Ephesians 6:14(NKJV) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Where would you hit your enemy if you were involved in a close combat encounter? Of course, his most vital body part—the chest and somewhere close to the heart. That’s why the breastplate is the most critical defensive gear because it’s precisely where the unseen enemy will aim to hit by using accusations to make you feel unworthy to be in God’s presence and to be called a child of God.
Therefore, we must remember that we stand righteous before God because we are redeemed by the blood of Christ and not by our strength. God looks at us in Christ. A lack of understanding regarding how we have obtained our righteousness will affect our prayer life. We cannot pray confidently if we do not know that we have a right standing with God, and praying is part of the spiritual warfare where we strive to stand without being moved! However, when we put on the breastplate of righteousness, we will be bold enough to walk into the presence of God and pray with authority and power.
Revelation 12:10 (NKJV) Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
One of the devil’s works is accusation. Because Israel repeatedly sinned against God, we read in Zechariah 3:1-3 how Satan accused them before God of their unworthiness to be loved and accepted by God. We, like the Israelites, are unworthy of God’s love based on what we have done, but Jesus is our High Priest and Mediator, who sat down at the right hand of God, having offered His blood in the Tabernacle because He was the perfect lamb that took away the sin of the world.
The enemy wants to deceive you into believing that you lack a right standing before God and are of no value to God or man. He will come against you with accusations and condemnation by reminding you of your past and your failures. He looks for believers who don’t know they are righteous!
If we don’t have the breastplate of righteousness firmly in place, those slanderous accusations will most likely penetrate our minds and emotions, making us feel unworthy to pray or to be used by God! The devil will also try to get us into legalism—to try and obtain a right standing before God using our own strength. Legalism attempts to achieve righteousness with God by observing rules or imposing extra conditions for achieving righteousness beyond what God has laid down.
Therefore, always remember you are righteous in Christ! It is a positional truth that never changes!
Sermon Series：The Weapon of Our Spiritual Warfare (Part2)
公义的护心镜
以弗所书6:14 所以要站稳了，用真理当作带子束腰，用公义当作护心镜遮胸，
如果你卷入了一场近距离的战斗，你会击打你敌人的什么地方？当然是他最重要的身体部位– 胸口和靠近心脏的地方。这就是为什么护心镜是最关键的防御装备，因为它正是无形的敌人想要打击你的地方，牠会以控告使你觉得自己不配在神面前，甚至不配被称为神的孩子。
因此，我们必须记住，我们在神面前是公义的，因为我们的得赎是靠着基督的宝血，而不是靠我们自己的能力。神在基督里看着我们。若我们对自己如何获得公义缺乏了解，就会影响我们的祷告生命。如果我们不知道我们在神面前有合法的地位，我们就无法自信地祷告，而祷告是属灵争战的一部分，我们在祷告中努站稳脚跟，不至动摇！然而，当我们穿上公义的护心镜时，我们就会有足够的勇气走进神的同在里，以权柄和能力祈祷。
启示录12:10 我听见在天上有大声音说：“我 神的救恩、能力、国度，并他基督的权柄，现在都来到了，因为那在我们 神面前昼夜控告我们弟兄的，已经被摔下去了。
魔鬼的工作之一就是控告。因为以色列一再得罪神，我们在撒迦利亚书3：1-3中读到撒旦如何在神面前指控他们，说他们不配被神所爱不配被神接纳。而我们，同以色列人一样，按我们的行为本不配得到神的爱，但耶稣是我们的大祭司和中保，祂坐在神的右边，在会幕里献上祂的宝血，因为祂是除去世人罪孽的完美羔羊。
敌人想欺骗你，让你相信自己在神面前缺乏合法的地位，对神或人都毫无价值。牠会藉着提醒你的过去和你的失败，以控告和定罪来攻击你。牠虎视眈眈那些不知道自己是义人的信徒！
如果我们没有牢牢地戴上公义的护心镜，那些诽谤的指控很可能会渗透到我们的思想和情感中，使我们感到不配祷告或被神使用！魔鬼也会试图让我们进入律法主义——就是试图以自己的力量在神面前获得合法的地位。律法主义试图通过遵守规则或施加额外的条件来实现与神同在的义，这是超出神所规定的。
因此，永远记住在基督里你是公义的！这是个永不改变的真理！
讲章系列：我们属灵争战的武器 （第二部分）
Image Source: pixabay.com