Clothing as armor for the coming battle
In scripture, the preparation that God provides for future challenges by revealing more of himself to you is called the armor of God, the armor of righteousness, and the armor of light.1 God prepares you for coming challenges2 by exposing you to the limits of your present understanding and providing you access to something better. For example, God gave Adam and Eve instructions and clothed them in coats of animal skins after their fall but before their expulsion from Eden to protect them from the conditions they would experience in the fallen world.
God will not force you to notice or take up the preparation he provides. He will show you more about himself and give you every sufficient reason to choose to become more like him, but he will never force you to become like him. The preparation for what is to come is always reachable from where you presently stand, but you have to notice and make use of it.
One reason warnings from God go unnoticed and unheeded is because they often come in times of seeming prosperity3 to those who stop improving beyond what seems good enough for now. The only way to ensure you are as equipped for life’s challenges as you could be is to improve in all things at all times, to the full extent of your capability.
Even when a person strives to do the best they know of, they can reject God’s warnings when they refuse to adopt better choices when presented. Invitations of this type usually come through other people1683 whose ability to see afar off1684 gives them a different and more accurate perspective of the long-term consequences of your present course1685 and the existence of another superior option.
When you ignore the warnings God provides, he allows you to experience the consequences of what you would have been saved from in order to persuade you to be more likely to listen the next time.1686
Footnotes
- 1. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:10-18) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12) See also 2 Corinthians 6:7. ↩
- 2. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) ↩
- 3. And also, after that they had heard him, they came up before him, saying: Behold, we are the sons of God; have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men? And are we not eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage? And our wives bear unto us children, and the same are mighty men, which are like unto men of old, men of great renown. And they hearkened not unto the words of Noah. (Moses 8:21) ↩