Armor of God

The alarm is going off. A fire broke out and is in need of being extinguished. The firemen are hurrying all throughout the fire station. What are they doing? Equipping themselves for what’s to come.

You see, fire burns. It doesn’t care what is around it. It’ll ignite everything up in flames, everything in sight. Fire hisses and is very fierce. One needs to be specially equipped when about to face it.

Isn’t fire like the devil’s schemes? Aren’t we like the firemen that have to adorn themselves with the necessary clothing in order to face the fire? Isn’t the fire suit like God’s armor?

Finally, 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.

Ephesians 6:10-11

The firemen wouldn’t be able to face the fire without depending on the strength of their suits. They’d burn up if they didn’t put on their “armor.” Like they depend on and use their armor in face of fire, we too need to depend on and use the full armor of God.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. - Ephesians 6:14-17

It’s time to take a stand and equip yourself.

Belt of Truth

The enemy loves to feed us lies. Sometimes these lies sound truthful, and at times we may believe them. But we have God’s truth. And if we put on the belt of truth, we are able to see the lies for what they really are: the enemy’s attempt at stumbling us.

Let us continually put on this belt every single day, so that we may never listen to or believe the lies told to us.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The enemy, well he often attacks our hearts. Our hearts are the seat of our emotions, identity, and trust. He can lead us into asking, “I’m a disgusting mess, surely the Lord can’t see past that, “all I ever do is sin and sin and sin, I’ll never be able to overcome.” And all the while we feel scared, sad, and distant from God.

But, let me tell you, God isn’t distant. He approves of you. Hell provide the necessities needed to overcome that habitual sin. He sees past it already, and finds you quite wonderful. So put on the breastplate of righteousness. It’ll protect your heart and ensure you that God does approve of and love you.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Have you ever shared the word with another person before? How many times have they responded to you negatively? It hurts, doesn’t it? More than one way too. It hurts to hear their words, but it also hurts to know them and love them and worry about them. Because all you want is the very best for them, yet they decline what you share. Maybe you’ve questioned what the point even is in sharing the word when all you get in return is negativity.

Time to put on your shoes! They’ll provide you the motivation to continue to proclaim the word of God; the true peace that is available in God. Everyone needs to hear it, I mean, didn’t you?

Shield of Faith

The enemy loves to shoot arrows of setbacks, insults, and temptations at us. These arrows can cause us to focus on our circumstances. And really, these things can lead us to commit sin.

But if we hold up the shield of faith, no longer are we focused on our circumstances. We are protected from the enemy’s flaming arrows. We have and know God’s perspective. We’re able to see beyond our circumstances, knowing that ultimate victory is ours. And we’re able to overcome what’s thrown our way.

Helmet of Salvation

Do you know the objective of our enemy? He wants us to doubt God and our salvation. “Surely the Lord won’t forgive you this time,” “”Does God really forgive and love me?”, “Am I truly saved?” But when we don the helmet of salvation, our minds are protected from doubting God. He sent his son to die for you! And do you know why? Because he LOVES you. You are saved!!

Sword of the Spirit

The sword. It’s the only offensive piece of the Armor of God. And the piece that helps the other pieces endure. Think about it, a fireman isn’t going to just stand there letting his suit take a beating from the fire. He is going to go on the offensive and fight the fire.

Read God’s word often. Continually spend time with him. It’ll strengthen every piece of armor that you wear. Not only that, it’ll further your walk with God. There’s always something new to learn. There is always something the Lord will show us. Let’s trust and grow in the truth. Let’s trust and grow in Him.