"Dressing For Success ."

In any war, a soldier must be equipped with the right armor to survive and fight effectively. In the spiritual war, God has provided us with spiritual armor to protect ourselves against the enemy’s attacks.

Ephesians 6:13-17 describes this armor in detail as:

• The Belt of Truth: When I was younger, and growing up in the church, I remember there being a song that the choir’s passion never failed when singing. “Order My Steps in Our Word”. God’s Word is The Supreme GPS. His word is The Truth. Truth is the foundation of our defense. Without Truth, everything else falls apart. We MUST wrap ourselves in the truth of Allah (God)’s Word and let it guide our decisions.

• - The Breastplate of Righteousness: Righteousness protects our hearts from the enemy’s accusations and temptations. It’s not our own righteousness, but the righteousness that develops through our submission to Allah God) that covers us. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said that “Our righteousness shall sustain us”.

• The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: God’s word gives us stability and peace, allowing us to stand firm in the face of trials. It also equips us with the ability to be a bearer of witness with our life.

• The Shield of Faith: Faith acts as a shield, extinguishing the fiery darts of doubt, fear, and temptation that the enemy hurls at us. By trusting in God’s promises, we can be shielded from the many attacks that we are under DAILY.

• The Helmet of Salvation: As a helmet is defined as: a protective head covering usually made of hard material to resist impact, The helmet of salvation protects our minds from the potential hard and damaging impact of our enemy’s lies. By keeping our heads covered with the words, wisdom, and ways of Allah (God), His grace and mercy guard us against doubts about our salvation.

• The Sword of the Spirit: The only offensive weapon in the armor is the Word of God. With it, we can strike back against the enemy. Isn’t it interesting that “Sword” and “Words” share the exact same letters? Our “Sword” is only as sharp as the spirit we GROW into through studying God’s “Words”. Philippians 2:5 states “Let this mind be in our, which was also in Christ Jesus”. Therefore, through our study and living God’s “Words”, we can grow into the mind of God, have the spirit of God, which will provide you and I with the sharpest “Sword”.

Putting on this armor is not a one-time event; it’s something we must do daily. Every morning, before we face the world, we should take time to spiritually prepare ourselves by studying scripture, praying, and meditating on God’s truth.