Why Put on the Whole Armor of God?
We put the armor of God on to protect ourselves from the daily arrows of the enemy. If we practice daily taking in the truth of God, we will recognize when we are being sabotaged. Your victory in spiritual warfare was secured at the cross of Christ and the blood that was shed there.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 [a]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With every prayer and request, [c]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints, 19 and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
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“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” ~ Ephesians 6:13
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Putting on the whole armor of God is a way of saying we know the scriptures and we practice doing what they say with full trust that God is who he says he is, and he will do what He says He will do.
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even [a]when faced with death.” ~ Revelations 12:11
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What is the whole armor of Christ?
Ephesians 6:11-13 says, “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 darkness in 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.”
Ephesians 6:10-18 says, “… Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
The whole armor includes:
- The helmet of salvation
- the shield of faith,
- the breastplate of righteousness,
- the belt of truth,
- the sword of the spirit
- the gospel of peace
Let’s look at each one of them and our responsibilities:
The Helmet of Salvation.
First be sure you are saved, that you have asked Christ to come into your heart and forgive your sins. Believe that He died for you and that his Holy Spirit lives within you.
1 Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives … that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God…” “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense of everyone who asks you to reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
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The Shield of Faith
“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 heavenly places” ~Ephesians 6:12
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The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Command: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
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The Promise: “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Hebrews 1:9).
The Belt of Truth:
The command:
Ephesians 6:14 says, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth ….”
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The Promise:
“… having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12)
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The Sword of the Spirit:
The Command:
Ephesians 6:17 says, “Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
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The Promise:
“When Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil, He used Bible Scripture verses to answer, and the devil left Him” ~Matthew 4:1-11
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The Gospel of Peace:
The Lord wants us to live in peace, working together with each other. To do that we need to respect not only each other but those in authority over us. We need to move in the world with the utmost Christian conduct even when it’s hard.
But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to recognize those who diligently labor among you and are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you instruction, and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. ~1 Thessalonians 5:13
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“By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” ~ John 13:35
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To fight the good fight, to live in a constant state of witness approval, we need to know what God’s instruction manual says, seek His wisdom daily, and take our lives to prayer daily. Sometimes we need to submit to authority even when we don’t like it. So long as the authority does not break God’s laws, we need to support those whom He sets in power over us.
Remember, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
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