Ephesians 6:10-17
Ephesians 6:14
Righteousness means to have a RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD. It has to do with our relationship with God. Righteousness cannot be worked for.Righteousness is higher than good works. It is imputed unto us as Christians when we become born again.
Even though the Lord has clothed us with His righteousness, it is our responsibility to keep it on by living lives compatible to his word. It means to walk a walk of cleanliness and to guard our hand against any corruption.
The breastplate of righteousness is the piece of armour that protects your heart. To be righteous is to always do the right thing according to God’s standards. When you are righteous, your heart is protected against the tricks of the devil. The moment you stop being righteous, you expose your heart to all manners of sin in the world, and this is how backsliding starts. The devil is after your heart; this is why Proverbs 4:23 says:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
The devil wants to turn your heart away from God, so he suggests sin to you every now and then. However, if your breastplate of righteousness is intact, you will not fall. The devil will present something that does not seem really bad to you. I have always said it, if it is not really bad, it is already bad; stay away from it. If you do that which does not really seem bad, you have opened up your heart to accommodate even more sin. Before you realise it, you will start doing things that you said you would never do again; this is how believers backslide.
Is the devil already presenting something that does not seem really bad to you, and you are already making up an excuse for yourself to do it? Desist from that thing immediately; his plan is to get you to remove your breastplate of righteousness so that your heart can become open for his attacks. If a Christian’s breastplate is off and the devil attacks his or her heart, it is instant death. Removing every form of carnality from your life is the only way to keep your breastplate of righteousness on.
Your thoughts should dwell on spiritual things (Philippians 4:8). If your mind is drawn to carnal things rather than spiritual things, you are in a dangerous state, but when your mind is drawn to spiritual things, the temptations to be unrighteous will become less effective on you. This is why Romans 8:6 says:
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Beloved, don’t let the little things of this world open you up to spiritual death. If something seems bad, stay away because it will only lead to spiritual death.
shalom.
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