A king has his full royal regalia. In the same way, the Bible provides the full regalia of a true
As Christians, we need to be constantly buried within this armor to defend ourselves from the devil and his pumps. The armor of God as described by Paul in the scripture includes;
- The belt of truth
- The breastplate of righteousness.
- The shoes of the gospel of peace
- The shield of faith.
- The helmet of salvation.
- The sword of the spirit, and
- Prayers at all times
The Armour of God
Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18 said,” Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
In the world we presently live in, there are lots of trials and temptations initiated by the devil. He wages war against the children of God and aims to bring us to fall. But God has given us the correct guide on how to win the battle.
The armor of God described by Paul is the perfect guide. The devil flees when we are not afraid but fully prepared for him, and so, God wants us to be aware that we are at war. We must constantly put on the armor with which we can fight and defend.
Putting on the Whole Armour of God
Being in prison for some time, Paul was already acquainted with the way soldiers guarded themselves against their enemies through their outfits and obedience.
He knows the relevance of the belt, shoe, shield, breastplate, helmet, and sword to the soldier and the protection it can offer to the soldier on the battlefield. So he related the soldier’s armor to the virtues a
Significance of the belt of truth
“stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” Ephesians 6:14
To a soldier, the belt is so important. It supports his clothes and holds them firmly to his groin. It also provides an ideal abode for the sword when it is not in use. Truth is the first amour of God because God is the truth, and of all things, God is first.
He is the beginning and the end. A soldier never loosens his belt while at war, and so you must not let go of truth. Jesus is the truth. John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” As a soldier tightens his belt, so should you tighten your relationship with Jesus, who is the only truth. With him, you will conquer the Father of all liars, the devil.
When your relationship with Him is tight, He will protect you and guide you through life, ensuring you make the right decisions devoid of all the devil’s deceptive lies.
Putting on the Belt of Truth
Be aware of whom you are. Know that you are constantly at war with the father of all liars. Know that you are the soldier of Christ and that you must be victorious. Bear all these in mind, and you shall uphold truth always.
Take out time to pray and read the scripture. Meditate on the word of God each day and let your actions speak what you believe. Speak the truth at all times, because, no matter how you reason it, only the truth can set you free. John 8:32.
Significance of the Breastplate of righteousness
“Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” Ephesians 6:14
The breastplate shields the trunk and stops any weapon aimed towards that area from penetrating. Righteousness is the perfect breastplate of a
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual darkness in high places.”
The best armor for overcoming all this evil is righteousness. God loves a righteous man. He is sure to receive all good things from God.
Psalm 34:15” The eyes of the Lord is on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry”.
It is righteousness that will make God focus on you. Abraham was righteous; and so, he was blessed by the Lord.
Wearing the breastplate of righteousness
Righteousness means living right and avoiding sin. The first step to being righteous is obedience to the laws of God. Obeying the commandments of God as well as loving one another just like you love yourself is necessary.
At the end of each day, take out time to examine your conscience. In your thoughts, go through your daily activities. Make resolve for the offenses you committed against God and make plans to amend your evil deeds towards your neighbors. That is the only way of protecting yourself from the evil one. Pray and ask for the grace to live right.
Significance of the Shoe of the Gospel of Peace
“And your feet shod around the preparation of the gospel of peace” Ephesians 6:15
The world needs peace, many families need peace. Even your soul needs peace too. Paul tells us to be an advocate of peace. In Mark 16:15, Jesus commissioned his followers to go into the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
The more we make the gospel known to all men, the more we sweep the devil off his feet. The word of God brings peace, and we must be willing and ready to let the peace spread. It is with the shoe of the gospel of peace that we can be able to trample and crush the head of the serpent who is roaming every day, searching for souls to devour.
Putting on the Shoe of the Gospel of Peace
Preach the word of God through any possible way and at all times. Create time to study the scripture and reassure yourself of his admonishment of peace. Make peace with those who have offended you and all people around you.
Significance of the Shield of Faith
A soldier projects his shield before him during the war to avoid being struck by weapons. The surface of the shield is dipped into water to prevent an incoming flaming arrow from hurting.
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Faith has been a shield that protected so many fellows in the Bible like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Faith and total trust in God shielded Daniel while in the lion’s den. If you believe and have faith in God, your faith will be your shield and protect you.
Upholding the Shield of Faith
Faith is established by believing. Acquaint yourself with all activities to strengthen your faith. Soak yourself in the encouraging verses of the Bible and avoid all activities or means that cause disbelief.
Significance of Helmet of Salvation
The head is the most important part of the human body because it houses the most delicate organs like the sense organs, the brain, and others. For this reason, the head needs to be protected against attacks.
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These are the necessary precautions to take to guard your head. These precautions are the helmet of salvation. The Bible guided us in Mark 9:42-47 that if any part of our body will make us sin, we should chop it off for it is better to see the kingdom of God with incomplete body parts than to carry the whole body parts to hell.
Upholding the Helmet of Salvation
Register salvation in your brain. Know that there is a life after this present life. You only get to live it when you live right in this one. Think of spending your eternity with your creator so that your daily activities will reflect a true imitator of Christ and as those who will inherit the promised kingdom.
- Let your ears hear the word of God and when you hear it, harden not your heart. Let your eyes see the goodness of God and his Divine promises to us.
- Let your mouth proclaim the good news, the words of salvation, and the message of truth to others.
- Let your nose perceive the forthcoming glory that precedes the good deeds of man.
Significance of the Sword of the Spirit
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual darkness in high places.” – Ephesians 6 : 12
If we were mere soldiers fighting humans, we would sharpen our swords. We could even sharpen the two edges to make it more dangerous, but since our battle is not with humans, what becomes the sword to fight the spirits?
It is the word of God. The word of God is God himself Jn1:1. The word of God is the sword with which we can defeat all evil spirits, principalities, powers, situations, and so on. God made so many promises to us. All you need to do is believe in those words and prayers, hold him by his words for, he said in Matthew 24:35 that heavens and Earth shall pass away, but His words shall never pass away.
God gives faith, hope, and perseverance to hold on and fight the devil till he is crushed. There is power in the word of God. The whole world came to be through his words. When Jesus was tempted, but his defense came from the word of God. The word of God is powerful. It brings things into existence just like in the creation. It also destroys things.
The Bible in Matthew16:19 said whatever we bind on Earth has been bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on Earth has been loosed in heaven.” All in the word.
You should not be scared of knowing God’s word and using it to counsel in times of trouble, rejoice in the time of happiness, and praise him in good and bad times.
How to Uphold the Sword of the Spirit
Believe in God, his words, and his promises. Take out time to study the scripture daily. Reflect and meditate on the meaning of God’s teachings. Remind him of his promises during prayers.
PRAYERS:
Prayer is the tool with which we communicate with God. Paul admonished us in the last portion of his message on the armor of God to pray and carry all our supplications to God while we put on the amour.
The world is evil and dangerous, and so to survive, we must put on the full regalia of God and pray at all times. Prayer may not be one of the armor, but prayer is very vital.
Easy steps to put on the whole amour of God
The amour of God shows the virtues of truth, faith, salvation, righteousness, word of God, and readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. These are virtues that can make us ready to wage war against the devil, defeat him and enjoy everlasting happiness. To put on this whole armor of God. here is what you do
- Accept Jesus as your Lord and personal savior and have no other God.
- Make yourself available in all gatherings of the children of God. Go to church on Sundays, attend Sunday schools, fellowships, and prayer meetings.
- Listen to his teachings and believe in His words.
- Study the Bible every day and meditate on his words.
- Love and care for all around you. Do not hate.
- Go for evangelism, but if you can’t, seize every little chance you come across and preach the gospel to somebody. Let your lifestyle speak more than your words.
- In your bid to attain perfection and put on the armor of God and you fall, get down on your knees and pray to God. He will forgive you. Remember, man is not perfect. Man falls. It is inevitable. Just know that a saint is not someone who never sins, but he that is never tired of asking for forgiveness when he sins. God is ever merciful.
- Make prayer a habit because the Bible says pray within ceasing.
- Be an advocate of truth. Being truthful is a difficult task, but if you uphold the virtue, it will surely help. If you find it very difficult to speak the truth, pray and ask God for the grace to uphold the truth just like him.
- Avoid sin. Sin is a seed planted by the devil to destroy our relationship with God.
By doing this, you will grow in faith and truth. You will get acquainted with the word of God, and you will be close to God in prayers.
Conclusion:
A soldier does not put on his whole armor for fun. He is expecting war and dangerous moments. He is ever ready to fight, defend and conquer. Paul advises us to put on the armor of God because we must fight. We will surely meet obstacles and temptations, setbacks, disappointments, and failure, but with prayers and by the grace of God, we shall overcome.
