It’s all about the uniform. When my son was little, he would lay out his uniform in proper order beside his bed the night before a game. My daughter’s favorite day of dance class was the day the costumes came in for the recital. People spend a lot of time selecting clothing for their social media avatar. The Olympics are here! Part of the fun of watching is seeing the uniforms the teams are sporting, from the time they are introduced to when they appear to compete.

One of my favorite things to think about is the equipment and uniform we are given as followers of Jesus. He fully outfits us to stand tall and firm on His winning team! He warns that we will need to wear this uniform constantly to stand firm against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Why people who refuse Jesus so actively oppose Him and His teachings, baffles me. His ideals and teachings don’t cause harm, but rather offer abundant benefits to individuals and societies. Perhaps the dissidents’ consciences impose guilt or shame, or internally they wrestle with the possibility that His Word is Truth yet their pride won’t let them accept it.  Those who refute His message don’t just disregard but often rage against Christians and their beliefs. Jesus was killed because leaders felt threatened by the masses of people clamoring to hear and know Him so they came against Him with fury. Jesus said that the same trouble would come upon those who followed Him – however, by rising from the dead, He claimed victory against death and every enemy. Jesus also promised this victory to everyone on His team! “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

When we make Jesus our Savior and Lord, He gives us a uniform. Ephesians 6:10-18 says “put on the full armor of God, so when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground”. (Ephesians 6:13)

• We get the “belt of truth” that reminds us that Jesus is our central truth, the standard we use to measure things for their alignment to that truth. (v. 14)
• The “breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14) protects our hearts with the knowledge that Jesus Christ died to remove our sins, thus allowing us to stand clean (righteous) before Almighty God. Our motivations now take on an eternal, victorious perspective.
• He fits “our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (v. 15) We stand firm against attacks – natural and supernatural. We pursue what is right. We flee from what is evil. All the while, we walk in His peace that reigns even in the worst chaos.
• We have “the shield of faith, with which [we] can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (v. 16) The enemy doesn’t play around. He seeks “to steal, kill, and destroy”.(John 10:10) Jesus is stronger. Our faith defends us with the knowledge that we don’t fight alone or as one who will lose. “The God of peace will soon crush satan under [our] feet.” (Romans 16:20)
• We have the “helmet of salvation”(Ephesians 6:17). When we belong to Jesus, our minds are guarded. We are confident in who we are and whose we are. Our thinking isn’t influenced or shaken by the culture around us.
• We have the privilege to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”. I call this the hand gauntlets of prayer. (v. 18) How marvelous that we can have an audience with the King of kings at any time to invoke the power of His will over our situations.
• We also are given a defensive weapon: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (v. 17) His Word, the Bible, is our user manual, our guidebook, our policies and procedures, our book of promises, a love letter from our Creator to us, and our proclamation of victory against whatever may come.

We must keep each piece of the armor well-maintained and in good working order. We intentionally live in the confidence of His truth, and of our salvation and righteousness through Him. We walk in peace on the path where He leads us. We lean into Him as we pray and study His Word to strengthen our faith.  

Having a uniform without wearing it does not identify us as belonging to the team. We must put it on and wear it with the joy and confidence of one who is victorious! “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”! (Romans 8:37)