June 11. Ephesians 6. Juan Solorzano

Full Obedience and Full Armor

Obedience to someone else is often the last thing we want to do. But Paul writes in Ephesians 6 to do just that and to obey as if we are obeying God. As children, we don’t just obey our parents for the sake of obedience, we do it because it’s the right thing to do. And we don’t just honor our fathers and mothers because it’s simply a command from God, but we do it because it also comes with a promise that our life will turn out for the better. There is great wisdom when children are obedient and honor their parents, and as parents, we like it when our kids are being obedient to us and honoring us. This pleases God and makes for happy families.

This is godly living, that we follow what the bible tells us. It’s not something that we do when it’s convenient to do, or when things don’t go our way, but it’s something we ought to do each and every day. We are to follow God’s commands, and do it wholeheartedly! There were times when I did not do that, and instead, I chose to disobey my parents as a teen. The results were not so great, and I certainly felt the heavy consequences of my disobedience later in life. Obedience for me has a new meaning now, because it comes from God, it makes for better relationships in a hierarchy, and it results in positive outcomes.

As we go on through life, how do we handle the hardest of challenges? By wearing the full armor of God. When I’m not wearing it, I am exposed to being wounded, as I have no protection. But God’s armor isn’t just for defense with all the protective equipment, it’s for offense as well. We get spiritual defensive body armor, and a shield, but we also get a sword, the Sword of the Spirit – the word of God! Our complete Christian walk is found in wearing the full armor of God. In addition to it, prayer is our communication line to God himself. When we’re on the battlefield and taking on a heavy pounding, we may need to call for air, ground, and naval support! We need to pray and get on that spiritual radio so God can deploy all the backup forces that we need. God has our backs when we pray!

And when we’re not in the middle of combat with the enemy, we still need to get on the spiritual radio and pray for all the saints on all occasions. When things are good, we pray. When things are rough, we pray. When things are sad, we pray. When things are amazing, we pray. And in praying, we are thankful to God and thankful for one another.

But we always need to remember that, like any soldier on active duty, we too are always on active duty in God’s kingdom, ready to put on the full armor of God that equips us for battle at any moment. We are always on the alert!