PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
The apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus not to go out into the world unprotected from spiritual warfare. He told them to be prepared for trouble by putting on the “full armor of God.” In other words, don’t go out half dressed. Put on the whole armor of God. For every piece matters.
There are six components to this armor (five defensive and one offensive):
1) The Belt of Truth. We no longer walk in darkness. Our eyes have been opened to spiritual truth. This truth is like a belt that holds the armor together, so we can walk in the light.
2) The Breastplate of Righteousness. The breastplate protects the heart and lungs. For in Christ, we have received the righteousness of God. We can confess our sins, knowing that He has already forgiven us and will cleanse us. His righteousness guards our hearts.
3) Gospel Shoes
. A gospel messenger is to run with the good news. Therefore, we must lace our gospel sandals up tight, so that we can always be prepared to give out the good news of Jesus.
4) The Shield of Faith
. This is a leather shield that has been soaked in the water of God’s assurance, so that the fiery darts of the devil are extinguished upon contact. The devil’s accusations and lies are defeated by our faith in God’s promise that we are His.
5) The Helmet of Salvation
. The helmet protects the mind. We have offered ourselves to God, so that He has renewed and transformed our minds. We have the mind of Christ and can know God’s will for us.
6) The Sword of the Spirit. This is the Word of God. Our only offensive weapon.
As Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness, so we are overcomers by His Word.
Have you armored up today?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we come before you today naked. Cloth us in your spiritual armor. We cannot put it on without You. Help us put the whole armor of God on before we head out into the world today. For we are Your servants, bought by the blood of Jesus. It’s in His name that we pray, amen.