You better take up the whole armor of God or you stand no chance of survival, let alone victory.

Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)

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.

Remember: every time you see a “therefore” in Scripture you need to stop, back up, and read the preceding verses to see what it’s there for. In this case, the fact that we are at war with the powers of darkness is why today’s verse starts with “therefore.” In essence, we would then read this as “Since we are at war with the powers of darkness, we must take up the whole armor of God…”

It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how successful you are or even how many years you have been going to church. When it comes to spiritual warfare, you need to wake up each day and prepare for the battle that awaits you. You won’t be putting on your own armor like Saul tried to do for young David… but rather, the armor that God provides for you. Left to your own abilities, you won’t last the day, but by utilizing God’s provision you will be able to withstand the onslaught and come out victorious.

A final word of caution: the war isn’t just what the world throws at you, but includes the battle that rages inside your own heart and mind on a daily basis. The war over your thoughts and words and deeds. The war over selfishness and bitterness  and unforgiveness. As a Christian, war surrounds you every moment of every day… therefore, you better take up the whole armor of God or you stand no chance of survival, let alone victory.