What is The Armor Of God?
Ephesians 6: 10-21
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 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.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 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. ”
The full armor of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer
—are the tools God has given us, through which we can be spiritually victorious, overcoming Satan’s attacks and temptations as shared through Got Questions. It also protects us from giving in to our own fleshly desires and ways of thinking.
Debbie McDaniel expressed in her article entitled, The Armor of God - What it Is and How to Use It that:
“We may forget at times but one thing is true - this world is a battlefield. Day by day, hour by hour, we face a spiritual war and an enemy who’s real. He wants nothing more than to bring defeat, for his main aim is to steal, kill, and destroy. The forces of darkness don't wait for us to be ready for their attack. They're ruthless, determined, and cunning.
God has given us his Word and Spirit, powerful and true, so we'll have the wisdom and protection to stand against the enemy.”
While many people think of torture chambers when imagining these attacks, I believe his primary attacks come in the form of lies that he tries to get us to believe about God and our own identity. These lies lead to the destruction of the fruit of the spirit and the life Christ came to bring.
The Armor of a believer
The Helmet Of Salvation
We don’t fight for victory we fight from victory trusting in God’s faithfulness to his promises!
In order to put it on, you first need to know what this helmet is. Like the breastplate of righteousness, this piece of armor is borrowed directly from the description of the divine warrior in Isaiah 59:17. In fact, God’s righteousness and his people’s salvation occur together frequently in Isaiah. God’s righteousness—his reliable commitment to fulfill all his promises to his people—means he must act to deliver them from all their enemies, including the greatest enemy of all—their sin, and the separation from God it causes.
This firm promise of God provides the basis for their secure hope amid life’s trials and difficulties. That is why in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul describes this piece of armor more fully as the “helmet of the hope of salvation.” The Christian’s helmet is his or her sure hope of salvation. - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/helmet-salvation/
Sword Of The Spirit
When we are tempted, the most effective weapon that God has given to us as believers is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate of a soldier was sometimes made of woven chain and used to cover the soldier's vital organs. For the Christian, the breastplate is righteousness.
Righteousness is being free from guilt or sin. It is right-standing with God. When the enemy tries to condemn us and put distance between us and God, we remember the truth that our right standing with God was endowed upon us through Christ.
His righteousness covers us and gives us access to communion with God. Walking by the spirit and following His laws of love and justice that are written on our hearts also protect us from becoming enslaved or snagged by the traps of the enemy.
Here are 100 verses on righteousness if you want to dive deeper - https://www.openbible.info/topics/righteousness
Belt Of Truth
A soldier in Paul's day had a leather girdle or belt that he tightened about his waist to protect his loins and carry his weapons of warfare, such as a dagger or sword. The belt also held his tunic together so it wouldn't be snagged. In Christian armor, it is the truth that holds everything else together. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), but the believer whose life is controlled by truth will defeat him. When satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness he came at him with twisted scripture, twisted truths. When he attacks us he often uses lies about God and our Identity. When we know the truth we are set free from the bondage the lies bring into our life.
Shield Of Faith
Soldiers dipped arrows in oil, then lit them and shot them at the enemy. These shields were vital to protect the solider from getting burned. Our shield is our faith in the promises of God manifest in Jesus.
Feet Fitted with the Readiness that comes from the Gospel Of Peace
A Roman soldier would have hobnails on the sole, very much like football cleats because when they were fighting they needed solid footing from which to move.
Paul applies the image to “the gospel [good news] of peace,” clearly alluding to Isaiah 52:7, where heralds bring good news of divine deliverance and restoration for God’s people. Readiness to carry the gospel is necessary for God’s warriors to advance and, as we shall see, prepares us for the one offensive weapon that Paul will include: the gospel message (Eph 6:17).
fight as we take a stand with god
We face unseen spiritual battles in life. With God’s help, we will be able to hold the line, not retreat, to not give up an inch of God’s territory.
Mike Bennett, “How To Put On The Armor Of God
We can overcome the lies of the enemy by remaining in the truth of God.