Armor Of God

Armor of God

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

In this passage of Scripture, which we are going to study today, Paul tells us what we must wear to the war that we fight every day. You will notice there are six pieces of equipment that make up this armor: the first five are for our defense against Satan, but the sixth one is so that we might go on the offense to defeat Satan.

Now understand that Satan is on the attack because Paul warns us,“ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). Satan has a quiver full of fiery darts, flaming arrows, and he aims them at us every day from every angle. Now the good news is none of these arrows can reach us or hurt us as long as we have on the full armor of God. Because each piece of this armor is specifically designed to ward off any particular arrow that Satan throws against us.

I. The Belt of Truth

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth" (Ephesians 6:14a) Now the very first piece of equipment that a Roman soldier would put on would be what we would call a girdle or a belt. To this belt was attached all of the other pieces of the armor. The soldier would then gather up the tunic, or long robe that he was wearing, and tucks it into this belt so he would not be hindered in the battle.

Now the belt of truth represents the word of God. Paul states in Ephesians 1:13, "the word of truth." Jesus said in John 17:17, "Your word is truth." Now , the belt of truth is a defensive weapon. It is to be used to ward off the arrows of deception. Jesus said about the devil in John 8:44, "He is a liar and the father of it." Satan is the master of deception. It was his deception of Eve that doomed the human race. Now the same devil that could deceive Eve in the garden of Eden is trying to deceive you too. The Bible is truth. It is true because it is the Word of God. Every day we must put on the belt of truth, which is the word of God.

II. The Breastplate of Righteousness

After we put on the belt of truth, we must "put on the breastplate of righteousness." (Ephesians 6: 14b) The breastplate was a tough sleeveless piece of armor that covered the entire chest of a soldier, and it was designed to protect the most vital organ of the body, which is the heart. Now your heart is where the real battlefield is. In the Bible the heart represents the will and the soul. It is the essence of who we are. Your eternal destiny will be determined in your heart. Romans 10:9, "If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."

How you think, how you act, who you are, or who you will become, is always determined in your heart. Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Satan's attacks are mainly attacks on the heart. Satan will try to come into your heart and try to tempt you to sin and condemn you. He is the accuser of the brethren and he loves to remind us of our sins. And when he does this, we become doubting Christians, depressed Christians, and defeated Christians.

That is why it is so important that you put on the breastplate of righteousness. Because the Holy Spirit convicts us, it draws us closer to God, but Satan condemns us and it drives us away from God. You must take up the breastplate of righteousness. When the Bible speaks of righteousness it refers to when God saved us all. He declared righteousness once and for all. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that we are "the righteousness of God in Christ." The next time Satan comes to you with the dagger of condemnation, make sure you have on the breastplate of righteousness. Simply say, "Satan, I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and nothing you can say or do will ever change that." The dagger of disapproval will break off in his hand against the breastplate of God's righteousness on your heart.

III. The Shoes of Peace

Ephesians 6:15 says, "having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." One of the most important pieces of equipment for a soldier was his boots. Without good boots he cannot march, and without good boots he cannot stand and fight. Proper shoes have grip and traction so we will not slip and fall. It is extremely important for a soldier to stand firm and ready on his feet because no soldier can fight flat on his back.