Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. – Ephesians 6:13-16 NLT
We are informed by the Apostle Paul that we live amid a raging battle. However, our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this dark age (paraphrase of Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, we recognize the battle is spiritual. Paul wants us to join God in fighting the good fight, to cooperate with God as His soldiers, and so we are told we need to be strong in the Lord. To equip us for this fight, Paul tells us to put on the spiritual armor of God. Let’s consider how to apply this armor to our lives.
There are six pieces of spiritual armor we have been gifted from our heavenly General:
- The belt of truth.
- The breastplate of righteousness.
- The boots of the gospel of peace.
- The shield of faith.
- The helmet of salvation.
- The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Paul begins by describing the belt of truth. The belt is the part of the armor that holds everything else together. When you think of a uniform, the belt keeps it all interlocked, in place, and tidy. The belt keeps the pants in place, it keeps the tucked-in shirt in place, it does the job of keeping everything in order.
So it is with truth. When it comes to all the other pieces of armor, it is paramount that we first understand them all in light of the truth. We want to have a true view of righteousness, a true view of the Gospel, a true view of the faith. What good is a shield of faith, if it is not the right faith? What good is a breastplate of righteousness, if we are confused on what righteousness is? So truth is foundational and ties everything else together. We know and discern the truth through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit guiding us into full understanding of them.
The breastplate of armor covers the heart. It protects that vital organ from getting hit and injured. Likewise, righteousness is covering our heart needs. To best guard our heart, we need to act righteously, fellowship with righteous people, and most of all cover our heart with the blood of Christ, which is what makes us righteous to begin with. Our own actions, our own performance, do not make us righteous. On our own, we are unrighteous. So our heart cannot be covered by pride, selfish ambition, or anything else. Our heart must be guarded by the blood of Christ and His righteousness.
The boots of the armor cover our feet. We are told that these are the boots of the gospel of peace in the spiritual armor. One of the ways we push back the enemy is by sharing the Gospel. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God; the more we are sharing the Gospel, the more we are drawing others out of sin and toward Jesus. The boots being correlated with the Gospel reminds us of the active motion we should be in with evangelism. We are called to bring Christ’s light to the world. The more we evangelize, the more we use this part of the armor.
The shield of faith protects us from the fiery arrows of the enemy. Our faith draws us near to God. Our faith keeps us resting in the promises of God. When we are truly secure in God, authentically covered in the shadow of His wings, genuinely partaking of His presence through faith…then Satan cannot get us. Satan uses darts like fear, shame, doubt, and guilt to knock us into a spiritual funk. When we are resting in faith, resting in the finished work of Jesus, these tactics don’t work. My faith tells me I have nothing to fear, for God is with me. My faith tells me I am free from shame and guilt because Jesus died for me. My faith tells me all doubt must disappear in the light of the resurrection. Faith shields us from Satan’s tactics.
The helmet of salvation covers our head, where our brain is. The more we remind ourselves mentally of God’s amazing grace and salvation, the more we trust it. The more we fill our minds with Gospel truth, the more our behaviors will then become influenced by it. We act out what we think. The more we think on God and salvation, the more we will live for God’s glory.
Finally, after lots of pieces of armor that serve to defend and protect us, we now have an offensive weapon. We fight back against Satan with the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. We cut back the demons by proclaiming the Word of God. We destroy the lies of the enemy by speaking the truth over and against the lies. Notice, when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4, Jesus quoted the Bible to fight back every time Satan tried to tempt Him. This is our sword.
So our call to action is to armor up. To be brave. To fight the good fight. To advance the Kingdom. May we labor well for God and plant the banner of Christ over every hilltop and home. To accomplish this, we need the Spirit to enable us to put on the full armor of God.
Prayer
God, thank You for your kindness, grace, mercy, and saving love. Thank You for inviting us into the good fight of faith. Help us Lord, by Your power in us, to put on the full armor and fight for Your glorious Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.
