The Armour of God -1

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." - Eph 6:10
Isn't it a little strange to start a passage with the word 'finally'? This word is usually used towards the end of something, not the beginning. So when the apostle Paul begins his discourse on the armour of God and spiritual warfare with the word 'finally' we know that he is talking about these things at the end of something else. In other words, we are to think of spiritual warfare only after some other things because it is really part of a bigger picture.
Now, what exactly are these other things that we must think of? To find out we just need to look at the preceding verses in Eph 5 & 6.
It is natural for most Christians to get excited when we talk about things like spiritual warfare, principalities, taking down strongholds, etc. But one thing we must always remember is that spiritual warfare is primarily fought on a personal level. We can speak of Satanic strongholds and principalities over cities and nations. But all such talk is meaningless if we are losing our personal battles with the devil. Remember that Satan does not seek the eternal damnation of a city or a piece of land; he's concerned with the damnation of individual souls living on that piece of land. So remember that spiritual warfare is waged on a personal level and involves individual human beings.
Having said this, let us return to how Paul starts this passage with the word 'finally'. In the preceding verses in chapters 5 and 6, he talks about how the children of God should treat others and each other. In other words, he talks about works(how we should behave and what we should and should not do)
Nowadays we emphasize having a personal faith and working on our relationship with God but tend to forget that many times God measures our love for Him by our love for our fellow human beings(1 Jn 3:10, 1 Jn 4:20, Matt 25:34-46)
We are saved by faith alone but not by faith that is alone. True faith is always accompanied by good works. Works are the evidence of a sound and living faith. For example, if I cannot forgive my fellow human being who has wronged me how can I claim God's forgiveness for my sins, by faith?(Lk 6:37, 11:4, Matt 6:15)
Or if I live my life putting myself, my ego, my feelings, my pride before all else, how does this prove my faith in the God who has commanded me to love my neighbour as myself?
But then, what does all this have to do with the armour of God??? Well, consider a man who goes into battle properly equipped with the right armour. But on reaching the battlefield he realizes that he has neither the strength to move about in the armour nor does he have the training or knowledge to use that armour! How long do you think such a man will last in an intense battle?
Talking about the armour of God is meaningless unless our life shows the fruit of our faith; fruit that manifests itself as good works, in the way we treat the people around us.
In order to live the way our Lord expects us to live, we must know about the armour He gives us. But to effectively use this armour and lead a victorious life we must live a life of consistent obedience to God and His Word, as has been discussed above. Don't kid yourself by thinking, "There are issues in my life and I need time to deal with them." No, they're not 'issues that need to be dealt with' gradually but it is 'sin that must be turned away from' immediately!
The people around us living in darkness are desparate for a glimpse of the Light that will give them life. How can you let them live and die in darkness whilst you who have the Light inside you are too busy dealing with your 'issues'?!
Besides, tomorrow may be too late, even for you...