The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10–24

“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.”

As Paul brings his letter to the Ephesians to a close, he leaves believers with one final command: be strong in the Lord.

Notice that Paul does not tell us to be strong in ourselves. He does not tell us to rely on our willpower, intelligence, experience, or determination. He tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

That distinction matters because we are in the middle of a spiritual battle, and we were never meant to fight it in our own strength.

Recognize the Real Enemy

Paul tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Our spouse is not the enemy. Our coworker is not the enemy. Our ex is not the enemy. That family member who gets on our last nerve is not the enemy either.

People can certainly hurt us. They can lie, betray, manipulate, abuse, and sin against us. Recognizing the spiritual battle does not remove anyone’s responsibility for their actions. However, if the devil can convince us that another person is the true enemy, he can keep us fighting one another while we completely ignore the spiritual battle happening around us.

The enemy is real, experienced, and constantly looking for opportunities to gain a foothold in our lives. His schemes do not always arrive as an obvious attack. Sometimes they begin as a whisper, a small compromise, a moment of bitterness, or a temptation that looks harmless.

We should never underestimate the enemy, but we should not overestimate him either. The devil is powerful, but he is not all-powerful. He is knowledgeable, but he is not all-knowing. He is active, but he is not everywhere at once.

Most importantly, he is an enemy who has already been defeated by Jesus Christ.

Put On the Belt of Truth

The enemy has been twisting the truth since the Garden of Eden. He takes something that sounds true, changes it just enough, and uses it to lead people away from God.

That is why we must put on the belt of truth every day.

We do this by reading and studying the Word of God. The Bible gives us the standard by which we judge everything else we hear from social media, podcasts, television, friends, family, and even teachers who claim to speak for God.

God did not give us His Word so we could hear someone else talk about it once a week. He gave it to us so we could read it, study it, memorize it, and allow it to protect us from deception.

Far too many believers never make it past the first piece of armor because they never open the Word of God for themselves.

Put On the Breastplate of Righteousness

A soldier’s breastplate protected the heart and other vital organs. Paul connects this protection to righteousness.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to pursue righteousness. We should wake up each day determined to live differently from the world around us. When we pursue holiness and obedience, we guard our hearts against many of the opportunities the enemy wants to use.

However, our ultimate protection cannot depend on how righteous we managed to be today. The enemy can find holes in our righteousness every single day, but he cannot find a single hole in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

The enemy is an accuser. He wants to remind us of every sin, mistake, failure, and reason we do not deserve to stand before a holy God. The truth is that we do not deserve it.

But when we stand before God, we will not stand clothed in our own righteousness. We will stand clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Our hope is not that our good deeds outweigh our bad ones. Our hope is not that we served enough, gave enough, or cleaned ourselves up enough to deserve Heaven. Our hope is Jesus Christ, His righteousness, and His finished work on the cross.

Walk in the Gospel of Peace

Paul tells us to put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

The gospel reminds us that we who were once far from God have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Jesus Himself is our peace.

The shoes worn by Roman soldiers protected their feet as they traveled great distances to take the battle to the enemy. In the same way, we have not been given the armor of God so we can stand around looking good and asking for a fit check.

We have been given a gospel to carry.

We should wake up ready to tell someone what Jesus Christ has done for us and what He can do for them. We plant our feet firmly in the peace Christ has given us, and then we carry that message of peace to others.

Take Up the Shield of Faith

The enemy fires flaming arrows of doubt, fear, temptation, discouragement, shame, and deception.

He tells us that God has forgotten us. He tries to convince us that God is not listening, that we will never change, or that we have finally done something too terrible to be forgiven.

Faith extinguishes those lies.

Faith remembers that God is good, faithful, and true to His promises. Faith remembers that God has never abandoned us and never will. Faith trusts that even when we cannot see what God is doing, His plan is greater than anything we can imagine.

Paul never says the arrows will stop coming when we pick up the shield. He tells us that when they come, we must trust what we know about God more than what the enemy wants us to believe.

Put On the Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protects the mind, and the enemy would love nothing more than to get inside your head.

He wants to convince you that you are still defined by your addiction, your broken marriage, your failure, your sin, or the person you used to be.

Those things may be part of your story, but they are no longer your identity.

If you belong to Jesus Christ, you have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed with the Holy Spirit. You were once dead in your sin, but you have been made alive with Christ.

Putting on the helmet of salvation means reminding yourself who you are because of Jesus.

Pick Up the Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He answered the devil with Scripture. Each time the enemy attacked, Jesus responded with the truth of God’s Word.

We are called to do the same, but we cannot use a weapon we have never learned to handle.

We must read the Bible, study it, memorize it, and hide it in our hearts. When temptation comes, when fear takes hold, and when the enemy fills our minds with lies, we can answer him with the truth of Scripture.

Pick up your sword daily and learn how to use it.

Pray at All Times

Many teachings about the armor of God end with the sword of the Spirit, but Paul does not stop there. He immediately tells believers to pray at all times in the Spirit.

Prayer may not be labeled as a piece of armor, but we would be foolish to enter a spiritual battle without it.

What good is a soldier who has all his equipment but has lost communication with his commander? A soldier needs direction, wisdom, strategy, and the ability to call for help.

Prayer is how we remain connected to our Father in the middle of the battle.

Prayer should not be an emergency button that we press after everything else has failed. It should be the constant communication of someone who knows they cannot fight in their own strength.

When temptation comes, pray. When you are afraid, pray. When your life feels like it is falling apart, pray. When everything is going well, pray then too.

We must also remember to pray for one another. Paul asked the believers in Ephesus to pray for him. If the Apostle Paul needed prayer, none of us should believe we can fight this battle alone.

Stand Firm in the Lord

You were never meant to fight alone. You were never meant to struggle alone, carry your burdens alone, or stand against the enemy in your own strength.

When your feet hit the floor each morning, remember that a spiritual battle is already taking place. Put on the whole armor of God. Fill your mind with truth. Rest in the righteousness of Christ. Stand firmly in the gospel. Raise your shield of faith. Remember your salvation. Pick up the Word of God. Stay connected to your Father through prayer.

Pray for your brothers and sisters, and ask them to pray for you.

Then, when the battle comes, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Having done everything, stand firm.