Thursday, November 6, 2008

Our Defense

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness... (Ephesians 6:14)

Next on the apostle Paul’s list of the armor of God is the breastplate of righteousness.  Key to the armor, the breastplate protects the vital organs.  On the Roman battlefield, this is where the enemy would strike, so the breastplate would protects this important area.

In the same way, Satan will strike here because a well-placed blow to this area could prove fatal.  When we sin, we are very vulnerable, because the devil comes to us and says, “You have sinned.  You are not worthy of God’s forgiveness.  You are not deserving of His blessings.  God won’t listen to your prayers.  You’re a hypocrite.”

What will you say when that day comes?  We will all sin.  We will all fail.  We will all fall short.  The Bible says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). 

What will you say on that day?  Will you boast about the Bible verses you’ve memorized or the people you’ve led to the Lord or how often you go to church?

If you rely on what you’ve done, then you are guilty of self-righteousness, which simply means you believe that you somehow merit God’s blessing because of all the things you’ve done.  If this is your attitude, then you have a breastplate made of Styrofoam™.  One strike of the enemy’s sword will cut it apart and leave you open and exposed.

When you have sinned and the enemy condemns and accuses you, don’t boast of all that you have done for God.  Instead, boast of all that God has done for you.  That is putting on the breastplate of righteousness.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to  www.harvest.org. 

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-Greg Laurie

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