“Armor Up”: With The Full Armor of God Becoming an Apex Spiritual Warrior and Servant King

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)

“There is an imperfection of valor without skill and practice.” Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks…1 Peter 5:8-9a (TLB)

“The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1Corinthians 16:13 (NASB)

“Know Your Sword” Musashi

Background:

I believe there is a “symbiotic” relationship between natural warfare and spiritual warfare. There are certain principles, common to both realms, which govern certain operations in both realms. The above quotes, from both realms, are very clear on some of the core qualities of a warrior temperament. These would include: Training and practicing for battle; alertness for enemy activity; readiness to receive the enemy; expectation of standing firm in faith when attacked; and an expectation of valor…acting like men.

The following is offered to identify and describe these principles and to equip and encourage Christian men everywhere to become apex warriors and servant kings under the authority of the King of Kings.

Most men who have been around church life for a while would be familiar with the phrase, putting on the full armor of God. When spoken by a man, these words seem to have a noticeable, positive response from the other men. However, much of this ‘familiarization’ with the phrase has been gleaned from teaching rather than from training…training like that a father gives to a son.

This reminds me of Paul’s serious concern that the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 4:15-16) might have 10,000 teachers but not many fathers. One translation reads, “only me as your father”. There was an apparent lack of “Christlikeness” happening and Paul tells them he is sending them his son Timothy. Paul gives instructions for the church to imitate Timothy because he would remind them of Paul, who was in prison and could not be there to remind them of Christ. The need for hands-on fathers in the faith has never been greater…older men to love on and disciple younger men…to be Christ-like!

As a result of this, many Christian men seem to have scant command of or operational experience in donning and integrating these six pieces of spiritual body armor into their daily lives. Throughout the history of warfare, a governing principle has been for a warrior to become “at one” with his weapon. The weapon then becomes an extension of the warrior and of the authority he represents.

One explanation for this functional deficiency could be that we tend to begin our spiritual warfare discussion with Ephesians 6:10 which begins with the word “Finally”. Perhaps we should “firstly” digest Ephesians 1:1 to Ephesians 6:9. Think of these chapters as analogous to a training manual/regimen that would serve to prepare a squire for the day he would finally become a knight.

You see a squire had to prove over time that he could master himself before he could be trusted by his king to master an enemy. Ephesians 6:1-9 continues the precept of subordinating self, elevating others, putting God first, and the imperative of controlling self in various relationships, e.g. vs. 6b, “doing the will of God from the heart”. In martial cultures, teaching is focused on knowledge of the art or a head issue, whereas training is focused on skilled application of the art and willingness for self- sacrifice, a heart issue.

“Finally”, on the last day, the squire would be presented his armor and a “virgin” sword that had been especially crafted for him. A priest would invite other knights to join their hands to the sword with a blessing much like this: “Bless this sword so that it may be a defense for your churches, for widows and orphans, and for Christians everywhere against the fury of the heathen”.

Discussion:

Prowess in spiritual warfare, like in natural warfare is an acquired skill developed in a training regimen and then refined in operational experience. Accordingly, such prowess is a perishable skill which can only be preserved with ongoing training and/or operational experience. This is an essential process for the warrior to develop and maintain the vital skills necessary to be a true “Kingdom” asset and consequential threat to the enemy.

Most men who have been around church life for a while would also be familiar with 2 Corinthians 10:4, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for demolishing strongholds. (NIV) Again, this phrase seems to elicit a noticeable, positive response when spoken to men. The same principles and analogy applies here that does to “putting on the full armor” e.g., consider 2 Corinthians 1:1 to 2 Corinthians 10:3 as training more than just reading or teaching.

This principle governs, not only the spiritual and martial arenas, but much of life’s activities such as the arenas of business, vocational, and sports. Would you take your primary transportation to a mechanic who was obviously poorly trained or your child to a surgeon who had no operational experience in the past decade? What football team would have a fan base if the team only assembled for lectures about the game.? Why we think this principle can be ignored in the Christian arena is really quite baffling, especially in light of the command by Jesus Christ to “make disciples”.

Warriors train the way they will fight…then they fight the way they have trained. Our nation’s fire fighters and law enforcement personnel are frequent examples of this precept. This is a principle we find in Genesis 14 where Abram instinctively “called out” his 318 trained men for the mission to recover his family members and others who had been taken hostage. The Hebrew word for “trained” used here is chaniyk, meaning “trained, seasoned, or practiced”. Abram most likely had many other men but this was not a mission for untrained men.

On my 100th combat mission I was to be more feared by the enemy and to be more trusted by my crew than on my 1st combat mission. This principle is also true of the Christian man’s spiritual walk. About 18 months of training preceded my first combat mission but in just 50 days of combat I had flown 80 missions. My tour ended with a total of 507 combat missions…some more memorable than others.

Nothing really develops skill in combat…except combat…the sting of battle. Subject matter teaching and academics are important, however, we must at some point find ourselves in the harvest field…feeding the hungry and mentoring young men and boys…rescuing women and girls…and of course, slaying dragons.

Our culture, the harvest fields, is a spiritual combat zone in desperate need of trained, seasoned, and practiced (chaniyk) Christian warriors. Hopefully you can readily see the application of the following quote to the spiritual warrior. “When you go out your door, it is like seeing an enemy. You should never forget the spirit of combat. A warrior who wears two swords at his side but does not put the spirit of combat into his heart is nothing but a merchant wearing the skin of a warrior.” Code of the Samurai

The Roman army, at the time of Christ, exercised almost daily developing and perfecting their martial skills. Like many ancient warriors, they used wooden weaponry in their training with bruises and broken skin being common place. Of note, the term Roman Army, comes from the Latin, Romanorum Exercitus, which is where we get our word for ‘exercise’.

To this point, Flavius Vegetius said… “the courage of a soldier is heightened by a knowledge of his profession, and he only wants an opportunity to execute what he is convinced he has been perfectly taught. A handful of men inured to war proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, armies of raw undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to slaughter.”

Consider the above timeless examples and their application in 2018 to the life of a Christian man.

Armoring Up!

I have “put on the full armor” for actual combat hundreds of times and, trust me, every piece is essential. Even in scramble (emergency launch) conditions I was careful to put on the full armor, head to toe. Previous training on the function and use of each piece of gear, as well as the proper fitting, is necessary to ensure that the warrior is “one” with his gear. No one would ever think of using another man’s gear. Probably the same could be said for most athletic teams like football or hockey. Your armor is personal.

Paul mentions “stand” four times in Ephesians 6:10-14 and as any fighter or athlete knows your stance is critical. Taking the proper spiritual stance, being in balance and alert, is also foundational for the spiritual warrior. Again, this is where discipleship and training are essential for battle readiness.

The shield of faith is certainly to be used defensively but the intention is not to hunker down behind our shield and take incoming arrows forever. The shield of Faith is, in fact, an important offensive weapon that enables us to push forward against the enemy and overpower him. Shields Up!

Picture “your” shield of Faith being used with a mighty forearm thrust or linked with other shields on your left and/or your right as you advance as one. Listen for the spiritual cadence, ‘Your left, your left, your left, right, left.’ Now picture how vulnerable you (and your family) would be in this advance if you forgot your shield of Faith, even in a scramble scenario.

The blade of the Roman sword or gladius was only 22” long so it was not used to hack away in high extended arm swings. Such exaggerated swings were fatiguing and needlessly exposed the legionary torso. The Roman soldiers, whom Paul had carefully observed, drove the sword in short horizontal thrusts using twisting torso (body) strength for power. Perhaps another metaphor to mimic in spiritual training. They well knew that only about a 2” to 3” penetration was necessary for a lethal blow.

Now picture yourself operating in spiritual warfare with your shield of Faith and sword of the Spirit operating in sync. Advance! That will strike fear in the heart of the enemy per Romans 13:4. Incidentally, this is a real practical training exercise to do with a battle buddy using various scenarios you may encounter in life.

In actual combat you cannot hit the pause button to consult your tactics or weapons manual. Neither does this work very well in spiritual warfare when you are in ministry mode but your weapon seems to jam and then you discover you have the wrong ammo. Again, we train the way we will fight…we fight the way we have trained.

During daily inspections, as the Centurion would come face to face with each man, the legionnaire would strike his breast plate with his fist and call out “integritas” signifying that he was one with the legion and one with his armor. Integrity comes from the root word integer meaning “whole or undivided”.

The breast plate had a double thickness over the heart and the centurion, observing the legionnaire closely, would listen for a familiar ring signifying that the armor was properly maintained and fitted. If you have not armored up in a while you may find it a bit awkward getting readied for battle.

For example, let’s take your “properly fitted” footwear (vs. 15) The warrior must know the absolute necessity of peace governing his readiness to face the enemy in battle. Agitated, mad, or emotionally governed spiritual warriors are dangerous…not to the enemy but to those around them, like their families. This is also very true in natural war. Emotionally driven warriors must be taken out of contact with the enemy, if possible, until they have regained their “peaceful” composure. I have had a couple personal experiences with this problem which demands immediate action.

In my combat unit we affectionately call our breast plate “chicken plate” which was a flat, portable, ½” piece of composite material that pilots/copilots would (not always) place over their upper torso area when prosecuting the more “lively” enemy targets. Likewise, our breast plate of righteousness (our position in Christ) is often unintentionally minimized. And yet, like our “chicken plate” it is often critical in the heat of battle. Make sure that your breast plate is “in place” (vs14) and buckled.

A critical piece of body armor, our personal helmet of salvation, is the “first piece of gear we are issued” when we invite Christ to become our Lord. Think about that a moment. Like our other gear, the helmet of salvation is designed to protect a warrior, especially as he advances against the enemy.

In combat, my helmet provided head protection as well as protection for my sight and hearing. However, moment by moment it enabled me to communicate effectively with my crew, my wingman, allies on the ground and those in authority over me. Think about that in terms of the helmet of salvation and how it should govern our thoughts, words and actions…now that’s real protection!

In combat, as well as in football games, it is critical to have your chin strap tight…you must know that your helmet is secure. The Samurai Warriors, knowing this critical fact, would say “keep your helmet strings tight”. (before Velcro was invented).

Conclusion:

Paul used the apex warrior of his day, the Roman soldier, to clearly and dramatically illustrate a critical spiritual reality…the imperative of personal battle readiness. Like the great natural warriors, the Samurai, spiritual warriors must have the spirit of combat in their heart.

As Christian men, we must never set aside our “body armor” for greater ease or comfort…it is our life. We must take full measure of its weight, find comfort in its protective qualities, and develop great skill in offensive and defensive maneuvers! Spiritual warfare seminars and Bible studies are important, but they alone will not prepare Christian men to prevail in actual encounters with the enemy.

Natural warfare is viewed by some as “an art form” and many books have been written on the subject such as the classic The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Jesus, the ultimate apex spiritual warrior, gives us extraordinary insight into the skillful and artful execution of spiritual warfare in his epic bout with satan in Luke 4 and Matthew 4. As men, our greatest challenge is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, by The Word, and to be conformed into the likeness of Christ. We should study this “3 round bout” intently because I believe it is the model for us as we encounter a darkening culture all around.

Briefly, here are a few principles and warrior art available to us today from this bout: (1) Jesus was filled with The Holy Spirit and then led by The Holy Spirit into the wilderness, we should note that. (2) Jesus was not looking for a fight…or an argument…but was prepared to stand. (3) Jesus was not dependent upon his physical strength or stature but was armed in Truth. (4) Jesus let satan throw the first blow, a miss…got satan off balance…Jesus counters with “It is written”, a direct hit. We should practice this technique, this art form daily. “It is written…it is written…it is written” …like a swish of a sword! Warrior and weapon must be “one”. Jesus used the same crushing tactics in the final 2 rounds.

In conclusion, here is a take away from this epic battle that we can all benefit from. “Therefore, in war, it is imperative to attack the enemy’s strategy.” Sun Tzu. We know that satan is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus artfully and skillfully attacked satan’s strategy with Truth, all from Deuteronomy.

“It is written” was a crushing blow that Jesus delivered 3 times to satan. These temptations, the most common to man, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life were carefully woven into lies and half-truths. The Word exposed and demolished them! When we, like Jesus, neutralize these personal threats we are then capable of rescuing women and children, serving the poor, elderly and infirm…and of course slaying some dragons! We can then be trusted by our King to act for him as servant kings in the realms he has ordained that we should rule. Shields Up!

Developed by: Barney Barnes, Warrior Spirit Ministries, 25 November 2018