Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 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.”
Rephrased, “Brothers, be confident in the Lord and His strength. Put on God’s armor to have the ability to fight off Satan’s schemes. Equip yourselves with all the spiritual protection you can get so you can stay strong. We are not just fighting against human adversaries, but also against spiritual entities who possess the power of darkness in this world.”
“These spiritual hosts of wickedness inhabit the heavenly places, so we must be vigilant and protect ourselves from them. Therefore, to be ready for whatever may come your way, put on the full armor of God so you can stand your ground and remain victorious even in times of difficulty. Do not forget that you can always count on God’s protection when the battle is won.”
As believers, we often tend to overlook the spiritual protection that is available to us. But even when life presents us with obstacles, temptations, and discouragement, we must remember that our actual adversaries are not from this world. Therefore, taking full advantage of all the tools at our disposal can help us triumph over such trials and tribulations. As instructed in Ephesians 6:10-18, we must don the full armor of God and vigilantly protect our hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and spirit through prayer.
He particularly mentioned the different items that come together to form spiritual protection, such as the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of gospel peace, helmet of salvation shield faith, and the sword of the Spirit. Through these pieces of armor, we can rest assured that God’s protection is rock solid, no matter what kind of temptations or circumstances we may have to face in this world.
As children of God, we do not fight against flesh and blood; therefore, it is important that we protect ourselves with the full armor of God. This spiritual protection is embodied by the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, and sword of the Spirit.
The Bible exhorts us to put on these pieces every day to guard our hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and spirits from any attacks from spiritual forces. The pieces help us to remain firm in faith and equip us for any spiritual warfare we face. With intersession as an added layer to this armor it creates a powerful form of protection which helps in weathering any storm or battle before us.
Ephesians 6:14-20, “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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Rephrased, “Therefore, put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel message of peace. Make sure you are adequately prepared for any challenge life brings your way.16 Above all, build yourself a strong defense against the devil’s tricks by using faith as your shield. Also, put on the helmet of salvation and draw out the sword of Spirit – which is nothing but God’s Word.
“Constantly praying in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers, constantly staying alert and persevering in supplication on behalf of all God’s people, including myself—so that I may proclaim the mystery of the gospel without fear or hesitation. I am restrained by certain duties and obligations; thus, I can speak with proper confidence and authority as befits my station.
As children of God, it is essential that we arm ourselves with the whole armor of God. This spiritual armor helps us protect all aspects of our being – our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls – from any kind of spiritual attack.
The Bible commands us to “put on the whole armor of God” which consists of the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel, peace helmet, shield of faith and sword of the Spirit.
With these in place, we can easily have victory over flesh and blood. We can be assured that God will help us in times when darkness tries to take over our lives. The whole armor is a reminder for us that faith brings power against our enemies, and we should trust in Him always.
2 Corinthians 10:1-6, “Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Rephrased, “Through Christ’s meek and gentle spirit, I, Paul, implore you all to demonstrate humility in your presence but be firm when absent. However, I plead with you to be understanding when I am in your presence and not be so overconfident as I intend to be against those who perceive us as merely walking according to the flesh. Even though we live in a physical world, our battles are not fought with physical weapons.
“We don’t battle with carnal weapons, rather we use the might of God to bring down strongholds. We must reject any notion that conflicts with God’s knowledge and accept Christ as our ultimate authority. We must practice obedience to God’s commands by curbing every thought that could disobey Him. This habit of faithfulness prepares us for the consequences of disobedience once we have achieved total obedience.”
According to the Bible, children of God have been told to put on the “whole armor of God” to protect their hearts, minds, bodies, souls and spirits. This armor is represented by several weapons: the belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; the shoes of the Gospel; a helmet of salvation; a shield of faith and a sword of spirit.
These weapons are essential for Christians if they are to effectively combat evil forces that can come against them in everyday life. With intersession they can protect themselves with this armor and successfully wrestle against negative forces such as pride and anger to lead fulfilling Christian lives.
God has graciously bestowed us with the complete armor of protection against spiritual warfare. As His children, it is our responsibility to put on this armor and shield our hearts and souls from any potential attacks. As Christians, we can stay strong and confident on our spiritual journey if we arm ourselves with the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and shoes of gospel peace.
This is a powerful set of equipment in our armor that will help us remain steadfast in our faith. Equipping oneself with the Armor of God – Helmet of Salvation, Shield of Faith, and Sword of the Spirit – is integral for standing firm against spiritual adversaries.
The Lord has promised that no weapon formed against you will succeed and He will judge every tongue that rises in accusation. This is the privilege of those who serve Him, and it comes from Him alone. Thus says the Lord!
Isaiah 54:16-17, “Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.”
Rephrased, “Observe, I have fashioned the blacksmith Who breathes life into the fire and brings out his tools; And I have created the destroyer to annihilate. God is our protector and defender. No weapon of attack has power over us, and any words spoken in judgment against us shall be condemned. This is the blessing we receive as servants of the Lord, and His righteousness is with us always,” declares the Lord.”
