Ephesians 6:11 – “ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, something different filled my thoughts. Being properly dressed filled my thoughts. Properly dressed or appropriately dressed. What does that mean?

Let me ask the question I heard in my spirit: “How confident would you be speaking to a group of people if you were naked? How confident would you feel if you were interviewing for a job in casual attire while the interviewers were in formal attire? How confident would you be playing basketball in formal attire when those competing were dressed for basketball? How confident would you be going into a battle wearing street clothes and carrying a notepad when your opponents were in full armor and carrying weapons of war?”

Think about those and other scenarios.  Your confidence level would likely be incredibly low.  Although the clothes themselves did not equip you, they affected your confidence, and your lack of confidence affected your ability.

Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us of the importance of being properly dressed. (v. 11) – Tells us that we need the armor (proper attire) SO THAT we will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.   If the devil has the advantage of our lack of confidence because we are improperly or inadequately clothed, he does not have to be more powerful because we defeat ourselves.

“Clothes make the man” is a cliché, but it has some truth.   Why?   Because when we have the proper (situation-dictated) attire, we are more confident. The more confident we are, the more we trust our training and ability. We are not distracted by a feeling of inferiority.

Remember, we are not fighting spiritual battles with natural weapons. Likewise, if we wear clothing inadequate for the situation, it affects the outcome.

In (v. 13) we read, “For this reason…”   What reason?  This is a spiritual war. “Take (put on) up the full armor of God SO THAT you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.”

One benefit of being Spirit-filled is awareness of the proper attire! Please move beyond clothing in natural situations to spiritual warfare.   I know from experience the importance of proper clothing (gear) when facing a battle. I know the confidence that builds in knowing you are appropriately and adequately attired. The less the distraction, the greater the confidence.

How are we dressing for our daily battles?  Are we consciously putting on the clothing for the day?  Wearing our spiritual PJs to a battle may feel comfortable at first, but it will get us killed.  Putting on the armor (attire) requires consistent effort and determination.

Let’s get dressed for battle! What are you wearing to the war?