O le ofutau faaleagaga o le Atua o le ofutau lea e maua e Kerisiano toe fanaufouina uma mai le Atua ma e tatau ona ofuina ma savavali i totonu. Aua pe a toe fanauina oe, you enter spiritual warfare, Pe e te manao i ai pe leai. If you don’t acknowledge the spiritual war between the Kingdom of God and darkness and be passive or you don’t know how to fight and use the spiritual weapons, then it won’t be long before you’ll be taken captive and become a prisoner of the enemy the devil. When this happens, your spirit may be saved, but you will live in bondage of the devil and he and his minions will torment your soul and body. O lea la, arise and put on the whole armor of God so that you will be able to stand in the evil day. Let’s look what the Bible says about the armor of God and how you put on the armor of God.
The spiritual warfare and the armor of God
When you become born again in Christ and are transferred from the darkness into the Kingdom of Light, you become an enemy of the devil and all those, O ai e auai i le pouliuli. You shall no longer walk in darkness, but you shall walk in the Light.
O se foafoaga fou, it’s important that you know your place in Christ, tumau ia te Ia (le Upu), and be a soldier of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
As you go into the war zone, you want to be protected in the best way possible.
O lenei, you want to have the best protection and the best weapons to stand and overcome the enemy and to be victorious.
You don’t want an armor that has holes in it, Leai! You want the best armor there is. You want an armor, that provides full protection so that nothing touches and no one harms you.
The only armor that fully protects you in the spiritual warfare is the armor of God.
When you put on the whole armor of God and use His two-edged sword, instead of your own blunt sword, then you become invincible.
How to prepare for the spiritual battle?
You prepare for the spiritual battle by training and disciplining yourself in the Word and through prayer. So that you are always prepared, puipuia, strong and ready for the spiritual battle.
You will be on the battlefield all the time, 24 itula i le aso, for as long as you live. O lea la, you can’t take off your armor of God before you go to bed and put it back on in the morning. LEAI! Aua o lona uiga, that the devil (your enemy) can attack you during the night.
The armor of God should always be on, aso ma le po.
Why is it called the spiritual armor of God?
It is called the spiritual armor of God because the armor of God is not meant for the natural man (o le tagata tuai faaletino), but for the spiritual man. It’s the armor of God for the new man, who is born of God and belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven. Your warfare takes place in the spiritual realm and not in the natural realm.
E tatau ona e iloa, that the devil is already defeated by Jesus Christ, i lona toto ma lana galuega togiola
Jesus took away the devil’s authority, his legal right. Ae peitai, the devil still has the ability and still goed around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, until the devil is cast into the eternal lake of fire and brimstone. (Faitau foi: Has Jesus bound the strong one or do you have to bind the strong one?).
What is your task and mission? Your task and mission is to stand in the Truth and remind the devil of the blood and victory of Jesus Christ and the devil’s defeat and that he has no legal authority anymore, and he must go away.
Ia Keriso, you have received all power over the whole army of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you, as long you stay in Christ (Luka 10:19).
You are called to preach the gospel and truth of God and reconcile people to God. You are called to deliver people from the power of darkness and set them free from any bondage of the devil and bring them into the Kingdom of God.
I Efeso 6:10-20, Paul wrote about the spiritual armor of God and the first thing he wrote is to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
How to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might?
You will be strong in the lord and in the power of His might if you rely on Him and stay on Him. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and as long as you are nofo ia te ia, you also have all authority, all power, i le lagi ma le lalolagi.
Ae peitai, you must abide and stay in Him (le Upu), and not leave Him. Because if you leave Him, and rely on yourself and your own knowledge, poto, mana, tomai, metotia, you lose your spiritual authority and become powerless.
How do you stay in Christ? Na fetalai Iesu:
He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood, dwells in Me and I in him. Faapei ona auina mai a'u e le Tama soifua, ma ou te ola i le Tamā: e fa‘apea fo‘i lē ‘ai ‘iā te a‘u, e ola fo‘i o ia ‘iā te a‘u (Ioane 6:56,57)
Why do you have to put on the whole armor of God?
You have to put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil in the evil day. Aua e te le mafai ona sili atu le fagatua ma le toto (tagata). But you wrestle against spiritual powers, e faasaga i pule o le pogisa o lenei lalolagi, e tetee atu i le amioleaga faaleagaga i nofoaga maualuluga.
They are God’s enemies and because you are born again in Christ, they have become your enemies too.
Only when you put on the whole armor of God, you will be able to stand and fulfill your task and mission.
What does the Bible say about the armor of God?
The Bible says about the spiritual armor of God the following:
O lea ia tutu, fusi o outou sulugatiti i le upumoni
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth. Therefore it’s important to walk in the truth of the Word of God. As soon as you deviate from the Bible and go your own way and rely on yourself and the wisdom and knowledge of the world, you don’t walk in the truth anymore, but in the lie.
You serve the Almighty God of truth. In Him is no lie. Before your repentance, you were a child of the devil, who is called the father of lies. But you are no longer a child of the devil, who speaks lies. You are a child of the living God, O ai e tautala i le mea moni.
You have received God’s nature through the resurrection of your spirit from the dead and the abiding of the Holy Spirit. O lea la, you will speak the truth and walk in the truth of the Word, instead of speaking lies and walking in the lies of the world.
No more lies, also means, no more lies, not even a little white lie. Since a little white lie is a lie.
You shall also keep your promise(s) because if you don’t do what you say and promise, e te pepelo. Therefore be careful what you say and promise to others. It’s better to not promise anything than to make a promise and don’t keep it. (Faitau foi: Do you keep your promise?).
But it’s not only about speaking the truth, but also walking in the truth. This means that you walk after the Spirit according to the Word of God in the truth of God and be a doer of the Word.
You don’t walk after the flesh and what the world says anymore. Aua afai e te faia, you shall depart from the truth of God’s Word. Only when you walk in the truth, your loins will be girded and you will not stumble and fall. (Faitau foi: ‘O le a le uiga o le sulugatiti e tusa ma le mea moni?’).
having on the breastplate of righteousness
Ua E Amio Amiotonuina e le Toto o Iesu Keriso. This means you are le toe avea ma tagata agasala and don’t live under the law of sin and death anymore. When you became born again in Christ, you crucified your sinful flesh in which sin and death reigns. (Faitau foi: O le a le uiga o le ola i lalo o le tulafono?).
You have not become righteous by your own works but by faith in Jesus Christ and through His sacrifice and blood. Saunia e le Faatuatua ma le Toefaatumauina ia Iesu Keriso, Ua e avea ma au amiotonu ia te ia. You can’t get there, because you are already there.
The devil shall try to convince you and make you believe that you are not righteous and holy, but that you are still a sinner and always remain a sinner. Ae o se pepelo!
You must know that the devil will always try to accuse you in your mind and put you down and put feelings of guilt and condemnation on you. But as long as you stay in Christ and walk after the Spirit in righteousness in the truth of God, the accuser has no legal right to accuse you.
Ia Keriso, you have been delivered from the sinful flesh and the power of sin and death. You have been made free from all guilt, shame, and condemnation of your old life.
Now that you have been made righteous in Christ, you shall walk righteous (a.o. Roma 6::12-23, 1 Korinito 15:34, 2 Korinito 5:21, 1 Timoteo 6:11-12).
O e le toe avea ma tagata agasala, who walks after the flesh and habitually live in sin. But you have become a new creation, who is seated in Jesus Christ. and made righteous. O lea la, you shall walk after the Spirit in obedience to God in righteousness and not after the flesh in disobedience to God in sin. (Faitau foi: ‘What is the breastplate of righteousness?‘)
Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
Jesus commanded, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and teach the nations (a.o. Mataio 28:19-20, Mareko 16:15). Since this is the commandment, that Jesus has given to all His disciples, aofia ai ma oe, this will be your mission.
Afai e te alofa moni ia Iesu, as you say you do, then you will do, O LE A LE MEA E FAI AI Iesu. Just go your way and you will meet people, to whom you can share and bring the gospel of peace.
Especially in the world today, truth and peace are something that all people are looking for. Ae peitai, many times people look in the wrong places and are influenced by deceptive doctrines and false religions.
That’s mainly because many Christians don’t do what Jesus has commanded them to do. They are more focused on themselves; their personal life and family, than on lost souls that wander around (Faitau foi: Afai e nofo le leoa Kerisiano, o le a taofia le tafeaga o le pouliuli?).
It is not difficult to bring and preach the gospel to the people. If your heart is full of Jesus, you will speak about Jesus. J
Don’t let fear hold you back, but be a witness of Jesus Christ and tell the people about Jesus Christ and what Jesus has done in your life. Ae peitai, don’t turn the gospel into heated debates. O le taimi lava e te matauina ai, that a person is not willing to receive the gospel, then don’t get pushy, but stop.
The gospel is a holy matter, if people don’t want to receive it, then that is their choice. You can never force a person. (Faitau foi: ‘What does it mean your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace?‘).
Ae sili atu i mea uma, ave le talita o le faatuatua
The whole gospel revolves around faith in Jesus Christ, le Upu. Before Jesus’ crucifixion and before Jesus was scourged at the whipping post, Jesus confirmed people’s belief and unbelief. There were people, who didn’t believe in Jesus Christ, but there were also many people, who believed in Jesus Christ as the Healer, o le Mesia, and Son of God and turned to Him. They acknowledged His authority and believed the living Word of God.
To believe the Word of God and have faith in the Word of God, e tatau ona e iloa le Afioga a le Atua. Lau faith in Christ; le Afioga a le Atua, is your shield of faith and is needed. Why is the shield of faith needed? Your shield of faith is needed to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. What could these fiery darts of the wicked be?
The fiery darts are coming from the wicked. ‘Poñeros’ is the Greek word for ‘wicked’.and means a.o. faatiga, o lena lava, leaga, leaga (mea), more evil, amio leaga (mea), lotoleaga, lotoleaga, malignant, bad, fa'anoanoa, leaga, amio matagā, leaga, worthless, sauā.
These fiery darts not only come directly from the devil, but might also come from the people around you with whom you are close. They will often unconsciously fire a fiery dart at you. But when you stay in the truth of God’s Word and stay in Christ then you will not be hit.
Believe what the Word of God says and not what the people or the world (faiga) fai.
If you believe what the Word says, and stay in the Word, then no dart can harm you. But if you leave the Word, by believing the words of the world above the Word of God, and act upon these words, then these fiery darts will hurt you. (Faitau foi: ‘O le a le Talipupuni o le Faatuatua?’).
Take the helmet of salvation
The helmet of salvation protects your mind (ou manatu) by faith in Him. You can only overcome the spiritual battle in your minds (ou manatu) e ala mai ia Iesu Keriso; le Upu.
Ae ia tatou, o ai o le aso, ia agalelei, tuu i luga o le ufifatafata o le faʻatuatua ma le alofa; and for a helmet, Le Faamoemoe o le Faaolataga. Aua e leʻi tofia e le Atua iā te i matou, ae ia maua le faaolataga e lo matou Alii o Iesu Keriso, O ai na maliu mo i tatou, lena, Pe ua tatou ala pe moe, e tatau ona tatou nonofo faatasi ma Ia (1 Tesalonia 5:8).
Aua e ui lava tatou te savavali i le tino, tatou te le tau pe a mavae le tino: Aua o auupega o a tatou taua e le faaletino, ae malosi e ala i le Atua i le tosoina i lalo o taofiga malolosi) Faaitiitia o mafaufauga, o mea maualuluga uma fo‘i e fa‘amaualuga o ia lava i le poto o le Atua, Ma aumai i totonu o le tapa i manatu uma i le usiusitai o Keriso; Ma le sauni i le tauimasui e taui ma le le usiusitaʻi uma, A faʻataunuʻuina lou usiusitaʻi (2 Korinito 10:3-5)
When a thought enters your mind, that opposes the words of God, take a Bible verse about that subject. Toe faafouina lou mafaufau with the words of God and take that evil thought captive. This way you destroy every stronghold of the enemy in your mind.
Fa'ata'ita'iga, if you experience anxiety or panic attacks in your life, then this is mainly because your mind is full of thoughts of worry, fefe, and anxiety that control your mind. If you want to take control over those anxious and fearful thoughts, all you have to do is, take a scripture about peace:
Fa'aeteete mo se mea; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Ma le manuia o le Atua, lea e pasi uma malamalama, e leoleoina o outou loto ma o outou mafaufau ia Keriso Iesu (Filipi 4:6-7)
Believe these words of God and memorize His words, repeat it out loud over and over again, and walk according to these words. O le ae vaai, that the peace of God, lea e pasi uma malamalama, will control your mind.
Na fetalai Iesu, that He would leave His peace with you. His peace is His Word, that He gave you. If you take His words, faafou lou mafaufau ma Ana afioga, and apply His words to your life, you will experience His peace.
Auā e vave le Afioga a le Atua, ma mamana, and sharper than any two-edged sword and divides soul and spirit. (Eperu 4:12 (Faitau foi: ‘O le a le puloutau o le faaolataga?’).
Take the sword of the Spirit
The Word of God is your Sword. When you enter the battlefield, you can’t go and fight without your sword, otherwise you’re destined to lose. If you don’t have a sword, it won’t be long before the enemy overtakes you. That’s why it is important to know the Bible. You cannot live and fight without the Word of God, it is vital!
The devil knows that the Word of God is powerful. He knows that the Word of God is the only weapon that can destroy him and his kingdom.
That’s why the devil, o ai le pule o lenei lalolagi, keeps you away from the Word of God. His purpose in your life is to stop you from gaining knowledge of the Word and keep you ignorant about the knowledge of the truth of God. So that you won’t apply God’s knowledge and truth to your life and do His will and be victorious.
How does the devil accomplish his mission? By using aoaoga faavae sese, that derive from his wisdom and knowledge (le poto ma le malamalama o le lalolagi).
He uses distractions and natural means to keep you busy and distract you from the Kingdom of God, pei faafiafiaga, televise, computers, taaloga, (agafesootai) ala o faasalalauga, ma isi..
And if you want to read the Bible or pray, he uses fatigue or cast thoughts in your mind that cause you to wander.
E manao le tiapolo e pulea lou mafaufau, so that you will have his mind and do his will. O lea la, he prevents you from renewing your mind with the Word so that you won’t have the mind of Christ and do His will.
The devil fills your mind with his junk for hours. O lena la, when you read your Bible, your mind will be distracted, by all the things you watched and read, and you’ll not be able to focus and receive the things of God.
How sharp is your sword?
O lea la, it is good to set a fixed time every day and spend that time with the Lord and pray and read and study the Bible. So that your sword be sharp and not blunt
Fai mai le Atua, that you should meditate on His Word, aso ma le po, and that His Word should not depart from your mouth (a.o. Iosua 1:8).
Read the Scriptures thoroughly word by word. It is better to read one chapter slowly, word by word, and let it sink in your mind and understand it, then quickly read ten chapters and shortly after you’ve read it, forget what you’ve read.
Think about what you’ve read, meditate on the words of God and apply the words of God into your life.
You can also take a Scripture each day, and memorize the words of God during the day. When you fill your mind with the Word, the Holy Spirit will bring it to your remembrance, at the time you need it (Faitau foi: What is the Sword of the Spirit?).
Pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit
When you have put on the whole armor of God, the Word commands you to pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Speaking in other tongues is praying in the Spirit which is needed to edify yourself so that you become and stay spiritually strong.
Watch with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Don’t focus on yourself, but pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pray for all Christians worldwide, that they may speak boldly the Word of God and make known the mystery of the gospel to the people, so that many souls be saved for Christ and redeemed from the power of darkness. (Faitau foi: ‘Praying always with all supplication in the Spirit‘).
When you put on the armor of God, Ua e ofuina Keriso. You walk in Him as the new man (le foafoaga fou).
If you would like to know what armor David used to conquer Goliath, atonu e te manao e faitau: How to overcome your Goliath in life?
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
