Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:10-11
We are definitely in a spiritual war with evil all around us attempting to destroy our soul, and in some areas of the world they attempt to destroy our life. Victory in this spiritual war requires that we love God more than we love our physical life. If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even their own life–such a person cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26) We are to love everyone especially our family, but we love God more than anyone or anything, even our own physical life. This enables us to love others more. If we love God more than our own physical life then we are ready to put on the armor of God each day with the power to overcome Satan. We are now, “strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
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. (Ephesians 6:14-17) We will briefly describe each piece of the armor that Paul identifies.
- Belt of Truth – Knowing the truth of God’s Word frees us from being deceived by Satan’s lies. The belt for the Roman soldier held his sword and our sword is the Word of God, where we find truth. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
- Breast Plate of Righteousness – This is the righteousness of God which means God sees you as righteous through his loving grace. Without understanding God’s grace we can be self-condemning and seek to try and save our self by works. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) With God’s righteousness and knowing his truth, the breastplate is designed to protect our heart from Satan.
- Feet fitted for Readiness – Readiness in our feet means we are ready to move with the Gospel in any situation. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15) Always ready to bring the Gospel with an attitude of peace, gentleness and respect.
- Shield – The shield of faith protects us from Satan’s fear when we experience trials and tribulations in life. Through our faith, we walk with the Lord’s guidance to victory. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
- Sword – The sword represents the Word of God, the power of God’s words to overcome Satan. The sword can be an offensive weapon and a defensive weapon, but in all cases we fight with the power of God’s words. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18) All armor is activated by prayer, because prayer invites the power and strength of God into our battle. The power in the armor is activated by the love God has put into our hearts.
The spiritual war is fought with spiritual armor and the battle is in the mind. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4-5) Capturing every thought is essential in fighting the spiritual war and it helps in renewing the mind and controlling thoughts and emotions. Victory in Christ is achieved as we learn to control our thoughts and emotions, because Satan normally attacks us through our emotions. Always attack the enemy as soon as possible before he gains the strength to overtake us.
Today seek to capture and control your thoughts and speak with Godly wisdom. If sinful temptations come to mind, immediately capture the sinful thought and change it to a Godly thought. The longer we entertain a sinful thought the less we hear the Spirits conviction. Your strength to overcome temptations is when you first sense a sinful tempting thought.
Prayer: Lord, turn me into a powerful spiritual warrior, walking in your strength. Help me to capture every sinful thought and change it to a Godly thought, through the power of the Spirit. Lord I want to experience the fulfillment of victory in Christ by overcoming the temptations from Satan and his demons. In Jesus name, Amen