Christian Challenges

Put on the Whole Armour Of God

Ephesians 6:11

Paul admonishes the brethren to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. He knew that in the last days the devil would be walking around seeking anyone who is not vigilant and guarded to see if he can deceive or devour them (1 Peter 5:8). The brethren were not to find strength in themselves, but in the whole armour of God.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" Ephesians 6:10-17.

A soldier who is not fully armed may well pay dearly for his slackness. The enemy is sure to seek out his exposed parts and target them. A Christian's defence is no stronger than his weakest or omitted part in his armour. Knowing what enemy we face, we need to ensure we wear the whole armour as nothing less will keep us safe.

So let us look at the vital armour of God piece by piece.

Loins girt about with truth:
Peter tells us, "gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end . . . " 1 Peter 1:13. John tells us what truth is, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life:" John 17:17; 14:16. To gird or girt means to surround and the truth is God's Word. So to have our loins girt about with truth means to keep our mind surrounded with God's Word.

Breastplate of righteousness:
"My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness." Psalms 119:172. ". . . and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jeremiah 23:6. As the breastplate defends the vital organs of the body, so the righteousness of our Lord and His commandments defend the vital part of the Christians life. It is by the indwelling of our Lord that His righteousness becomes ours.

Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace:
The Israelites were commanded to eat Passover with their shoes on their feet as proof they were ready to move out at any moment (Ex. 12:11). The gospel of peace is the everlasting gospel, the good news about our Saviour Jesus Christ. To be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace means to walk as Christ walked. It means to be ready to give a reason for the hope within you (1 Peter 3:15), to speak the right words with love.

Shield of faith:
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: . . ." Hebrews 11:6. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." James 2:17, 18. As a shield requires work to hold it up and be useful, so faith needs works or it is dead and useless. We need faith that works and purifies the soul.

Helmet of salvation:
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 the helmet is called "the hope of salvation." By having the hope of salvation on our head it gives us courage to fight against the enemy of righteousness.

Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
". . . out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:" Revelation 1:16. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. When tempted by Satan Christ defeated him with an "it is written." No one can use this sword unless they know it; therefore it is important to study God's Word. This is the only weapon of attack that the Christian has been supplied with. All the others parts of the armour of God are for defence.

As Christians facing trials and tribulations on a daily basis I encourage everyone to put on the whole of God's armour every single day so that we can gain the victory over Satan.

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