The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:13-18, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”

When young David expressed to King Saul that he wanted to challenge the giant Goliath, the king’s first impression was to outfit David with armor. But, David said to Saul, “I have not proved them,” meaning he had never used armor in the battles he had previously fought. David chose to be clothed with the armor he knew: a slingshot guided by the LORD God Almighty!

In our verses for today, Paul writes of the seven pieces of armor every Christian needs in the battle against evil. The first piece is the Belt of Truth! Truth holds everything together. Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” In David’s case, Truth held everything together. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:32). All of this says to us: Always be truthful! And study to know well the Truth of the Word of God!

The Breastplate of Righteousness protects all the vital areas of the body against the most vicious attacks. Barclay notes that “words are no defence against accusations, but a good life is.” Remember the verse that says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (Prov. 22:1)? When we base our lives in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we have no greater protection.

The Sandals protect the feet that carry the gospel of peace. The roads of life are often rocky and difficult, yet the sandals enable the Witness to go further and more often than would be normal for bare feet.

The Shield of Faith is large and easily repels what was perhaps the most dangerous of weapons in ancient warfare: the firey darts that were dipped in oil and set afire before they were launched at the enemy. The warrior, who held the huge Shield of Faith, could easily imped the course of the firey dart and extinguish the flame. Undaunting Faith is complete trust in the LORD and deals well with the darts of temptation, too.

The Helmet of Salvation covers the head, where the mind is confident of the warrior’s own salvation, and feeds the faith that all will be victorious in the battle against the enemy. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is ingested into the mind and is a constant reminder that the “battle is the LORD’s,” not man’s.

History reminds us that Cromwell’s men, known as “Ironsides,” fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other.

Prayer, of course, is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. We pray to be successful in our endeavors, while simultaneously, we pray that all impediments that would forestall our victories, would be overthrown. It is in the overthrow of the enemy that would defeat us, that Christ Himself is glorified. He is our Captain! He has never been defeated! Who would not wish to serve faithfully under His command? May God help us to serve valiantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”