Armour of God: Spiritual Technologies

Ephesians 6 v 10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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.

A technology is a tool or a method which allows humans to more efficiently interact with the World. The better the tool, the less work is required to get the desired outcome.

In Genesis, technological development comes out of Cain’s line. By using technology, his descendants became less reliant on God. Which, incidentally, then led to a multiplication of sin and the Flood.

Genesis 4 v 21-22

His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.

Whereas Tubal-Cain made tools, Jubal created stringed instruments and pipes. There is a theory that this is a reference to the performance of religious rituals. So spiritual technologies appear in Genesis 4 alongside physical tools.

Spiritual technologies are similar to other forms of technology. They provide a shortcut path for people to interact with the spiritual realm.

God lays out in the Bible how people can safely connect with thus world. Using spiritual techniques, rituals and protocols outside of what God allows will lead ultimately to disastrous results.

Along with the prohibited spiritual practices mentioned in the Bible (idolatry, witchcraft, etc), modern spiritual technologies include administering psychedelics, yoga and using the Law of Attraction.

God’s Spiritual Gifts

God does not use spiritual technologies. Instead He gives His children gifts. The New Testament mentions some of them in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and many other places.

Christians do not have to practice a particular prayer to get God to do something. We are told to just simply ask.

Matthew 7 v 7

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

We don’t need to carry out repetitive mental or spiritual techniques to see preferred outcomes in our lives. We tell God our needs and trust Him to provide.

Christians have no need for spiritual technologies as God is our provider. It’s not what we do, but it’s what He does.

In fact, I would go as far to say that any spiritual power which comes from deploying a technique, is not from God.

Spiritual Attacks

There are offensive spiritual technologies. These attack a person’s value system, warps their reality and creates irrational fear and confusion. They undermine the fundamental core of a person’s identity, their essence and ‘who they are’.

They can be used on communities, cultures and nations. And, in this time of mass social media, they can be very effective.

Armour of God

God provides a gift to protect us from these spiritual threats. It is called the Armour of God. This series will unpack what the Armour is made up of and how it helps us against the principalities and powers which seek power to destroy us.