The purpose of the armor of God is to stand against the wiles of the devil and withstand in the evil day, na baada ya kufanya yote, kusimama. Kwa maana hamshindani na nyama na damu (Watu), bali dhidi ya wakuu, dhidi ya mamlaka, dhidi ya wakuu wa giza hili, dhidi ya uovu wa kiroho katika maeneo ya juu. What does Ephesians 6:11-13 maana?
We are living in the evil day
When we look around us, we see that we live in the evil day. The faithfulness to God and the upendo kwa Mungu decreases and the ungodliness (uovu) increases. But this already happened in the days of the apostles.
In the days of the apostles the devil also went about stealing, seeking whom he could tempt with his lies and Mafundisho, renouncing God, and destroying people (Yohana 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8). Because that was the mission of the devil and that is still the mission of the devil. Since his nature and will have not changed.
Although the message in many churches have been changed by people, the truth of God and His Word never changes.
As the day of Yesu’ Kurudi is approaching, the devil becomes grimmer, because he knows that his end is near.
The devil knows what his final destination and the final destinations of all the adversaries of God will be. That’s why the devil victimizes as many people as possible and take them with him into the eternal lake of fire.
How does the devil victimize people? By tempting people in the flesh and letting their flesh reign as king in their lives. Because as long as the flesh reigns as king in the lives of people, people shall obey and serve the devil instead of God. (Soma pia: ‘Nguvu ya shetani inaendeshwa na dhambi')
Biblia (Neno la Mungu) teaches how you can stand against the wiles of the devil and stand in the evil day, and that’s by putting on the whole armor of God.
How do you put on the armor of God?
You put on the armor of God by putting on Christ. Hii ina maana gani? When you are baptized and kuzaliwa mara ya pili katika Kristo, you have put on Christ and are clothed with the spiritual armor of God, which is also your priestly garment. This change in the spiritual realm shall become visible in the natural realm. Wewe achana na yule mzee, ambaye ana asili ya shetani, na vaeni mtu mpya, ambaye ameumbwa kwa mfano wa Mungu.
Kwa maana ninyi nyote mmekuwa wana wa Mungu kwa njia ya imani katika Kristo Yesu. Maana ninyi nyote mliobatizwa katika Kristo mmemvaa Kristo (Wagalatia 3:26-27)
Basi, dhambi isitawale ndani ya miili yenu ipatikanayo na mauti, mpate kuitii katika matamanio yake. Wala msitoe viungo vyenu kuwa silaha za dhuluma kwa dhambi: bali jitoeni wenyewe kwa Mungu, kama wale walio hai kutoka kwa wafu, na viungo vyenu kuwa vyombo vya haki kwa Mungu (Warumi 6:12-13).
Usiku umepita sana, siku imekaribia: basi tuyatupilie mbali matendo ya giza, na tuvae silaha za nuru. Wacha tutembee kwa uaminifu, kama siku; si kwa fujo na ulevi, si kwa ufisadi na ufisadi, si kwa ugomvi na husuda. Bali mvaeni Bwana Yesu Kristo, wala msiuangalie mwili, kutimiza matamanio yake (Warumi 13:12-14).
Unapozaliwa mara ya pili, you are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God. You are no longer a servant of the kingdom of darkness and don’t serve the devil anymore. Therefore you shall no longer put your members as weapons of unrighteousness (weapons of darkness) kwa nje.
Badala yake, you have become a servant of the Kingdom of God and you shall serve God. Therefore you shall put your members as weapons of righteousness (weapons of the light) kwa Mungu. (Soma pia: ‘Silaha ya Mwanga’ na ‘Silaha za giza‘)
How do you wear the armor of God?
Kadiri unavyokaa ndani ya Yesu Kristo; neno, you are clothed with the spiritual armor of God. You are saved in Him by His blood (helmet of salvation), mmefanywa kuwa wenye haki katika Yeye. Therefore you shall do works of righteousness (breastplate of righteousness), you shall walk in the truth of the Word and speak the truth (loins girt with the truth), you shall walk by faith in the Word, ambayo kwa hiyo mtaweza kuizima mishale yote yenye moto ya yule mwovu (shield of faith).
With and through the Word of God, which is your spiritual Sword (the Sword of the Spirit), you divide asunder your soul and spirit and tear down every stronghold of the devil in your mind and around you.
You shall preach and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people (feed shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace).
Kuomba daima kwa maombi yote na dua katika Roho, watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, that utterance may be given to them. So that they will make known the mystery of the gospel and speak boldly as they ought to speak. That’s the purpose of the armor of God and how you wear the armor of God (Waefeso 6:10-20).
You don’t put on and put off the spiritual armor of God, but you’re always clothed with the spiritual armor of God. Leastwise, as long as you stay in Christ and walk after the Spirit. Because when you leave Christ and trust and rely upon your flesh, it won’t be long before the devil deceives you with his lies.
Without the spiritual armor of God, you are not able to stand against the wiles of the devil and you shall not be able to stand in the evil day. Why do you have to withstand the temptations of the devil and be able to stand in the evil day? So that you will stay obedient to God and His Word and don’t become disobedient to God and His Word and sin.
The devil will try everything he can to keep you away from the Word, kwa steal the Word from your heart, and to make you enter sideways, which will lead you to destruction. He shall do everything he can to keep you in his power so that you stay wasiomtii Mungu na maneno yake.
Ibilisi anaweza kukujaribu kufanya dhambi, lakini haiwezi kukufanya utende dhambi
Sasa basi sisi ni mabalozi wa Kristo, kana kwamba Mungu anasihi kwa sisi: we pray you in Christ's stead, mpatanishwe na Mungu. Kwa maana amemfanya kuwa dhambi kwa ajili yetu, ambaye hakujua dhambi; ili tupate kufanywa haki ya Mungu ndani yake (2 Wakorintho 5:20-21)
Kwa bahati mbaya, not many Christians study the Word for themselves. Kwa hiyo, they don’t know the true meaning of the cross, wao ni nani katika Kristo, and what authority they have received as the new creation in Him. They stay ignorant and through the lies of the devil, they stay in the bondage of sin and death. They don’t know how to be redeemed from sin. They stay the old man and live as slaves of the devil, sometimes even until the day that they die.
Lakini ukweli ni, that you have been given in Jesus Christ all authority in heaven and on earth to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and withstand the wiles of the devil.
The power of Jesus Christ is greater than the power of the devil.
Ibilisi anaweza kukujaribu kufanya dhambi, Lakini shetani hawezi kukulazimisha kufanya dhambi.
Yesu alikuwa Mzaliwa wa kwanza ya uumbaji mpya, and loved God so much and knew His Father so well, that when the devil tried to tempt Jesus with promises from God’s Word, He didn’t give in to his temptations. (Soma pia: ‘I will give you the riches of the earth').
Jesus was tempted by the devil all the time. Therefore Jesus is able to enter experientially into a fellow feeling with our infirmities because He was tempted and tested in all points just as we are, Walakini bila dhambi (Waebrania 4:15-16)
Wewe ni mmoja, who decides to follow the example of Adam (Mzee) or to follow the example of Jesus (mtu mpya).
You decide whose words you believe and who you will serve: Yesu, who reigns in the spirit or the devil, anayetawala katika mwili. There is only one, who can reign in your life and you decide, who it’s gonna be. (Soma pia: ‘Wewe ni mtumwa wa nani?')
The old man blames it on the devil
The old man never wants to take responsibility for their actions, makosa, or failures, lakini daima blames others Many people blame the devil for their sins, but that’s not right. Because it’s not a secret, that we have an adversary; shetani, but a fact, because the Word has revealed it. That the devil tries to tempt people should not be a surprise either, because the Word has also made that known to us.
The Word kept nothing hidden but has revealed everything what people need to know about God, Yesu Kristo, Roho Mtakatifu, njia ya wokovu, and to live holy lives unto God. But because many Christians don’t read and study the Bible and don’t know the Word they stay ignorant. Through their lack of knowledge of God’s Word and their ignorance the devil and his army can continue their destructive works in the lives of people without any interference
The devil works in the flesh and the Word says, miongoni mwa wengine, that the temptations come forth through the desires of the flesh (Yakobo 1:13-15).
Kwa hiyo, as long as the flesh reigns as king in the lives of people and the people stay carnal and walk after the flesh, the temptations shall always be present.
As long as people listen to their carnal lusts and obey their lusts, they shall walk in sin.
Is the devil responsible for that? Hapana, since after the Kuja kwa Yesu Kristo na baada Kifo chake na ufufuo, people have a choice, and have received authority and power to lay down the old man (mwili) Weka juu ya mtu mpya (Roho) and walk as sons of God after the Spirit.
People decide, through their will, to obey the devil and give in to the temptations, which will bring forth sin and eventually death or to not obey the devil.
The people can blame the devil, or even kumlaumu Mungu, but the truth is that no one is responsible than the people themselves.
Hii ndio sababu, ni muhimu tubu na kuzaliwa tena, so that your spirit will be raised from the dead and you become a uumbaji mpya. As soon as you become a new creation it’s time to fanya upya akili yako pamoja na Neno la Mungu, so that you will get to know the Word and the Truth and shall obey the Word. You shall become a doer of the Word and walk in faith after the Spirit in the will of God and are clothed with the spiritual armor of God and be untouchable.
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia’
