May 6, 2018
Bible verse for meditation:
KJV
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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.
Notice the similarities and differences in the translations
presented.
Continue breathing deeply as you ponder this meaning.
Meditation on scripture / bible verse meditation:
When you picture the Armor of God, what image comes to mind?I’ve
seen many different artist renditions of it. The ones that I have
seen usually depict the armor of God either as a medieval plate
mail or some version of Roman armor from the period of Paul who is
writting this. I have enjoyed these images but somehow I think they
don’t fully represent the difference of the armor of God. Later in
this chapter Paul lays out the elements of the armor of God.
Loins girt or the belt of truthBreastplate of righteousnessFeed
fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of
peace.Shield of faithHelmet of salvationSword of the Spirit which
is the word of God
The descriptors that Paul uses do not sound like preparation for
war, but for defense and preparation. The only offensive element to
this is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Paul
states that we are against the powers of darkness. Raging angrily
against darkness does not seem like a recipe for success. If we
trust in God’s ways we can much more successfully defend ourselves
against the darkness that seeks to destroy us. If we try to throw
on God’s armor and then act as a vigilante we will not succeed. Our
concept of the armor of God is not what will save us. It is
God’s.The other day I came across some interesting information. I
want to make it clear that this is not what paul was talking about
but it adds an interesting metaphor to Paul’s metaphor. Gambison
was a type of armor used hundreds of years after Paul wrote this
but it helps to change our paradigm. Gambison is a type of armor
that is made from taking multiple layers of cloth and creating a
thick material that resists sharp objects. It looks more like a big
coat than it does armor. However, in terms of its ability to
protect the wearer, it is very effective. It is actually much more
effective than butted chainmail. It looks fairly useless but it is
far from it. I imagine by comparison to worldy armor God’s armor
would be like this.In the battles in our lives it is God’s
protection, that will come in forms that we do not expect, that
will save us and teach us. God’s protection is mainly intended to
teach and craft us and help us grow into what he has in mind for
us. Look in your life for what the armor of God is.
Meditation of Prayer:Pray as directed by the Spirit.Dedicate these
moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for
understanding you desire from Him.
Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:I invite you to sit in
silence feeling being patient for your own faults and
trials.
Meditate and Visualize Positive Change in Your Life:Implement the
kind of change you want to see in your life. Length,
Intensity, Modality, Freshness,
Conclusion: Christianmeditationpodcast.com/contact
Questions: What does the armor of God look like in your life and
how can you continually put it on?
Website ChristianMeditationPodcast.com contact.
Final thought -
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