Put On Armor of God

 

Ephesians 6:11-18

Life Application Bible, New King James Version

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…

The pieces of armor…

Belt of Truth – Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God’s truth, which can defeat Satan’s lies.

Breastplate of Righteousness – Satan often attacks our hearts – the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God’s righteousness is the breastplate that protects our hearts and ensures his approval. He approves of us because he loves us and sent his Son to die for us.

Footgear – Readiness to spread the Good News of the gospel of peace – Satan wants us to think that telling others the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task …the size of the task is too big and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the footgear God gives us is the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in God…news everyone needs to hear.

Shield of Faith – What we see are Satan’s attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan’s fiery darts. With God’s perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.

Helmet of Salvation – Satan wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting God’s saving work for us.

Sword – The Word of God – The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor. There are times when we need to take the offensive against Satan. When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God’s Word.