How to Wear the Armor of God
In our last post in this series, we established that spiritual warfare is real and that it affects everyone who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ and committed to follow Him.
We also shared the secret to fighting spiritual warfare: to “be strong in the Lord.” (Eph. 6:10) But what does that mean? Paul answers that, too.
In the same passage of scripture, he goes on to say, “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.” (Eph. 6:13)
The armor of God is the Lord’s resource to the believer to stand his or her ground against the enemy. It will provide you with the protection and efficiency you need in battle against spiritual adversaries.
The Belt of Truth
It starts with “the belt of truth.”
For a Roman soldier–whose uniform is no doubt the inspiration for Paul’s illustration here–the belt was essential for holding the soldier’s weapons and providing support to the core of the body. Likewise for the believer, the belt of truth serves as the foundation of our spiritual armor.
When we are wrapped in God’s truth, we are well equipped to discern the lies and deceptions of the enemy.
Putting on a belt is one of the last steps to getting dressed, but it’s the first piece of the armor Paul mentions because of its foundational importance. Wearing the belt of truth involves honesty, integrity, and commitment to God’s Word. It signifies aligning our beliefs and actions with His character and purpose for us.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Roman breastplate protected the vital organs from deadly attacks. For the believer, the breastplate of righteousness is pivotal to the wisdom Solomon shared in Proverbs 4:23.
“Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23
The enemy knows that if he can deceive your heart, he can inflict severe damage to not only your spiritual relationship with God, but to your physical ones with those around you as well. Your heart needs to be protected.
We guard our hearts by growing into our faith (also known as sanctification). The more we become acquainted with God’s righteous character, the more our faith in Him is assured, and the more we can’t help but become more like Him.
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
Roman soldiers wore caligae, sturdy sandals that provided traction and mobility in battle.
Not only does the peace we experience through our relationship with our Heavenly Father ground us in our faith in Him like the hobnails on the soles of the soldier’s shoes, but it also motivates us to be peacemakers by both pursuing reconciliation with those who have hurt us (or with those we’ve hurt) and by sharing the message of peace with others.
We wear the shoes of peace by leaning into the peace available to us through our faith and by living in such a way that shares that peace with others.
The Shield of Faith
The Roman scutum was a large, curved shield that provided comprehensive protection from enemy attacks, including arrows and spears. The Shield of Faith, described in Ephesians 6:16, serves to extinguish the fiery darts of doubt, fear, and temptation that the enemy hurls at believers.
When the voice of the enemy throws our shame and doubt at us, we can hold up and shield ourselves with our faith in Jesus’s victory over sin, death, and the devil.
The Helmet of Salvation
Similarly, the helmet of a Roman’s soldier’s armor protected him from blows to the head.
When we preach the gospel to ourselves, reminding ourselves of our assured salvation through our faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can protect our minds against the devil’s attempts to convince us to doubt our God’s almighty power and unfailing love for us.
The Sword of the Spirit
The only offensive part of the armor Paul mentions is the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
We can use the Bible to fight back against the schemes of the enemy first by using its truth to discount his lies, but also to cut away the sin in our lives. The devil might tell us “it’s no big deal” or “everyone is doing it” or “it’s all you’ve ever wanted,” but we can answer with Scripture to reason with ourselves that God’s will, design, and purpose for our lives is better than anything the world has to offer or anything we can achieve on our own.
*inspired by message two of Mt. Bethel Church’s BATTLE sermon series, entitled, “Armor Up: Battle Ready!” by Pastor Jody Ray. You can listen to the message here.You can also subscribe to get access to the study guide that accompanies this series here.