The Armor of God

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To be able to fight well in spiritual warfare, we must rely on the teachings of Scripture and on the one who is greater who lives in us (1 John 4:4).

Paul teaches that to fight spiritual battles, we must put on the armor of God.

The description can be found in Eph. 6:10-17.

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.  16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

 

There are 6 pieces of armor mentioned in v. 14-17.

  1. Helmet of Salvation
  2. Breastplate of Righteousness
  3. Shield of Faith
  4. Belt of Truth
  5. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
  6. Sword of the Spirit

While people can spend a lot of time dissecting why salvation is the helmet rather than the breastplate, I think the main point is to understand that all of these things are important.

You aren’t going to win a spiritual battle:

  1. if you are not saved,
  2. if you are not covered in righteousness,
  3. if you don’t have faith that God is greater than the devil,
  4. if you don’t believe God’s word to be true,
  5. if you aren’t moving forward for the sake of the Kingdom,
  6. and if you are unwilling or unable to unsheathe the Word of God as an offensive weapon.

In addition to what they are, realize these significant truths:

  1. You can’t put on armor in the middle of the battle.  If you do that, you are dead in the later.  The armor is to be put on before the battle.  You prepare yourself for spiritual battle in your time with the Lord.  You keep losing battles because you aren’t prepared for them.
  2. You aren’t supposed to run from a spiritual battle.  If you notice, nothing is mentioned on the back side of the warrior.  Maybe the breastplate covers that area, but it might imply that warriors are never meant to turn their backs on the enemy and run scared.
  3. You do have offensive weapons in your hand.  The Word and prayer are not merely defensive – they are offensive.  Learn how to use them for battle.

In your prayer time today, pray over these six pieces of armor.  Ask God to clothe you with the armor only he can provide.  In your prayer time, really unpack what each of these mean for your life.