The Full Armor of God

Every morning that I wake up, there are numerous needs that I attend to. I take a shower, I brush my teeth, if it’s cold, I grab a coat, if I’m going to work, I bring my lunch, if my truck is whining because it’s old and has a leak, I stop and grab power steering fluid occasionally, and if the day ends in Y, I consume caffeine. There are so many things that we face daily, big and small, that require solutions. Things we need to do in order to make it through our day. All of these are physical needs, but what about our spiritual needs?

Paul explains in Ephesians 6 what we need to face spiritual challenges. He compares us, as followers of Christ, to soldiers who must wear armor. Why? Because we are in an ongoing war. But not a physical war, a spiritual one. By putting on the armor of God, we are able to withstand the evil that comes our way (v.13). Let’s take a deeper look at each piece of this armor.

Belt of truth (v.14)

The KJV says, " Have your loins girt about with truth,” which I think is more fun to say. Either way, this means wrap yourself in the truth daily. What is the truth? Jesus defines that when he said, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life” (John 14:6). One who is a disciple of Christ, who practices his way of life and allows him to control every part of them, is wrapping themselves or “girting themselves” in the truth. The truth is the answer because the problem is a liar. Satan is a deceiver and very smart. The way to overcome his lies is by allowing Christ into every part of your life.

Breastplate of righteousness (v. 14b)

The breastplate covers a soldier from the neck to the waist, on the front and back. Having already wrapped yourself in the truth of Christ, you are led to live a righteous life. When you are living a life that is pleasing to God, the accuser has nothing to accuse you of! His flaming darts can’t hurt you.

The shoes of the gospel (v.15)

The shoes of the gospel are how we not only stand firm in Christ, but they are how we make the enemy tremble. The shoes are the instrument that carries us out into a lost world, one that is in desperate need of the peace of God, that needs to know the truth of Christ, and that is incapable of righteousness on its own.

The shield of faith (v.16)

This shield defends us against the darts of the evil one. It was a large shield, and in battle it would often interlock with the shields of its fellow soldiers. This tells us that as we live out our faith, we can’t do it alone. We must lock arms with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to withstand the enemy’s attacks. We never know when an attack is coming our way; this is why we must constantly live out our faith in Christ and take up this shield.

The helmet of salvation (v.17)

We have all experienced an attack from the enemy on our minds. We’ve also seen examples of it in scripture. Let’s face it, Eve wasn’t wearing the helmet of salvation in Genesis 3. She was easily tricked by Satan because her mind wasn’t being controlled by God. What is controlling your mind? What are you letting in? When our mind is controlled by the truth of God and when we are in constant communication with our maker, it’s impossible for Satan to get a hold of our minds. Knowledge of scripture isn’t how you are saved, but you're foolish to think it isn’t important.

The sword of the Spirit (v. 17b)

We’ve been playing great defense; let’s play some offense now. Every day, we must go on the offense against Satan and his army. Even though the Seahawks’ defense was elite, they still had to score points to win the Super Bowl. Here’s how we score: with the word of God. Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness by quoting scripture. “It is written,” he said three times, and this dealt a blow to satan. Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, capable of discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The word of God is a powerful weapon. This is why Paul told Timothy to devote the church to the public reading of scripture. Paul understood the power of the scriptures.

How Can I Put This Into Practice?

This is a lot to remember every day. How do I put this into practice? There is a prayer I pray every morning that has helped me, and maybe it will help you. I pray
this:

“Heavenly Father, today make me constantly aware of your holiness and your love for me.”

If the Lord reveals his holiness to me, it causes me to see my own lack of holiness. The result of this is the fear of the Lord and a severe understanding of the armor I am desperately in need of. I fear him. But if I only fear him, I have no confidence to enter the throne room of grace to receive mercy and grace in a time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

This is why I desperately pray for him to reveal his love for me, so that I may rest in that love and have the confidence to lay my head on his chest, as the apostle John does in John 13. If we marry the fear of the Lord with the love of the Lord, we are able to both see our weaknesses and also to confidently rely on his strengths.

Spend time alone with the Father

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” Psalm 91:1. Protection from the enemy is for the one who spends time with the Almighty.

As someone who is not a morning person, the worst and best parts of my day are 5 minutes apart. The worst part of my day is when my alarm goes off; I hate getting up early. But when I do, it’s irreplaceable. The best part of my day comes when I do get up and spend time in the secret place with God. This is how you put on your armor.

You sacrifice your time, your energy, your sleep, in order to hear from the creator of the heavens and the earth. You spend time in silence, time in the word, time in fervent prayer. But it takes effort. Jesus was often found alone, spending time with his father, even when he was exhausted. Jesus shows us that there is no substitute for time in the secret place with the Father.

If Jesus were here on this earth in person today, he wouldn’t equip himself with 30-second inspirational TikToks, a faith-based podcast, or even a quick little devotional like this one. As plainly as I can say it, these things aren’t enough. They’re not wrong, but they don’t suffice for the war being waged against us. If Jesus were alive today, he would equip himself as he did then. In the secret place of the Father.

Crucifying our flesh daily is the only way we win this war. Thankfully, it isn’t our armor; it’s God’s armor, and we just have to put it on.