In my last blog I discussed the Armor of God. As a refresher the Armor of God is found in Ephesians 6:13-18 which says:
"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. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 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,”
In Part 1 I went over the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and shoes fitted with the gospel of peace. In Part 2 I want to tackle the final three parts that make up the Armor of God. Like I said in Part 1, the Armor of God is not something you get out of your closet and physically put on everyday, rather it is the way you should live your life every day in order to strengthen yourself in the Lord.
The fourth piece of the Armor of God is the shield of faith. First off a shield is used for protection, and our faith is also a form of protection. In scripture the full verse says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). What flaming darts are being thrown at me, and how can faith protect me from them? Flaming darts are any trials, temptation, doubt, anxieties, or lies that the Devil throws our way in life. Faith is the only way to overcome our sin, but it is also the only way to overcome the “darts” thrown at us in life. So, whenever temptation is thrown your way or doubt and anxieties begin to creep in, do not listen to the lies of the Devil. Fight these things with your faith, the shield of faith. Let the truth of God’s word come before you and protect you. Put your trust in Him, because the only way to defend yourself from the “flaming darts” and conquer the enemy is through Him. Run to your faith in the Father when things get hard, surround yourself in the truth to fight your battles.
The next piece in the Armor of God is the helmet of salvation. As Christians a lot of times our battle against the enemy takes place in our minds. The Devil puts lies and doubts in our heads, and oftentimes his goal is to make us doubt our salvation or to make us think we are not good enough. Putting on the helmet of salvation protects us from these lies. We need to focus on the hope of our salvation. Once we have truly put our faith in Christ and received the gift of salvation there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from Him or His love. His love is enough, it is total and unconditional. Surround yourself with the truth of the Gospel and God’s grace. If we keep these things at the front of our mind it becomes like a helmet, protecting us from the lies and doubts the enemy tries to put in our minds.
The sixth and final piece of the Armor of God is the sword of the spirit. Now to me the sword of the spirit is different from all other pieces of the Armor of God. The first five are pieces of defense and protection, but the sword of the spirit is a weapon. It can not only be used defensively, but offensively as well. Believers all have the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is God’s spirit living in us. The Spirit equips us to fight off the lies of the enemy with the truth that is in God’s word. God’s word is the only way to fight and overcome those lies. We cannot do it on our own or by our own strength. There are going to be days when we feel as if we are too weak to keep fighting the battle, but the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to keep on fighting. Live your life surrounded by the Spirit. Read the word of God daily and pray with confidence in the Spirit. Ask for strength and wisdom every day as you wake up and fight the battles that the enemy puts in our lives to tear us down.
When you put your faith in Christ life is not promised to be easy. Actually, it is promised that we will face trials. The Bible says the Devil “comes to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). In order to fight and be strong in the Lord we have to “put on” the Armor of God each and every day.
By: Peyton Thompson
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