"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand." James 4:7 The Bible says to put on the full armor of God, but what does that mean?
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. -Ephesians 6:14-17.
Belt of Truth
The first thing we need to put on is the belt of truth which stands for the truth of the word of God. In ancient times the belt was essential for a soldier as it help up his weapons and give them the freedom of movement. In the same way as the soldier, God's truth is essential for us. It is the base of everything and holds up our other weapons like the Sword of the Spirit. Without the truth as our foundation, everything else would fall.
Breastplate of Righteousness
After we put on the Belt of Truth the next thing is the Breastplate of Righteousness. This is a metaphor for the righteousness given to us when Jesus died for our sins. A breastplate covers and protects our heart and soul. Just like righteousness covers and protects our heart and soul when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Gospel of Peace
Now we're on to the Gospel of Peace. This one's a bit different because it says that your feet will be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This is the only one that you don't directly put on. Gospel of Peace is another way of saying the Good News. So, our feet are what we walk, and travel with, and our feet are supposed to be ready with the Good News. We should always be ready to share the Gospel.
Shield of Faith
The next thing is the Shield of Faith. This stands for our belief (faith) in God. Our faith will protect us from the devil's lies and destruction, just like a shield protects a knight from an adversary's attack.
Helmet of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation is next. A helmet protects our head, which has our mind, from injury. Salvation saves us from death. Our mind has the power to choose whether or not to follow Christ, which is the choice that decides our life. If you are a Christian that means you have the Helmet of Salvation which saves you from death because of your decision to follow Jesus.
Sword of the Spirit
The last part is the Sword of the Spirit, which is one of my personal favorites because it is the only one that's offensive, everything else is used to protect you but the sword can be used to attack. We're not supposed to use this against one another, but in spiritual warfare. The Sword of the Spirit is God's word, and we use it against the devil. Whenever we're struggling with the evil one's temptations we turn to God's word and use it against the devil.
So, now you know all about the Armor of God. The only thing left to do is decide to put it on so you can stand your ground when evil comes, just like Paul says in Ephesians.
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