Armor-plated

When I fall before temptation, where should I look to to find the weakness that Satan took advantage of?

Check the armor. God has equipped us to be victorious no matter what means Satan uses to attack us. If we fall, there must be a chink in that armor somewhere. Look for the hole. That's where work needs to be done to prevent the failure from happening again.

"…put on the whole 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" —Ephesians 6:13-18.

1. ALL the pieces are essential. We need to be balanced Christians, not more given, for example, to running around evangelizing than we are dedicated to growing in the Word.

2. Being grounded in the TRUTH is important. Make sure you've got your story straight without any man-made additions or subtractions.

3. Mediocrity in our Christian lives is not acceptable. RIGHTEOUSNESS is vital.

4. Truth needs to be shared not kept to ourselves. Getting out there with the GOSPEL needs to be a priority.

5. Without FAITH, we are doomed to defeat. Growth faith is faith that is tested in the crucible of experience.

6. SALVATION? Well, that goes without saying.

7. The only way we can hone our skills in all the rest is if we are firmly grounded in the WORD OF GOD.

8. Perhaps the most neglected of all the pieces is PRAYER. It isn't connected with a particular piece of armor because prayer covers them all—like a coating of polyurethane protects hardwood.

Oh, and in the event that there are those who think they have to produce all this armor on their own, all we need to do is look back at Ephesians 6:10: "Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." That's the best protection of all.