Ephesians 6:10-18
“10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” (NKJV)
Gird your waist with truth (the belt of truth). Jesus tells us that He is they way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). This is the truth I believe we as believers need to carry with us when going into battle. Though the enemy might try to fill us with doubt, we should be able to stand in the truth of Jesus Christ.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness. It is by the blood and grace of Jesus Christ in which we are saved. We are not righteous in our own standing, but with Christ in our hearts, we can stand righteous in Him.
Shod your feet with preparation for peace (sandals of peace). There is a peace which passes all understanding that the Lord can give us. Try walking in the hot weather on black pavement without shoes, or on the barnacle covered rocks at a beach, or in the snow. You are not likely to get very far. With peace and comfort (like shoes in the conditions I named metaphorically) you are likely to stand longer.
Take the shield of faith. We are asked to take our shield of faith above all. It’s not just knowing truth in your head but in your heart. The shield of faith is the power of God that protects us (1 Peter 1:3-5) from the fiery darts of the enemy such as his lies.
Take the helmet of salvation. Consider what a soldier’s helmet protects him from; damage to his head. The enemy is quick to go after the mind; the images that flash before you, the words you hear, which may result in thoughts you think.
Take the sword of the Spirit; the word of God. The Bible is our guide, our manual and contains our battle strategy. It is so important to store scripture in your heart so in times of battle you can pull out that sword just as Jesus did when tempted in Matthew chapter 4.
Pray in the Spirit. Prayer acknowledges we need God. We don’t need to go our battles alone because the Spirit of God is there to guide us. The armor that the Bible has laid out is part of the support we have to protect ourselves from the wicked schemes of Satan.
Please visit these related blogs:
Equipping Children for Spiritual Battle
What Satan Wants You to Believe: Part 1
Taking Your Thoughts Into Captivity
The Prayer of Jabez: Keep Me From Evil
