August 2026 Magazine Article: Put On the Whole Armor of God

Jul 31, 2026 | A Blast From the Past 2

VOE Magazine, 1983

Put On the Whole Armor of God

“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13).

There are three forms of attacks from Satan, and they can be likened in military terms to:

• A frontal assault (from the flank)
• A siege or blockade
• An invasion or an occupation.

The experience of temptation, whether directly or indirectly, is a straightforward assault. When the enemy keeps the pressure on, this may be called “oppression”.

A blockade is when the enemy surrounds the area. This implies that, for a period of time, the enemy is surrounding our lives with destructive devices set for the kill. Satan does not possess the area but prevents it from functioning properly.

The invasion or occupation is where the enemy controls our lives, and the person is brought under the control of demonic power. (This can happen when a person willfully rejects the gospel and the touch of God on their lives.)

The attack of temptation can be dealt with as Christ Himself dealt with it. Notice in Matthew 4, at the temptation of Christ, He did not deal as much with the temptations as He dealt with the tempter! We are preoccupied in dealing with our temptations. “Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this?” Christ was tempted, but He went to the root of the temptation, Satan, and cut him apart with the word of the Spirit, the Word of God! “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.”

An attack of bondage is less common among Spirit-filled Christians. A bondage is a habit, a way of life, or a personal relationship that has hold on a person, and the strongest resistance cannot shake you free from it.

I am finding more people coming to our crusades who have personal habits in their lives. Is there a remedy? Yes, a thousand times yes! Whatever the habit, I find that loosing the individual according to Matthew 16:19 brings the greatest results.

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shalt be loosed in heaven.”

We are given the authority from Christ to bind and loose.

Despite what some skeptics say, I have seen this method free many people from bondage in their spirits, especially to an unclean habit controlling their flesh.

The third attack is demonic control. For a person to be delivered, a Spirit-filled Christian would need to cast out the evil spirit(s) by the power of God.

In Ephesians chapter 6, verses 14-17, the apostle Paul gives us a list of the weapons of warfare. Five of these weapons are defensive weapons, and one is both defensive and offensive:

– The helmet of salvation covers the mind;

– The breastplate of righteousness covers the heart;

– Loins gird about with truth will undergird you in battle;

– Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

– The shield of faith will quench the fiery darts of the wicked;

– The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, can protect you from an attack of the enemy, or you can use it on a frontal attack.

Remember, this is not our armor; it is God’s armor! It is not our faith; it is God’s faith. It is not our power; it is God’s power. It is not our gospel; it is God’s gospel. With this in mind, is it any wonder that we can be hindered but never defeated?

This armor must be put on BEFORE you go into battle. Some Christians are caught off guard, and when an attack comes, they are running around trying to gather a piece of armor here and a piece of armor there. They get hit with a fiery dart and then wonder what happened!

Remember this when fighting a spiritual battle of any kind:

1. God has given me the assurance that I can overcome, and that I will have the victory when the battle is over.
2. I have all the weapons I need to fight any battle that comes my way.
3. Satan can only use “what is common to man.” Anything I face, someone else has faced it before and come our victorious.
4. I am more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me!

Put on the armor and keep it on at all times. It’s as easy to wear as “putting on Christ!”

How Intercessory Prayer Saved My Brother’s Life

Jul 1, 2026 | A Blast From the Past 2

How Intercessory Prayer Saved My Brother's Life

By Perry Fred Stone, Sr

This story was printed in the Voice of Evangelism magazine in the 1980s. Perry’s dad told this story many times throughout his life..

The time was Christmas week of 1967. We were preparing to travel to Davis, West Virginia to visit my in-laws for the Christmas holidays. The night before, I had experienced an unusual night vision concerning my youngest brother, Lance Corporal Lewis S. Stone of the United States Marine Corps. He had been involved in the heavy fighting of the Vietnam war.

The night the vision occurred, I had gone to bed for the night. A heavy burden was upon my heart for Lewis, and I lay awake for some time praying for his safety. Suddenly I saw a bright light near the window. I thought it was an automobile, and I quickly got up and looked out the window. There was no car, only pitch darkness.

It was then that the Holy Spirit prompted me, “Lie down and be quiet before the Lord. I have something important to show you about your brother in Vietnam.”

As I lay back, I began to see several Marines working feverishly to dig in for the night. Then I saw two “snakes” with rifles strapped on their backs crawl over the trench and fall inside. I saw a Marine on security patrol approach the snakes. I knew at that point that every Marine in the group was facing grave danger. Immediately, I cried out to God for protection for those men.

The burden stayed with me heavily and I prayed and meditated on this continually. The burden went everywhere I went. I could not shake it off. I began to sense that my interceding in prayer could make a difference in whether my brother returned home alive.

The day before Christmas, the Holy Spirit greatly impressed me to write Lewis a warning letter. I felt impressed to draw a map and explain to Lewis what I saw. I did this and mailed it, praying all the time that the letter would reach him in time. Sometime later I received a letter from my brother, Lewis, in Vietnam. In his opening statement in his letter, Lewis said:

“Dear Fred,

Your dream was a true one. Our point man got shot through the chest and it punctured his left lung. He died on arrival to the hospital. There were two V.C. [Viet Cong] set up in an ambush…”

Lewis told me later what happened. A fierce battle had gone on for hours with the Viet Cong. The Marine soldiers were digging in for security for the night. Suddenly Lewis remembered the letter he had received from me (he had placed it in his pocket). He began to think that this could be the situation I warned him about. While these thoughts were running through his mind, shots rang out. Immediately he kicked himself off his feet, falling backwards. Bullets hit all around him. Several were instantly killed. Lewis survived.

Out of the 3rd Battalion Lima Company that went to Vietnam, only 8 men survived and Lewis was one of them. I know without a doubt that interceding in prayer is what brought my brother back to the United States.

If the church will learn to follow the burdens given by the Holy Spirit and intercede until victory comes, we will see the efforts of answered prayer.