Armor of God – how to be protected by God
How to be protected by God
The armor of God is God’s provision for your divine protection. Everyday as Christians we face attacks from the enemy, the apostle Paul calls them “the wiles or schemes of the devil” and the “fiery darts of the wicked one”. God’s provision of protection from every attack of the enemy is a reassuring promise that belongs to every believer. However, we must avail ourselves to the protection provided – the armor of God!
The armor of God is like the provision of home insurance, which provides protection against financial loss from a natural disaster, if you don’t buy the home insurance and your house encounters a storm or disaster you have no protection. The same is true with God’s provision of protection, if you do not apply it when you encounter a storm or attack you won’t have God’s protection.
How to be Protected by God
So, what is the protection God provides for us and how do we apply it to our lives? Paul compares the protection God provides us to that of a soldiers armor in Ephesians 6:11-18,
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,… ”
The people of Paul’s day were very familiar with the armor of the Roman soldiers as they filled the streets of their cities. However, for us today it’s a little harder to fully get the impact of what Paul was describing.
Just realize how important the armor was to a soldier in that day. It protected his body from the dangers of battle. Around his waist was a belt, which was used to protect the lower abdomen and groin. Above that was the breastplate made of solid metal protecting the most vital and vulnerable places of the soldier’s body from attack. On the feet of the soldier were boots with nails driven through the soles, allowing him to dig in against an opponent and to stand firm in the face of oncoming attacks. The soldier had a full length shield that stopped and extinguished the enemies flaming arrows. On top of the soldier’s head was a helmet, made of metal. Finally, in his hands was his only offensive weapon, the sword.
While the armor of a soldier was used against natural weapons in battle, our battle is not with the external things we see or hear, it is not about machine guns and roadside bombs, or against people, but our war (our battle) is with the powers, principalities, and rulers of the unseen evil world that tries to steal, kill and destroy through deception, intimidation and fear. The spiritual battle of the heart and mind is never won by natural weapons and armor. To fight the spiritual battle, we must use a different armor, different tactics, and different strategies. To win this battle we must use God’s protection rather than our own. The good news is God has provided us with armor to protect us against these spiritual attacks.
When we know how to properly use the armor provided by God we are able to keep the enemy defeated. We must always remember that Jesus already has defeated the enemy and given us the victory. Our assignment is to enforce that victory. That is what Paul is encouraging us to do, whey he said, “Be strong in THE LORD and the power of His might.”
Armor of God – what is it?
Paul tells us about seven pieces of armor we need to use for our protection. They are:
1. The Belt of truth.
Truth is what ties all parts of our spiritual protection together. Like the soldier’s belt, it is the foundational piece of our armor. Jesus is the truth,(John 14:9) whereas the devil is the father of lies. To wear the belt of truth means we need to know the truth, (which is to know Jesus and His Word) and then to speak the truth. Our words should be filled with faith and life. We should guard the words we speak. Our responsibility is to recognize the truth and fasten it around ourselves so we can avoid the lies and deception of the devil and to always act, talk, and live as men of truth. Be a person of truth.
2. The Breastplate of righteousness.
Righteousness is a shield against the wickedness of the world we live in. Our righteousness comes from Jesus. We cannot become righteous through our own efforts, it is a gift from God. (2Corinthians 5:21) Make sure to stay behind the shield of righteousness given by faith in Christ, let it cover and protect you. It will keep your heart strong and pure for God. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are (all) the issues of life.” (Prov 4:23) If you drift towards self righteous and fail to trust in Jesus you become exposed to the enemy.
3. The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace .
This means to be prepared and ready with a confident assurance by stepping into the presence of God’s peace, a peace that passes all understanding, and having no fear.Jesus is the prince of peace, keep your feet on the solid rock of Jesus.
4. The Shield of faith.
The first three parts of armor we wear. We put on the belt, the breastplate and the shoes, and they essentially hold themselves up. The shield is something we must take up, something we are required to raise. While a physical shield protects us physically, faith can protect our spiritual lives even in the middle of trials and tribulation. Paul tells us we are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the devil with this shield. Faith will defeat fear and conquer doubt. When confronted by the enemy we can defend ourselves with the ‘shield of faith’ trusting in God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Faith is believing, speaking and acting on God’s Word, fully persuaded God is able to do what He has promised in His Word. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith stay focused on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2-3)
5. The Helmet of salvation,
This is to guard our mind and intellect from being poisoned with doubt and wrong thinking. The world around us fills the air waves and printed pages with all kinds of information and ideas that can produce wrong thinking. The devil loves to make us doubt. The world has mixed everything up about right and wrong, good and evil. They’re flipping everything around and saying just the opposite. Seeds of doubt are sown everyday- tempted to doubt the existence of God; to doubt the death of Jesus on the cross; to doubt the resurrection of Jesus; to doubt heaven and hell are real; to doubt the reliability of the Word of God; to doubt creation, etc. We defend ourselves from such doubts, such attacks by reminding ourselves of who we are: followers of Christ saved by grace through faith. Always wear the helmet of salvation.
6. The Sword of the spirit.
Belts, breastplates, shields and helmets are all items of armor which defend, but the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, is not only to defend ourselves but to attack. We are to use the spoken Word of God to counter attacks of the enemy and stop him. We should all commit to memory a number of Bible verses that we can speak out when the time is right, like Jesus, when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness He responded with, “It is written …” quoting scriptures to put the devil in his place and deny him any success. Don’t leave the Word of God only on a page or lying on a table, activated by speaking the Word.
7. Praying in the Spirit.
Often this an overlooked part of the armor. However, prayer is crucial to our spiritual growth and strength. It is key to enforcing the victory Jesus won in our lives. Make prayer a daily part of your life.
Do you have the armor of God on? If not put it on today and keep it on. I have heard people say the first thing they do each morning is to put on their armor. I say never take it off.
Notice Paul does not say the armor stops the attacks of the enemy, but it protects us against the attacks. Jesus warned us that in this world we would encounter storms in life, so do not be discouraged when you face a trial or storm instead just be ready with your armor to conquer every situation and walk in the victory Jesus has given you.
Remember, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that arises against you in judgment will be condemned.” (Isaiah 54:17) Make sure you always wear the ARMOR OF GOD!
