Spiritual Warfare: The Armor of God
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints...” - Ephesians 6:10-18
There are spiritual forces all around us, angels and demons fighting in a cosmic battle that we can’t see. But just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it can’t affect us. According to Ephesians 6, we are wrestling against these forces too. We shouldn’t pick our fights with other people - we should pick them with the spiritual forces at work against us.
But how do you fight something you can’t see? That’s where God comes in. He will clothe us with his armor if we fight for him. Let’s walk through each of these.
BELT OF TRUTH: This is the piece of the armor that holds the other pieces close to your body. If we know what is true, then the promises of God, his righteousness, salvation, etc, will cling close to us and not risk falling off when doubt comes. Satan will constantly attack you with lies and doubts. Pray for wisdom and truth to guard against this.
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: What does a breastplate guard? Your heart. Righteousness does the same thing; it protects your heart. If we allow our heart to get hardened by sin, then we will not be receptive to God and we will be ineffective in the fight against Satan and his followers. Run from sin and invest in prayer with God so that your heart will be soft.
SHOES OF READINESS: You can’t get anywhere quickly if your shoes are untied. Or if you have to find them and put them on. This represents always being ready to share the gospel. (1 Peter 3:15) Practice saying your testimony and don’t be afraid to share the gospel. This is a foundational part of being a Christian.
SHIELD OF FAITH: This protects us from the flaming arrows of the Devil. What do flaming arrows do when they strike you? They consume you until you’re burned up. Doubt, sin, laziness, and other vices will consume you if you let them. But if you have faith in your God, then you are impervious to the feeble attempts of Satan to win you over.
HELMET OF SALVATION: Helmets protect your head. What’s in your head? Your brain (well, for most of us). When you know that you know that you are saved, then doubts won’t be able to fill your mind and you will not be crippled by not being able to move or act.
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT: Notice that this is the only weapon that Paul lists. It is with the Word of God that we actually attack the enemy back, rather than just defend ourselves. Now, just like a swordsman has to train with a sword so that he doesn’t hurt himself and other people, we have to train ourselves in the Word so that we don’t cause damage with it. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” Don’t just go spitting bible verses out all over the place without studying. If you notice, when Satan tempts Jesus in Matthew 4, he used Scripture to do it. Scripture misused is dangerous. So ask God to help you wield it!
I hope this has helped you get a better idea of what this passage of Scripture means. Fight on!