Suit Up - Are You Wearing the Full Armor of God?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

The Lord has put prayer heavy on my heart these last few weeks. Everywhere I turn I hear people talking about how they keep praying but they don't seem to get a response. I have a lot of thoughts on this and I feel like He's given me a ton of insight to share. I won't be able to cover all of them in this post so please stay tuned and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.

What is prayer?

Prayer is how you communicate with God. When you communicate with someone, usually you're not the only one talking, right? There is usually some dialog between the two of you. Prayer should be thought about in the same manner. You talk with God and spill everything to Him, and then you should just sit in His presence and allow Him time to communicate with you. In another post I will talk about hearing from God and what that could look like. 

During prayer time it's not just about asking God for things. God isn't just some genie in a bottle that we go to when we need things to go our way. Our God is a living God who wants to have a relationship with you. Yes He wants to hear your concerns, He wants you to tell Him everything that's within your heart. Part of building a relationship is also loving the other individual. That includes giving praise, practicing gratitude, and sometimes it also includes confessing wrong doing and asking for forgiveness. Your prayer time is the growing-your-relationship time with God.

Your Foundation

The foundation of any relationship is trust. Your relationship with God is no different. Trust is built through consistency and follow through on promises made. Everything else in a relationship are building blocks. The communication, the time spent, all build the 'house' for your relationship, but trust is what everything is built on. Ok, Leanne, that makes sense, but how do I build trust with God? Great question. The answer is surprisingly simple. You just need to dig into His Word. 

During my study time, God led me to Ephesians 6. In that chapter it starts by talking about children obeying their parents and how parents should raise their children. This could be related to our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. The next part talks about servants with their masters and how both should have a servants heart and God isn't partial to either party. I won't go into either of those right now, but both passages are great to go over when it comes to relationships. So, I highly recommend studying them.

The Armor of God

The section I want to focus on today is Ephesians 6:10-17. This is where the Armor of God is listed. Some of you may have never heard of the Armor of God, so I want to give you a brief overview before we dig in. 

Armor is what soldiers wear to battle. The armor of God is not physical armor. It's the armor we put on to protect our spirit. The pieces of armor are essential to our spiritual wellbeing. 

"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. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV

If you've read my other posts, you already know that God is always intentional about what He does and what He says. Listing the individual pieces of armor are no exception.

Gird Your Loins with the Belt of Truth

Didn't we just talk about trust being the foundation of any relationship? Could truth be the foundation of our armor too?

Girding your loins in ancient times was the act of tying up your robes to keep them from getting in the way. It was a foundational part of gearing up for battle because it allowed for unrestricted movement for the soldier. Truth is the Word of God. Knowing the truth in what God says, gives you a solid foundation to walk on. When you know what is true, you have something to fall back on when life gets tough. 

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

1 John 5:20 ESV

Breastplate of Righteousness

What is righteousness? It is the quality of being morally right and justifiable. This is being in right-standing with God, living a just and moral life, and living in accordance to His will. 

Now that we know what righteousness is, why would it be the breastplate? The breastplate goes on the chest to cover vital organs including the heart.

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Our actions and choices are molded by the things that fill our heart. Whether it's greed, shame, kindness, or love. What fills our heart will dictate our choices. Having a breastplate of righteousness will help to guard your heart from the things that are not good for you. If you're anchored in the truth, righteousness will protect you from condemnation and doubt. It will also help guide you to forgiveness rather than bitterness or anger when you've been hurt. It will help keep your heart soft and open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and will help to deflect temptations and past regrets.

Shod Your Feet with the Gospel of Peace

To shod your feet means to put shoes on them. Biblically this means to be grounded in the gospel and be ready to spread the word. If you're in a battle, more than likely you're not alone. The army doesn't send one guy in to handle the business. Absolutely not. Part of our job as believers is to build the body of Christ. We do that by sharing His word. 

Why did God choose to call it the Gospel of Peace and not just 'The Gospel' or "The Word of God'?

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

John 14:27 ESV

Peace the world gives us is never guaranteed. And that's because we as mankind are not perfect. Sometimes we are ruled by things that influence us to make poor or selfish choices. Jesus, however, is not selfish. He is just, kind, loving, and steadfast. He is unchanging. Because He is all of those things, and more, we can find peace beyond measure when we walk with Him. We have no reason to be troubled or afraid. And why wouldn't you want everyone to experience that too?

Shield of Faith

Faith is a deep trust or confidence in something that is unseen. Without your foundation (trust/truth) you do not have faith. You can't physically see God, and you can't physically see your armor, or the wars being waged spiritually. Having faith in God is the shield you need to protect you from the fiery darts the enemy shoots at you. The shots the enemy will take at you will be things to cause doubt and fear. Having a shield of faith will also help you to withstand hardships. When you have faith in God and know that His plan is greater than yours, it makes it easier to rest in his peace and ride out the storm.

Using a shield is something you have to actively do. The shield doesn't automatically guard you from shots fired. You have to pick it up every day in order for it to be effective. You have to actively choose to have faith in God in your daily life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Something devastating happened? It's your duty to actively choose to have faith that God is a just God and will work all things out. Even if you don't see a way out. He has you covered.

Helmet of Salvation

Salvation is the act of being rescued from sin by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Awesome, right? It's such a cool thing to be saved from our sins. Part of that though is also not going back to the sin. Not participating in the things we once did, or the things the world says is right or okay. Remember the truth is the Word of God. If the Bible says it's wrong, it's wrong. A lie is still a lie no matter who tries to tell you it's not.

If you're wearing a helmet, you're protecting your head. If we are taking into account that this is spiritual armor, we are protecting our mind with the Helmet of Salvation. Here are a couple of verses about what God says we need to do with our thoughts and our mindset:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:2 ESV

The things we continue to think about are the seeds we sow in our heart. If we dwell in the fears, worries, and anxieties of this world, we will start to make choices based on fear, worry, and anxiety. Remember, everything we do flows from the things in our heart. In both verses it talks about knowing "the will of God" and "things that are above." But how do you know the will of God or the things that are above, so you can discern them and keep your thoughts there? I'll give you a hint... go back to your foundation. The Word of God. Knowing God's truth is essential to take your thoughts captive and keep them on the promises God has for you. 

Sword of the Spirit

This sword is straight and double-edged. It provides a solid handle for a firm grip. It has a guard on it to protect the hand of the one wielding it. It is built to withstand the forces of combat.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV

What if I told you the only weapon you could ever need is the exact thing that forms the foundation for every single piece of armor? The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. God's truth both protects you and combats the enemy. That's what makes it a double-edged sword. God is consistent and steadfast. He never changes; His truth is the same as it was and it will always remain the same. That's what makes this sword straight. If you are in the Word of God, and building that relationship with Him, you will find a firm grip in Christ; who He is and the promises He has for you. Memorizing scripture is a great way to write God's truth in your heart. It's a way to easily combat the enemy when they shoot thoughts of fear and worry your way. 

Are You Wearing the Full Armor of God?

That question feels like a lot and it might be a tough one to answer. I want to help you understand it a little bit, and maybe take away a little bit of pressure. The cool thing about the Armor of God is that the starting point for each piece is found in one place; your bible. 

• The bible IS the truth (Belt of Truth)

• You discover how to live righteously (Breastplate of Righteousness)

• You learn the gospel and find God's peace (Gospel of Peace)

• Your trust God by knowing Him (Shield of Faith)

• You learn what is good and acceptable (Helmet of Salvation)

• You can combat the negative thoughts and feelings (Sword of the Spirit)

God isn't trying to make this hard or complicated for anyone. Arguably, He has made it super simple - know the truth and Him, and the rest falls into place. He loves us and He gives us what we need, when we need it. We just need to seek Him; both in prayer and in scripture.

My challenge for you:

1. Spend some time with Jesus.

2. Ask Him to help reveal lies you've been telling yourself. A few ways He may reveal them are thoughts, in feelings, or memories.

EXAMPLES: I'm not good enough, I’ll be happy when I get XYZ, they're better than me, ect.

3. Then I want you to find a verse that combats each lie and write it down.

This is a great way to practice having a conversation with God. It’s also great for you to start using the Sword of the Spirit to combat those negative thoughts while standing on the foundation of truth.

Now it's time to exercise those feet shod in the Gospel of Peace, and send this to a friend or two. 

Leave me a comment and tell me your anchor verse; the verse that sparked your fire. The one that you go back to when things get rough. I'd love to know where you found peace.