Our Victory Outfit Part 1

These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.


How do you protect yourself from danger in the spiritual realm? The only way to dress for spiritual success is with the armour of God, as found in Ephesians 6. Are you sure you're wearing it??



This devotion is part of the "Our Victory Outfit" series.

How do you protect your home from danger? I can't think of anyone I know who does not have a lock on their door... Many people also have alarm systems installed for safety purposes.  There are a host of ways that we arm ourselves and our homes to keep the enemy out.  What about in the Christian life, how do you protect yourself from danger in the spiritual realm?  In many ways the Christian life is a battlefield, amen?  This being the case, how often do you lean on the Holy Spirit's help in doing battle for the kingdom of God?  How armed are you really for spiritual warfare....  

Ephesians 6:10-11, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Paul here is exhorting you and I, his audience, to be strong in the Lord.  That sounds easy enough, doesn't it?  Just be strong?  No - be strong IN THE LORD!  Would you consider yourself to be one who is strong in the Lord? Why is Paul telling us to be strong in the Lord?  Because He knows that for the brethren - for Christians, there is going to be spiritual conflict in our lives, and spiritual battles require spiritual strength! In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul exhorted Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith".  What Paul wants us to understand most of all in this portion of scripture is that the strength we need to fight these battles is found only in the Lord. HE is the source of spiritual power. We are fools to think we can  overcome the devil with human strength!      

Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge, and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 84:4, "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee...."

Not only are we to be strong in the Lord, but we are also to be strong in the "power of His might."  There is power with God supplied to His children by the Holy Spirit. It is a might that is beyond any physical might man could ever hope to have on his own.  It is a might intended for us to use to conquer spiritual battles, not fleshly battles.  We do not all become "instant body builders" with such might! Rather we are able to overcome the wiles of the devil with such might - might that belongs only to God! Imagine the Lord supplying us "nobodies" with such strength! We would do well to realize though, that if God has made such power and might available to us, it must mean therefore that we are up against a very strong enemy, amen?  Therefore, we must focus on God's might and not the devil's when we go to battle. (Read Psalm 89:6-18) It is best and wisest to lean on the Holy Spirit for help in doing battle for the kingdom of God....

Zechariah 4:6, "....not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

Ephesians 3:16, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;"

We now understand that God has chosen His people to be soldiers.... Ladies, what a privilege has been given us to be in the Lord's army! That means though, that our soul has an enemy.  It's no secret that Satan hates Christians!  God, our Great Commander, has assigned us to battle this enemy....
Do not be afraid for He will supply us with the necessary power to fight that battle and to stay in the battle - even when we get tired or scared and feel like we just can't go on....   

Isaiah 40:29 says, "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

The victory is not what we are fighting for, because God has won the victory over the devil already!  As God's children, we are to fight from that position of victory...

Ephesians 1:19-20, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his might power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places."

Therefore, we can go into this spiritual battle with courage and confidence in knowing that we are on the winning side, amen?  What a comfort to know that we can fight from a position of power and from a position of victory.....

2 Timothy 2:4, "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

What a difference such a perspective should make in the way we fight!  Yet, ARE we fighting to please the One who has chosen us for battle??  What would please God in regard to His soldiers?  It would please Him that we willingly put off those things that we become entangled with in this life - the cares of this world that sap us of our spiritual strength, those sins that block God's power in our lives and keep us from singlemindedly fighting against our enemy. Ladies, we must soberly realize that we are in a fight that demands an entire consecration of our lives! You can't put on new things until you take off the old.... God would be pleased to find that you and I forsake sin and PUT ON that which He has graciously provided us to wear - the WHOLE armour of God - our "Victory Outfit"!  

Since we are fighting spiritual battles, we need spiritual equipment, amen?  If God has provided a complete outfit for us to wear, we would be foolish to omit any part! It was made to be worn, not admired.  You can't stand fully protected any other way...  What pieces of armour might you be missing, dear lady?  You see, Satan looks for that unguarded, unprotected area in our lives where he can get in and destroy us.  He is a wise, subtil, crafty, and very strong enemy that we are up against, and He lies in wait to deceive us!  He has thousands of ways of beguiling unstable souls... In your desire to protect your home from danger, would you lock all doors of your home yet leave a window wide open?  Certainly that would be unwise! Neither should you leave any area of your life wide open and unprotected in the spiritual realm if you would sustain the fiercest assaults of your soul's enemy. Get dressed soldier!  Put on that whole armour and
completely protect yourself!

2 Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

Oftentimes Fathers and sons as well as mothers and daughters like wearing matching outfits, don't they? Little children proudly walk about with faces beaming because they match their parent in attire.  Psalm 93:1 states that God is clothed with strength, and our heavenly Father desires to dress His children in the same outfit as He is clothed with!  Do you want to match your heavenly Father?  Will you wear His strength, dear lady?  It'll help you STAND when the attacks come!  Though it is a "Victory Outfit" designed and guaranteed to protect God's children from the wiles of the devil - it must be PUT ON by you!  

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000  
Pamela A. Iannello Meet Ms. Pam

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New Beginnings Baptist Church Website