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.
"Shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Now this peace is the peace that comes from believing the gospel and knowing that Jesus Christ is your Lord. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." However, if you are at peace with God, you are at war with the devil. You see, in the natural world, when you avoid war, you have peace. But in the spiritual world, when you have peace in God, the enemy will try to come against you.
That's why you must have good boots on, because as you walk through this life, you will walk through thorns of temptation and thistles of tribulation; you will step in landmines of lust; and you will have to climb mountains of misery. But if you have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, you can crush every thorn, and climb every mountain. Isaiah 26:3, "God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on Him."
IV. The Shield of Faith
Now we are told to take " 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). Now the shield was a defensive instrument that was often covered with leather and soaked with water because, during the time of the New Testament, the tips of arrows were often soaked in pitch and tar and lit on fire. These shields would not only defend against these flaming arrows, but it would also put out the fire.
You see, the shield of faith is used to ward off the arrows of doubt. The Bible says, without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith pleases God, and doubt pleases the devil. He'll try to get you to doubt the word of God; he'll try to get you to doubt the will of God; he'll try to get you to doubt the works of God.
Don't ever be ashamed if you have had doubts in your heart. You see, doubt, itself, is not a sin. But what you do with your doubt is what determines whether or not it becomes a sin. Doubt is an opportunity to strengthen your faith. The best way to starve your doubt is to feed your faith. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
When doubt comes your way, simply say, "I am going to take God at His word and live according to His truth no matter what." Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
V. The Helmet of Salvation
Now we are told to "And take the helmet of salvation,." (Ephesians 6:17a) Just as the breastplate protects the heart, the helmet protects the head. Because the two primary targets to any enemy are your heart or your head.
If Satan cannot get to your heart, he will try to get to your head. He will try to make you think you are lost, or he will try to convince you that you can lose your salvation. When this happens to you, you need to put on the helmet of salvation. What is the helmet of salvation? First, it is the knowledge that you are saved. Secondly, it is the confidence that you can never lose that salvation.
John 5:24, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Jesus states two things in that verse: You can be sure of your salvation and you can be secure in that salvation. You can be sure that you have an everlasting life, and you can be sure you will never come into judgment if you are strong in the Word of God.
VI. The Sword of the Spirit
The last weapon is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17b) Now remember the first five weapons were for our defense against Satan, but this is an offensive weapon used to defeat Satan. Because God does not always want us to be on the defense. He also wants us to be on the offense. General George Patton once said, "You fight a war attacking from the front, not defending from the rear." - General George Patton
We are told to take the sword of the Spirit and go on the attack. This sword that we have is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerned of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
You see, when we put on the armor of God, we can defend ourselves against every attack of Satan. But when we take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, the devil cannot defend himself against us. If you will take the armor of God everyday, and put it on from head to toe, and then go into battle with the sword of the Spirit, you will live in victory.
Dear brothers and sisters, we live our lives on a battlefield. We are constantly in battle against the devil and his fallen angels. But God had equipped us with the armor to protect ourselves and defend His name. But it is our responsibility to take the armor of God and guard our souls. Read the Word of God, meditate in His scriptures, and abide in His gospel. Of course, the stronger you are in the Lord, the strong your adversaries will push you. But stand firm in His grace and mercies, for God will never forsake those who clothes themselves in His truth. Amen.
