Armor of God
The Armor Of God
Ephesians 6:13-18
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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:11-18
In this passage the apostle Paul is using the familiar image of the armor of a Roman soldier to help his readers understand what the armor of God actually was.
The Belt Of Truth
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist Ephesians 6:14
For a Roman soldier the belt is what held the rest of his armor in place. The Roman soldier’s belt was a foundational piece and without it the soldier would not be protected nor effective. It offered protection for his front and it was a holster for his armor such as his sword. The belt held everything together.
It’s no mistake that Paul tells us to put on the belt of truth first. This is our foundation, it’s what holds everything together. We all must have that foundation.
To put on the belt of truth means that we are putting our faith in God’s truth and what He says is right. It means that also we must be walking in truth at all costs. To wear the belt of truth is to not be a part of worldly or societal lies of culture, satan, or what may benefit us more in the moment.
Without the belt of truth the rest of the armor will fall apart. It is a must. That is the foundation, built on truth and from that you can be ready for anything. If we start living in even one lie, or denial of truth, that may very well change the trajectory or our lives and others. We can know that by walking in truth, God’s will be done.
The Breastplate Of Righteousness
With the breastplate of righteousness in place Ephesians 6:14
The breastplate was of super importance in defensive wear a Roman soldier would have. This piece of armor protected all his vital organs when an attack would come his way. The breastplate was for those attacks that come quick and unexpected that you don’t have time to respond with your shield.
The breastplate of righteousness protects us from unseen attacks and accusations from the enemy. This protection is not something one can earn, buy or be certified to wear. The breastplate of righteousness is not made up of our good deeds. None of us are righteous in ourselves (Romans 3:10).
The breastplate of righteousness is what Jesus gives us when we follow Him. In other words this piece of spiritual armor or garment is not something we do to cover ourselves. It’s what Jesus has done to cover us in His authority and protection. That is assuring!
The Shoes Of the Gospel Of Peace
And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15
Without the right shoes, a soldier is quickly rendered ineffective. The right fit and type of shoes allow soldiers to march in battle and have secure footing once the battle ensues.
When it comes to our spiritual armor we put on peace like a soldier puts on shoes. Paul is telling his readers to stand firm with peace. One of the most effective weapons that the enemy throws at us is that of fear, anxiety and worry. Stay in God’s perfect peace. Isaiah 26:3
Worry is based on the lie that we are in control. But we aren’t. NOPE- we Are Not! God is. (Thank You God for that!) We can find peace when we acknowledge God’s sovereignty over the things outside of our control.
That is what Paul is telling us to do in Ephesians 6:15. Put on the shoes of the Gospel of peace so that we can be anchored in God and find peace. Without this important part of the armor of God we will not be able to stand firm.
The Shield Of Faith
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16
Roman shields were covered with animal hide and before any battle would be dipped in water. When fiery arrows came their way the shields would extinguish the flames. Pretty smart move.
In a similar way, a Christian will encounter all kinds of nasty arrows from the enemy and so we need a shield of faith. The Roman soldiers would submerse their shields in water, Christians must submerse their entirety in the living water. Our shield is our faith and it needs to be replenished every single day.
Jesus had a life that modeled this in perfection.. He regularly got away to a quiet place to pray to spend time with His Father. His shield of faith helped Him defend against the fiery darts satan aimed at Him.
If Jesus who is God, prayed and needed to pray- shouldn’t we?
The Helmet Of Salvation
Take the helmet of salvation Ephesians 6:17
Your head is vital to living, your brain is the CPU of your body, it is super important. One hit to your head and you can be knocked out of the fight. That’s why soldiers wear a helmet to protect their head so that they can keep fighting and protecting and to stay alive.
When it comes to our spiritual armor the helmet of salvation is the most important piece for a Christian.
The helmet of salvation is the work of Christ through the cross and resurrection that redeemed us to be reconciled back to God. It is because of salvation that we are able to fight. The helmet of salvation also works to protect our minds and thoughts. With everything the enemy throws at us in the world, we definitely need to wear this helmet.
When we wear the helmet of salvation, we know that we can trust and lean on what God did for us and that we can trust in His truth to protect whatever the enemy may throw our way.
The Sword Of The Spirit
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
All the other pieces of armor are mostly for defense and give protection in battle. But a soldier doesn’t enter a battle to just defend himself, but to also attack what is evil or bad, the enemy. A sword is an offensive weapon that in the right hands can take out an enemy.
To put on the full armor of God is similar. Much of our armor is for defense. But we aren’t called to just sit back and take the blows that come our way, we are called to go on the offense. To take action for good, for positive change. To do that we need the sword of the spirit.
What is our sword of the spirit? It’s the word of God. Let us look to Jesus, He masterfully handled this piece of spiritual armor. He was constantly going at the enemy with scripture.
For a Christian to win in battle we too must use the sword of the spirit. That means that we need to read the Bible, understand and know God’s word so that we can arm ourselves. No soldier would enter a battle without a sword and no Christian should try to go through life without God’s word. Command your spiritual sword!
We put on the entire armor of God through prayer and as you can see prayer needs to be active. We can’t say a few words to God or ask for things as if He is a genie and expect to win a battle, right? We must be of active prayer, meaning that what we ask for and agree with God with, that we must know He is faithful and that He will be working on our own behalf. There is another part that most people miss. We must also act on our behalf and on the promises God gives us in His word. This way prayer is not only communication with God but a partnership for life. By both God and you taking positive action in meeting the needs you have prayed for, you are leaning on His strength and wisdom and discernment; you are going to have answered prayer. God gave us our unique qualities and strengths so that we can use them for His good.
Paul ends this list of spiritual armor by telling his readers to pray. (Ephesians 6:18)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Every Christian needs to arm themselves with the armor of God. Even though we can’t see it, we are in a spiritual battle. On our own we will lose every single fight. But through God’s mighty power and provision we will not only survive, but defeat the enemy. God is with you!