Yesterday we looked into our God-given roles as royal ambassadors and we saw the clothing He provides us to fulfill those positions. Today, we investigate another role: knights in shining armor.
As the apostle Paul was writing his letter to the church in Ephesus, he reminded them of a truth we all need to keep in mind.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)
Have you ever thought about that? We are not just flesh and blood, but also spirit, and this world is populated not just by physical beings, but spiritual. We read about it all through the Bible. With that in mind, Paul continues his encouragement to the church, sharing with them a wardrobe gift straight from God. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Did you ever think of yourself as a knight in shining armor? God says you are, and He led Paul to outline exactly what that armor includes. Each piece of armor has a distinct purpose and gives us defense against evil and our daily temptations.
First, it says to stand firm and put on the belt of truth. Just as a belt encircles our waist, upholding our clothing, God encourages us to encircle and uphold ourselves in His truth. He knew we would need to be covered with truth. If something is true, it cannot fall victim to a lie. We need truth in every area of our lives. And God has designed His full armor so that every other piece of it is attached to the belt of truth. It’s foundational and integral to our spiritual wardrobe. When we don’t wrap ourselves in His truth every day it is difficult to navigate life’s circumstances. God’s word is truth, and we need it to know truth and what is not. We can belt ourselves in it by studying His word, praying it, using it as our guideline and memorizing it.
Next, we cover our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness, basically means being made right. In our daily battles we need God’s complete righteousness. His righteousness is a gift straight from Himself through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. The enemy will try to tempt us and even say that God’s burdens are bumping into our happy, but the knowledge that we belong to God through Christ protects our hearts. It reminds us that we are children of and ambassadors for the King of kings. If you are struggling with that fact, ask a mentor, pastor or friend to pray. We were not meant to be alone.
Covered by our breastplate of righteousness, we can walk forward in the shoes of the gospel of peace. Peace is an attribute of the Lord. The gospel, which means good news, is the forgiveness of sins and that only comes through faith in God through His Son Jesus. Peace means wholeness and when we carry anxiety and worry with us, we are robbed of peace. So, each day I ask the Lord to give me peace and work it out in me. My security and identity are in Him not my work, situation and life.
The next piece of armor we can grab is the shield of faith. A shield does just what it says, it shields us from enemy fire. For the Christian, that means the fiery darts of Satan. We need the shield of God’s word so we can be confident and walk in the way He has called us, no matter how many lies are hurled our way. We find confidence in God’s righteousness and truth, not ours. And as our final piece of protective covering, we put on the helmet of salvation. What is salvation? It is what occurs the moment we trust in Jesus’s death and resurrection as a payment for our sin and we put our trust for life in Him. Salvation is being worked out through a process of sanctification. As the breastplate of righteousness is for our hearts, the helmet of salvation does for our minds. It rests solely on the work of Jesus Christ but it involves us as we walk with the Lord and ask Him to change us. The battle for the Christian is often in the mind. So, we must surrender our thoughts as it says in Colossians 3. We are to remember who the Lord is and how faithful he is, and renew our minds daily. Pastor Craig Groeschel says, “Our minds go in the direction of our thoughts.” By asking Him to transform us and change us not to look like the world but like Him. We want to look like Him.
Finally, we are ready to take up our one and only offensive piece of armor, the Sword of the Spirit. A sword is used to protect a soldier, and it is both offensive and defensive. The sword in scripture is the word of God. The written scriptures were written by men through the inspiration and direction of Holy Spirit. We read and memorize scripture to know God, His word and to combat our adversary’s lies and the evil of this world. In Hebrews 4:12 we learn that the word of God is active and sharper than a double-edged sword. The purpose of the Bible is to know God and by that withstand evil and redirect our minds to what is true. The more we know, the more we hide His word in our hearts, memorize, and pray it, the more prepared we will be to overcome evil with the goodness of God.
— Sue Lindsey and Linda Maynard (c) January 2023
