In What Condition is YOUR Spiritual Armor?

Some may find this question odd, as they have never heard of  “Spiritual Armor.” Others have heard of “Spiritual Armor,” but have no idea what is meant by the phrase. Some know what “Spiritual Armor” is, but have no idea how to use it. Yet others have used their “Spiritual Armor” in the past, but have allowed it to fall into disrepair. I will discuss our Spiritual Armor and why it must be kept in top shape!

So what is Spiritual Armor, why do we need it, and how do we use it? Ephesians 6:11-17 tells us why we need Spiritual Armor and gives a detailed description of it. I will  use the King James Version for this reference: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

So our armor consists of a girdle, a breastplate, a foot covering, a shield, a helmet, and a sword. After you have read this, I hope that you will check to make sure that you indeed have each piece of your armor and that they are in good shape. After all, going into battle without all of the needed armor or with armor that is in less than perfect shape can lead to your being wounded or killed! A soldier would not go into battle without a sword to fight the enemy, or he will be doing nothing more than running and hiding from the enemy all the time, never effectively able to fend off the enemy or destroy him. Likewise, a soldier whose footwear has holes in the soles will not be able effectively traverse the terrain of the battlefield.

So let’s look at each piece of armor-what does it look like and how is it used?  We will look at them in the order they were given in Ephesians 6.

1) The first thing that we need is the girdle of truth. A modern example of the girdle of old would be a large belt used to hold the breastplate in place, as well as a place to carry your sword until it is time to wield it. So then what is a “girdle of truth”—or “what is truth?”

John 14:6 “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus said that HE is the TRUTH. We are to wrap Jesus around our lives-around the very core of our being. He will hold our breastplate of righteousness in place, as well as keep our Sword of the Spirit at the ready for use in battle.

Since the girdle of Truth holds the breastplate of righteousness and keeps your Sword at the ready, it must be well fitting. If your girdle is too loose, your breastplate will not adequately protect you and you could lose your Sword. If your girdle is too tight, you will not be able to breath properly or move about as needed, and it will be difficult to draw your Sword when needed.

How do you know if your girdle of Truth fits just right? A correctly fitting girdle of Truth is one that keeps Jesus as the center of your daily life-not just someone you sing about at Sunday (or whatever day you worship) service. Someone with a lose fitting girdle will make excuses for sins in their life. They accept sins in others around them without sharing Jesus for fear of losing friends. On the other hand, one with a girdle that is too tight is one who has no joy in the Lord because they think that everything is a sin. They have no peace because they live in constant fear of their name being erased from the Book of Life. Between those two extremes is the Christian who has matured in their walk with the Lord and has learned that they must strive to walk with the Lord daily, realizing that they are not yet perfected, but they are working on it-allowing the Spirit of God to direct them, correct them, and fill them with joy and peace.

2) Let’s look at the Breastplate of Righteousness. What exactly is that? Righteousness is right doing, right actions, and right ways. Our breastplate covers our heart and protects it from attacks of the enemy. When we are doing right-in actions, thoughts, and words-we protect our hearts from attacks that may cause us serious spiritual injury or death. Conversely, when we are not living right-in actions, thoughts, or words-our hearts are left unprotected and we are vulnerable to attack.

3) What does it mean to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace?” While we know that the first four books of the New Testament are called the “Gospels,” this reference to the Gospel is used in the broader sense of “the teachings of Jesus, the kingdom of Heaven, and the way of Salvation.” Our feet carry us where we need to go. They are our “mode of transportation” For example, you have heard the saying, “I just walked into that one.” Of course, the person did not actually walk anywhere, they simply found themselves in a certain situation, much like we do daily in our walk with the Lord. Therefore, we must protect our “feet” with a covering to prevent injury so that we will be able to traverse any terrain in which we must fight the battle. The preparation referred to here means that we must study the Word of God-not just memorizing verses, but actually coming to an understanding of all that is contained therein. Phillipians 4:7 tells us, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When we have covered our feet with preparation through study of God’s Word, we can have peace even in the heat of seemingly unbearable battles!

4) The shield of faith is to be taken “above all.” Why is the shield so important? The girdle, the breastplate, and the shoes all protect certain body parts, but the shield can be used to protect the entire body, and also deflect the “fiery darts of the wicked.” Faith is complete confidence and trust in God and His promises. In order to protect our being, we must have complete and total faith that God IS Who He says that He is and trust that He WILL see us through this battle. Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” John 1:14 tells us “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” In order to “hear” faith, we must receive The Word of God-Jesus-into our hearts. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, and continue to study His Word, our faith grows and our shield becomes strong enough to defend us against any attack that the enemy may send our way.

5) The helmet of salvation protects our head-our minds and our thoughts. Without this helmet, our minds are subject to the lies of the enemy. Satan will tell you that you are too far gone for God to forgive you now-LIE. Satan will tell you that he (Satan) doesn’t exist-LIE. Satan will tell you that your situation is hopeless-LIE. But when we have our minds protected by the knowledge that we are INDEED saved by the work that Jesus did on the cross, we are able to keep our minds safe from such attacks.

6) So far we have discussed defensive weapons-the ones that protect us in battle. But we are told to take an OFFENSIVE weapon as well, in order to fight against our enemy when we are under attack. The Sword of the Spirit, which IS the Word of God, is ours to turn back the enemy and defeat him. This powerful weapon is available to all who believe, but we must be trained in the use of the Sword of the Spirit. While Jesus is the Word made flesh, we have been given the written Word to use as well. So how do we wield this powerful weapon?

Just as one learning to use any sword, you must be trained to use the Sword of the Spirit. In Genesis, we see that God created the entire world and all that is contained therein by simply SPEAKING everything into being. Jesus, the Son of God and “THE WORD,” spoke and people were raised from the dead, healed, and many other miracles occurred simply by the spoken WORD. Further, John 14:12 (Jesus speaking, said,) “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.”

In other words, Jesus promised that we would be able to speak and things would happen. How awesome is that? That does not mean that we can go around telling the rain to cease because we don’t want our hair to get wet or to tell someone to fall in love with us when they are already married to another. Certainly not! What we CAN do is speak the Word of God to a situation, in faith, and (if we are speaking this in God’s will, not our own) it will be. I will give you an example.

 

Isaiah 54:17 states “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” When I have been under an unwarranted attack from someone, I have taken God at His Word, and proclaimed His Word aloud in prayer thusly: “No weapon that is formed against ME shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against ME in judgment, I shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord (of whom I am one),  and MY righteousness is of the Lord, saith the Lord.” I proclaim HIS Word in MY life. I leave the situation in God’s hands and continue to believe and say the Word of God aloud concerning the situation. And the Lord has NEVER failed to handle the situation.

When you are facing a battle with the enemy, begin to practice wielding the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. So how will you know what scriptures to use and when? Jesus speaking in John 14:26 tells us “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

This is why it SO very important to KNOW the Word of God. I don’t mean in the sense of memorizing, but in the sense of coming to an intimate knowledge of God’s Word. When we are under an attack by the enemy, we have been given this mightiest of weapons to win the battle!

So I ask again, in what condition is YOUR Spiritual Armor? Because whether we know it or not, and whether we like it or not, we ARE in a spiritual battle daily! Just take a look at the attack on Christians around the world. Do you not realize that we are in the heat of the battle? Even though we may not know them by name and have never met them, our brothers and sisters in Christ are counting on us to join the battle for their lives!

Here is a promise of God from 2 Chronicles 7:14  “If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” We need to proclaim this for our country daily by speaking God’s Word aloud-“Lord, you promised that if I (your child), which is called by YOUR name (Christian-a follower of Jesus Christ), would humble MYSELF, and pray, and seek YOUR face, and turn from MY wicked ways; then will YOU hear from Heaven, and forgive MY sin, and heal MY land.”