Martha Olawale

“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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17

We spend so much time thinking about what to wear to different occasions and putting our looks together takes effort. It also depends on where we are heading to. It’s easier when we are picking an outfit for movie time at home than movie time out of the house. What we wear and how we wear it speaks volumes about our personality and where we are headed. You don’t put on a suit and tie when you go to the gym and a soldier does not enter the battle arena wearing an ugly Christmas sweater with neon lights on it. The same holds true for our spiritual garments and it’s important for us to mind how we show up in life’s arena.

I am not particularly a fashionista, but I love quality things because they last and hold their value longer. I will spend a little more on a round-neck tee shirt if I get a better value from the designer. I apply the same principle to my walk with Christ. I weigh the value of all that I enjoy following Him with the worth of losing it all for momentary gains.

As Christians, we need to decide who designs what we wear spiritually. Is it Christ or culture? Have we attached some add-on pieces to our faith as we journey along, picking on embellishments that do not match Heaven’s design? Just like no worldly designer will appreciate alterations to his/her design, God wants us to model His designs as we walk through life’s runway just as He made them. He wants us to walk in truth, love, peace, righteousness, and integrity, holding on to our shield of faith, so it could help us extinguish the flaming arrows all around us.

As children of God, it’s crucial for us to look “the part” because how we show up in the world reflects where we are headed. Many of us are walking around in tattered clothes, spiritually, forgetting the saying, “The way you are dressed is the way you will be addressed.” We’ve become so accustomed to the world we live in that we neglect the fact that Heaven is our goal and that our final destination is flawless.

Many of us have set aside our armor, replacing the belt of truth for lies and our breastplate of righteousness for filthy temporal gratifications. Before we head out the door daily, it’s vital for us to look through the mirror of Heaven and ask ourselves, “What am I wearing?” As Christians, are we living conscious of ungodly attachments to our spiritual garments and are we intentional about allowing God to peel off our excesses and rip off worldly patches we’ve picked up along the way? What we wear as citizens of Heaven matters, and it’s on us to guard how we show up on the world’s stage.