run away. Please note that once you put on the full armor of God and declare that you will play by Jesus’ rules that you will be challenged. But, it is at that exact moment that your life situation will be transformed from one of hopeless despair to one of victory.

I believe that the Old Testament version of putting on the full armor of God is found in Psalm 91. The chapter begins with “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). When you side fully with God then you are in His presence. In His presence there is joy, peace, purpose, and fulfillment. Take a moment now and

read aloud Psalm 91. As you read the rewards of being on God’s side, be encouraged that this is indeed your best option and that you will be on the road to victory.

Once you determined in your heart to put on the full armor of God, you can then address the next step in Paul’s winning strategy, “Victory Action #2 Stand Firm: The Declaration.”

 

 

For You to Consider

 

1. What does it mean to “play by Jesus’ rules”?

2. List three of the benefits of putting on God’s armor that resonated with you. Tell me why they made an impression on you and what will be your response to each one.

3. Pray a prayer to the Lord in response to this chapter.

 

Scripture for You to Pray Today: Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

 

What is the Lord saying to you right now?