The Bible tells us we are in a battle against spiritual forces anxious to dull our Christian life. Someone once said “To Satan, the next best thing to a lost soul is a sterile Christian.” Satan wants us to be sterile, prevented from showing the world the Christ we know and love. In Ephesians 6:22-20, God has listed six items of spiritual armor we can use to succeed in this battle:
1.The Belt of Truth – It is important to know the one true God of the Bible. There are others which are called gods, but there is only one true God (1 Corinthian 8:5-6). One important definition of “truth” is anything that corresponds to reality. Truth is consistent not chaotic. When we run into inconsistency, we need to test what’s being said or taught by the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness – Our righteousness comes from Christ alone. Our relationship with Him through prayer and reading His Word is paramount to our lives. In this way, we seek His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). James 5:16 says there is power in the prayers of the righteous. That word for “power” means “a strength which can overcome.” Our righteous prayers can overcome the enemy and his followers.
3. Shoes are the Gospel of Peace – We need to know God well enough to hold the peace of God within us. His Spirit fills us and brings us this peace (John 14:27). I love this. Isa. 26:3 gives us some insight into staying calm, at peace, in the midst of the battle:
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
So, we need to keep our minds on our Backup. He “has our six.”
4. Shield of Faith – The Bible tells us with just the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Our confident belief shields us from attacks of the enemy. It is what protects us from the shots taken by the enemy, and there are shots taken at us all day and every day. We need to cling to our faith, cover ourselves with our faith if we wish to survive this battle.
5. Helmet of Salvation – To step into battle without your helmet is a deadly choice. We must have the salvation given by Jesus to stand against evil. We must be His children (2 Thessalonians 3:3) I watch a lot of old World War II movies, and one thing the soldier always keeps close besides his rifle is his helmet. The assurance of our salvation enables us to stand our ground. It insures God is standing with us in the battle and will protect us. Our minds need protection. They are the most vulnerable battlefield.
6. Sword of the Spirit – This is the Word of God. Jesus, when He was being tempted by the devil, used Scripture to fend off Satan himself (Matthew 4:1-11). We have the same power and the same Word Jesus used. Much of what the devil uses to come after us is temptation to sin. Reciting from memory 1 Corinthians 10:13, out loud if necessary, is a good defense against the devil’s temptations. It will help get your heart right and your mind off the temptation.
I’d like to note here the obvious. The Sword is the only offensive weapon in the list. The others are for our protection. The Word of God is our assault weapon. We need to practice its use, keep it sharp in your mind, and always keep it close at hand.
Why is this important?
We Christians face spiritual warfare daily. Knowing how to keep the enemy at bay helps us to stand unmoved against the schemes of the devil. God has given us armor to use in our striving against the devil. I know people who physically “put on the armor” daily, people who have been in the battle, have scars from it, and know the value of each piece.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 