I am convinced that many are wearing the wrong clothes. Yeah, I said it. People are wearing the wrong clothes. Daily people are leaving their houses and putting on clothes that do not suit or prepares them for their day. Let me try to be more detailed. Many leave the house and just throw on anything then have to deal with jealous, envious and people or forces who mean to harm or lead them astray. How can clothes help someone one may ask? Well, clothes cannot really help, but covering/clothing oneself with the full armor of God can.
Ephesians 6:10-17 states,
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.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with thebreastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and thesword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As we know wearing the wrong belt can mess up an entire outfit. Therefore, we have to ensure our belt goes along with everything else. What is the belt of truth and where can one find one? John 14:6 states, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus supplies the belt. Jesus is the belt. We need to wrap Jesus around not only our waist, but our hearts, mind and spirit as well. A Jesus belt is a good place to start I think.
Next, to cover and protect what is inside us, we need a breastplate. A breastplate covers some of the most vital origins such as the heart. We cover ourselves with righteousness not through our actions but allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell and move us to the right actions. Romans 8:5-8 states,
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Also Romans 8:26 states,
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Let us live by the Spirit and not by the flesh.
Now we know our shoes or whatever we choose to cover our feet need to not only be clean/good looking but allow us the ability move. Often (am I am not only talking to the women here) we wear shoes (fear, anger, hate, anxiety and etc.) that keeps us from moving around. Look at Ephesians 6:15,
“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”
Feet are made for stability, walking and sometimes running. Through the gospel of peace we are ready and able to move in the direction towards God. Without it we are often stagnate or led astray.
Next we need to accessorize. What better than the shield of faith. Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1 We have evidence some may ask? Yes we have evidence. It is our faith! Our faith is that evidence that people often look and ask God for.
Faith shields us from things we often do not understand. Faith enables us to wait in anticipation but with patience. Continued and true faith in God never disappoints.
Now some outfits just will not be right without a hat. Also, if you are looking good, you may need some protection to keep the haters away. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Matthew 24:35 states, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. It is good to have things that do not fade or diminish with time. Turn the other cheek, do not worry about earthly needs, forgive, pray, trust, love and etc. are all weapons to fend off the enemy. Proverbs 37:14 states,
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
By evil doers own hands will they be destroyed. Therefore, let us not put on the clothes that others wear. Some clothes just do not fit or look good on us.
I will close with 2 Corinthians 5 which states,
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjVgm9-XTqQ
