In case you have not realized yet, you are a soldier at war, and God offers you a complete set of armor.
- The Girdle (Belt) of Truth -
In biblical times men and women usually wore loose clothing that hung down below their knees. Before undertaking any strenuous activity, they would gather up their loose garment above their knees and fasten it with a belt around the waist. Hence the phrase that occurs several times in the bible: Gird up thy loins.
Likewise you must gather up and fasten out of the way anything that would impede your freedom to follow Jesus. The "belt" that enables you to do this is God's Word, applied in a very plain and practical way. In other words, God's basic, eternal, unchanging truth applied to all areas of our lives in a loving and useful manner. On a slightly different note, I believe the "long garments" that encumber us can be religious language and behavior. We must be ruthlessly honest with ourselves and as the Holy Spirit leads with other people. For it is He that will begin to cloth you in this armor. We cannot encumber ourselves with religious clichés. They are a terrible hindrance if we want to be fully committed Christians. We cannot hide behind religious talk; we have to be sincere.
- The Breastplate of Righteousness -
The breastplate protects your most critical and vulnerable area: your heart. This righteousness is not mere intellectual assent to a doctrine: "With the heart"...not the head... "one believes to righteousness" (Romans 10:10). Saving faith in the heart transforms a life of sin into a life of righteousness... not a righteousness that comes from following a set of religious rules, but from Christ dwelling in our hearts and living out His life through us.
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)
This kind of righteousness transforms timidity into boldness, doubt into confidence.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
Here Paul describes the breastplate from another point of view. If we put these two passages together, the breastplate of righteousness is also a breastplate of faith and love. This tells us the kind of righteousness that Paul had in mind. Not the righteousness of works; not the righteousness of a religious law; but the righteousness that comes only by faith.
- The Shoes Of The Gospel -
For this item of armor identified as shoes, I prefer to say "the boots of the preparation of the gospel of peace." Roman soldiers wore leather boots that were strapped all the way up the calf. These boots were firmly fixed on them. Scripture emphasizes that we must have our boots on. You must be available to God at any time or place to share the Gospel with those God puts in your way.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. (2 Timothy 4:2)
The shoes of the Gospel of peace will provide protection for your walk. For the narrow way is an ancient path trodden by precious few when compared to the broad way. You will traverse mountains that few have conquered. You will be led down into the valley of the shadow of death and left in the fires of persecution for a season... not just once, but many times. However, with your walk protected by the Gospel of peace, you will not only be blessed with a supernatural peace that emanates from the Spirit of Jesus within... but you will be equipped to share that blessed peace and hope with those whom the Lord will place in your path. While the world seems to be tearing itself apart, and the walls around you begin to crumble on every side, with darkness, confusion, fear, and uncertainty around every corner... you may be at peace.
The shield alluded to in Ephesians 6 was big enough to give protection to a soldier's whole body, but it was effective only when it was used properly.
You, too, must learn to use your faith as a shield to protect your whole person... body, soul, and spirit... from Satan's fiery darts. Remember, the shield will not merely ward off the flaming darts; it will extinguish them!
- The Helmet Of Salvation -
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
This is not just mere wishful thinking, but an attitude of steady, continuing optimism based firmly on the truth of the Word of God. Just as faith provides protection for the heart, hope provides protection for the mind.
- The Sword Of The Spirit -
This is primarily a spoken word. The Bible on your bookshelf will not protect you. The Word of God becomes a sword when you speak it through your mouth in faith. Remember how Jesus used that sword against Satan, answering every temptation by quoting Scripture?
When he was tempted by the devil he did not answer the devil with experience. When Satan came and said "…if you are the Son of God", Jesus could have easily said, "Hey devil, just a few days ago God called me his son." Remember when he was baptized in the river Jordan? Jesus answered with the word of God. For the word of God is the only weapon against the devil. You cannot fight Satan with experience. You'll only fight him with the word of God. Jesus accepted the absolute authority of the scriptures. With every temptation, with everything Satan said the Lord answered with… "it is written". Even Satan accepted the authority of the scriptures, for Satan could not say no. When Jesus said it is written, the devil accepted that.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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