Invisible Armour

As we prepare to go into the new year, apart from clearing out old junk, we also need to check on our equipment to ensure that it is in proper working order. Spiritually, the equipment that we need to have in readiness is our spiritual armour, which is invisible, but very real, as the spiritual realm is.

The armour of God, as described in Ephesians, is well-known. However, God gave me a new perspective on it today. In the physical realm, the armour that soldiers would wear was heavy and cumbersome. It took great strength to bear its weight. That is why David faced Goliath with only his slingshot. The actual armour would have drained his strength before he had even started.

In contrast, our spiritual armour can be visualised as an invisible, gossamer cloak which covers our whole bodies, as well as our heads with a hood. It does not make us invisible – as the children’s stories would suggest – but it is the invisible shield of God’s presence which surrounds us. 1 Chronicles 16:11 confirms this, when it says, ‘Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually’. This implies that God’s strength is to be found in His presence.

It is God’s presence from which the demons flee, and thus His presence is our protection on the outside and our peace on the inside. It is significant that the cloak has a hood, as it is often our minds which are attacked, and that is where the battle often rages. Thus, the hood protects us from doubt and fear and anxiety, as long as we put it on by taking our thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

We need to make sure we have our armour on at the start of every day, as any soldier would. That is why it is important to spend time in God’s presence as soon as we wake, if it is at all possible. I have learnt that, if I don’t, that is when I am more vulnerable to attack by the enemy. In addition to the cloak, I need to practise with my sword, which is the word of God. I do this by declaring scriptures that the Holy Spirit has highlighted for me and that I have memorised.

This creates a readiness in me to face the day, aligned with God, as Jeremiah 201:1 says, ‘God is with me like a mighty warrior.’ There is a certainty in my spirit that God is with me, and my confidence is in His might and power, not my own.