Bible study – The Armour of God – Week 1

Hey lovelies,

This time I wanted to do something I’ve never done before & that’s to share my bible study with you. My aim is to share it with you as we go through them in our bible study group, I will share the questions asked in the study & the answers I gave.The book will have lots of info that I won’t be posting because of copyright, so I do recommend that you get yourself a copy. We have a week to do the study at home & then we come together & go through it together as a group study.

One thing I’ve realised about myself is that I struggle to open my bible at random & read but if I’m working through a study book, it’s easier for me. I feel the study we have just started is going to be a difficult one to go through but I also feel it’s an essential study for every Christian, after all, we all need the amour of God.

The Amour of God

Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God
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. 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. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

I highlighted this piece out of the book because I wanted it to stand out, so I thought I’d share it with you –

Week 1 –

Q&A –

1 –

• Where do you think evil originates?
• What is your understanding of the devil/the adversary/satan?

Satan is an arrogant creature, who wanted all the power & worship God has & because he can’t have it, he changed tack & is trying to take as many of Gods children as he can.

2 – Read Matthew 4:1-11.

• What lies behind each of these temptations?
• They are all appealing to human need – hunger, importance, possessions.
• What similar temptations do people give in to in todays society & what sort of person might such temptations appeal to?
• Unhealthy foods, pornography, drugs, alcohol, gambling, theft, betrayal, lies. They appeal in some form to all humans.

3 – Read Ephesians 6:12

• What are we up against according to Ephesians 6:12?
• We are up against the devil, his dark forces & their mind tricks.
• Are any of your answers also covered by question 2?
• Satan will try literally anything to distract, tempt & cause us to sway from God (I nearly didn’t do this post for today, I started to work on one that would have taken me ages & this one wouldn’t have been done, it’s the subtle distractions that are the worst because they are not always noticed for quite a while).

4 – Read Ephesians 6:10-14

• Find the references to ‘stand’ in Ephesians 6:10-14. Explore the differences between what it is ‘to stand’ & ‘to fight’.
• To stand – strong in faith & who we are in God, know the truth of Gods love.
• To fight – There is a time for fighting for what is right & for those who can’t fight for themselves but there’s always a risk of becoming angry & wanting to lash out & that’s exactly what the devil wants us to do! Pray to God for help & guidance in these situations – He knows what He’s doing).

5 – Note the two references to the ‘full amour of God’ (in these same verses).

• What does this tell us & what is our responsibility?
• To be more aware of our thoughts, words & actions, not forgetting those around us may be used to trip us up, no matter what relationship we have with them. Satan will use anyone!

6 – Read Colossians 2:8 – (When I came to this question, I should’ve read the verses around this verse because my answers changed when we read the verses around it during the study, I don’t think I like the answers I originally gave but I never wrote down my new answers, so here’s my original ones!)

• A soldier does not want to be taken captive. What does Paul warn us about how we might be taken captive in Colossians 2:8 & How might this happen in twenty-first-century life?
• Don’t get wrapped up in Easter or Christmas earthly traditions – remember their origins. Elemental forces – sayings like – thank mother nature/mother earth, isn’t mother nature/mother earth beautiful – paganism?!

7 – Read 2 Kings 6:15-17 – (here’s another one where I should have read more verses)

• Do you need to ‘see’ a different perspective?
• I used to see rows & circles of warriors of fire when I used to pray with focus for Gods protection on anything or anyone! Gods protection is everywhere, all the time, helping us & protecting us. All we have to do is ask for it & it is ours!

8 –

• How easy do you find it to stand firm & what areas do you find most difficult?
• Right now, it’s not so easy. Richards health is where I struggle the most & where I lose my resolve the quickest!

The reason for reading more verses around the one relating to a question is to get a better understanding & to get context.

There is personal application bit at the end of each week & it’s to help us with the week ahead –

Well, that was my 1st weeks study for The Amour of God.

• ~what question would you struggle with?~
• ~what would your answers be?~

I hope you're having an amazing week.

Bye for now.