“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesian 6:10-11
The term armour describes the protective uniform the soldier wears to protect himself. In the same way, God has provided us with protective, supernatural armour that protects us in our spiritual walk. We must not become complacent and realise that the enemy of our souls doesn’t take vacations and say, “let’s give these Christians a break”, “let’s retreat”. He is constantly roaming around to see who he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
Without the whole armour, we will not be successful; this means every element of the armour is essential to obtain victory. If we are not fully covered or fully equipped, we are vulnerable to the assaults of the enemy. If we have the sword 
yet ignore the praying with all prayer and supplication, we leave ourselves open and vulnerable. Likewise, if we have the Word and study it with all diligence but have not surrendered and given our lives to Christ and have not the helmet of salvation, our study is in vain. There is an emphasis on the whole, complete armour of God that enables us to overcome.
We all have a natural preference; some love the word, and some are inclined to meet the needs of the poor. Others have a passion for prayer and fasting. But God calls us to balance, to be fully dressed. We should not just put on our favourite shoes but also put on our helmets and the things of the spirit that we may find challenging to engage in. It is so vital that we examine our lives often when we are encountering the onslaught of the enemy, a good question to ask ourselves is, am I equipped? Am I standing dressed with the armour God has given me to be victorious? Am I, by the Grace of God, doing my part to ensure I am covered?
Lord, we pray for your grace to do a complete spiritual health check to ensure we are embracing the whole armour of God and not merely our pet spiritual disciplines. Lord, I pray for balance and alignment that we will be able to overcome the attacks of the enemy. Lord where we have neglected the armour and have left ourselves vulnerable, I ask you for the grace and the power to stand wearing the complete armour, while picking up our sword and shield and positioning ourselves for battle in Jesus mighty name.
Much love in Christ
Your Sister,
Ruth 
Pursuing Holiness