Armor of God

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 

Finally, be strong in the Lord ad in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

This is such a great passage and a very important one! Let's start by defining some of these words:

Be Strong . . . courageous, mighty, valiant, established, steadfast

Armor . . . covering, protection

Stand firm . . . steadfast, secure, solid, strong

Evil . . . wicked, unrighteous, unjust, harmful

Truth . . .  faithful, steadfast, stable, sure, secure, certain

Righteousness . . . just, right

Readiness . . . prepared, willing

Peace . . . still, silent, calm, quiet

Faith . . . belief, assurance, trust, sure, established, hope

Okay, now we know what some of these words mean. Now lets take a look at the spiritual battle going on around us:

This passage in Ephesians makes it clear that we are not fighting in a physical war. It tells us that we are fighting against evil itself! This isn't a battle in which we can literally put on armor. The armor of God are things like truth, faith, and righteousness, which help us to fight against temptation, sin, and evil. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." This verse affirms that our battle is not physical or in the flesh. But it is against the flesh. We have to battle our fleshly desires every day and die to self! (See Luke 9:23) 1 Thess. 5:8 says, "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." This verse again clarifies that the battle we face and the fight we fight is not physical but spiritual. It shows us this by saying that our armor (support, protection, and covering) are faith, love, and the hope of salvation!

So what can we do to fight this spiritual battle? Put on the armor of God! This is the armor of God:

-The Belt Of Truth

We must defeat any lies that we believe! We must cling to, know, and trust in the truth. God's word is the ultimate source of truth! Psalm 119:160 says, "The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever." The more we study, know, and apply God's truth to our lives the better we will be able to recognize, expose, and defeat the lies of the enemy!

-The Breastplate of Righteousness

We must pursue righteousness! (See 1 Tm 6:11, Prov. 11:19, 15:9, 21:21) To be righteous means to be just, virtuous, good, upright, and worthy. We must pursue this! We must pursue a life that is just and does not tolerate sin. We must pursue a life that is virtuous in a way that brings glory to God. We must pursue a life that is good, reflecting the goodness of God. We must pursue a life that is upright, being honest and bringing honor to Christ. We must pursue a life that is worthy of being called a child of God.

-Readiness Given by the Gospel of Peace

1 Peter 3:15 "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," We are to be prepared to share the hope that we have in Christ with those around us! The very last command Jesus gave before He left this earth and ascended into heaven was to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." (See Matthew 28:19) We are to share the gospel with others. Also, in Luke 21:12-15 Jesus tells us that when we are delivered up and persecuted we are to view it as an opportunity to share the gospel and be a witness for Christ! He also tells us that He will give us words to say. And no evil, no enemy, no adversaries, can withstand or contradict the word of God! Also, notice how it says that readiness is given by the gospel of peace. Even in the midst of spiritual warfare we can be at peace. Our soul can be quiet; still; secure. We don't have to be afraid. We know that Christ will conquer! Our soul can truly be at peace.

-The Shield of Faith

We have faith in Christ. That means we have assurance of our salvation, trust in His workings, and confidence in His promises! He gives us hope. And when we have a strong, unshakable faith in Christ, nothing, not even the arrows of the evil one, can destroy us or our hope.

-The Helmet of Salvation

How can we put on the armor of God is we have not truly been saved by the blood of Christ? One of our greatest defenses against the enemy is to truly be saved by and truly be trusting in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins! 

-The Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Think about this: the belt of truth holds us up, the breastplate of righteousness provides us with protection, the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace prepare us, the shield of faith protects and assures us, the helmet of salvation saves us, and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is our weapon! All of this armor is essential and beneficial, but Gods word is the only weapon displayed in this passage. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Gods word is illustrated as a sharp sword. It convicts and defeats sin. Gods word is truly our weapon in this dark world. It is what provides us with strength, truth, wisdom, and answers. We must seek to know and apply it if we want to wield the sword well!

-Praying at all times

After Paul wrote of all the armor we must put on to fight the good fight of the faith and be strong in the Lord, he ends by telling us to pray at all times. Prayer is vital. It is essential. It is not just a means by which we can worship God, pour out our hearts to Him, and even grow a relationship with Him. It is not just a way we can praise and give thanks to God. While we can do those things through prayer, prayer is also a means by which we can fight our battles. When evil tempts us and we feel overwhelmed by the sin and darkness in this world, we can take it to the Lord in prayer! He gives us strength and wisdom and will help us to conquer! "We are more than conquerors through [Christ]!" (See Romans 8:37)

We must strive to put on the armor of God every single day! This spiritual war doesn't have days off! No. Every single day is a fight. We must seek to "fight the good fight of the faith," and to take up our cross daily! (See 1 Tm. 6:12 and Luke 9:23)

May you stand strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. May you put on the whole armor of God and seek Him to help you withstand evil, and having put on the whole armor of God, to stand firm!