Dressed For Success

Dressed for Success

Opening question: Have you ever tried to change something and felt like you had no power to change it? Have you ever done something really stupid and had no clue why you did it?

Ephesians 6:10-13

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Why do you think Paul says we need to be strong in Gods power?

1. Our nature is to rely on our selves.
2. We are powerless against our own sinful nature.
3. in order for us to be strong our strength has to come from God.

What does it mean by "the devil's schemes"?

1. Scheme means to devise a plan or plot an action.
2. The devil's scheme is to devise a plan or plot an action to separate you from a relationship with God.

How does he do that?

1. Through temptation
2. Worldly troubles, hard times.
3. Deceit
4. Relationships

Are his schemes allays obvious? Why?

What do you need in order to stand up against his schemes? The full armor of God (vs. 11)

What do you think Paul means by "our struggle is not against flesh and blood"?

• Vs 13 Says "when the day of evil comes" there is no "if". We are all in this battle whether we want to be or not. There are no by standers. What do we need in order to stand up against it?

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Belt of Truth:

1. What do you think the belt of truth represents?
2. How important is it?

The Breastplate of Righteousness:

1. Why do you think Paul uses a Breastplate to describe righteousness?

The Shield of Faith:

1. Why do you think Paul describes our faith in God as a shield?

The Helmet of Salvation:

1. How does a helmet relate to salvation?

The Sword of The Spirit

1. How is Gods word used as a sword?

If the word of God is what we use to fight back against the devils schemes, how important is it to train your self. How much training do you think you need?

In vs 11 & 13 it said we need to "put on the FULL armor of God". What good would it do to have the Belt of Truth and no shield or sword?

The order in which we dress our selves in Gods armor is significant too in been able to stand in Gods power and over come. Think about it.

In order to put on the Helmet of Salvation what has to happen?

1. We have to seek the truth
2. Repent and make a decision to live righteously
3. We need to accept the Gospel of Christ and share it with others
4. We need to have faith in God and make him Lord of our lives
5. After baptism what are we given? The sword of the Spirit!

Challenge: Take the first step. Are you willing to seek the truth?