The Full Armor

How do we look at doing the right thing? Here are a couple of perspectives we could have: Bad: "Piss! All these stupid rules, how's a person supposed to have any fun??".

Not much better: "Well, *sigh* I guess it's the right thing, so I'll do it. ( But honestly, I think God wants me to be miserable)."

Most of the people reading this blog will probably agree that the best attitude we can have about righteousness is joy, and the desire to please God because we love Him. However, there is another reason to do what's right, and that reason is safety. Wether or not you are aware of it, the world is a dangerous place. God designed the world, and he designed you. He knows, for example, that the excessive consumption of alcohol has a negative effect on your ability to make wise decisions, He knows that adultery can wreck your life and the lives of the people you care about, He warns us accordingly and commands us not to engage in those behaviors.
This is an extremely practical reason to follow God's law, but in the book of Ephesians, in middle part of chapter 6, the Apostle Paul alludes to something more sinister....

He writes: "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. "
ESV
Yes, it's true.. The Devil is out to get you. And not just you. He has a vendetta against the entire human race. His goal is for us to live our lives as pointlessly and miserably as possible, inflicting the maximum amount of cruelty and pain on our fellow human beings before we finally die and endure an eternal torture in Hell. If Satan doesn't succeed in your eternal damnation, his plan b. is to make you as ineffective and weak as possible. This is one reason why righteousness is so important.
Later in in the chapter, Paul refers to "the breastplate of righteousness " and tells us that, along with some other important pieces of equipment, we need to put it on. Before the age of modern warfare, the purpose of a breastplate was to protect the core from attack, and along with the helmet (salvation), it was one of the most important components of a soldier's armor.
Wether you want to believe it or not, if you are a Christian, you are a soldier in the army of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the enemy according to Paul, is not flesh and blood, but spiritual.
"Oh, okay, whew... I was kind of worried there for a second, but I'm fighting against a spiritual enemy, so the war that we're talking about is more of a figurative thing, right?". Wrong. Actually, the fact that our enemies are of a spiritual nature only increases the danger. Think about it: People usually die after about 80 years, and with them, goes any influence they may have had, and any knowledge they may have accumulated during their lifetime. Not so with Satan. He's been around at least as long as the beginning of man's existence on this planet, he's a billion times more intelligent than the most intelligent human being that ever lived, and as far as power and influence goes, the Bible tells us that he's been given dominion over the earth. Not only does he want to destroy your body, but the eternal part of your being is his main target. This is not an enemy or a war to be taken lightly or to brush off as figurative.
Fortunately, as we know, God is ultimately powerful and will eventually win this war, but as Christians He has equipped us with protection and given us responsibility.
That's why, as a Christian, doing, thinking or saying things you know you shouldn't, is like shrugging off your breastplate on a battle field while the enemy's arrows are aimed at your chest.
So let's keep our breastplates on, keep them polished and free from rust, so that when we are attacked, we can stand strong . And always, remembering that it is the Lord who we turn to for strength in temptation. In the Bible, God tells us to "flee from temptation" and to " resist the devil, and he will flee".
Finally, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says:
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be temped beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."