Today's Passage: Ephesians 6

I just recently heard a sermon on this chapter and the pastor pointed out something that I had not noticed before.  There are pieces of the armor that we wear: the belt of truth, the breast plate of righteousness, and shoes of the gospel of peace,  and there are pieces that we take up.  the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and the helmet of salvation.  Can you imagine a soldier from this time period leaving his sword behind, or forgetting his helmet?  NO WAY!  Then how do we live day after day with only parts of our armor (or maybe none at all)?  Living without all of our armor is the reason the church is in decline,  and regrettably, we've all contributed to it.  As Paul points out in earlier verses, our enemy is not physical, but spiritual.  All too often the body of Christ dismisses this spiritual warfare until it manifests itself in the physical realm through addictions, broken homes, church splits, and the like.  We must be proactive by wearing and taking up every piece of armor, which enables us to be strong in the Lord and stand our ground in these evil days.