SPIRITUAL BATTLE GEAR: Paul told the Ephesian believers they needed to equip themselves for spiritual battle, just as the Roman soldiers of his day put on their battle gear to get ready for war.

The apostle compared the breastplate of righteousness to the armor that protected a soldier’s upper body (Ephesians 6:14). The hobnail shoes that soldiers wore symbolized the believer’s sure footing in the gospel. Believers also should carry with them into battle the “shield of faith,” the “helmet of salvation,” and the “sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17).

These items will assure victory in the spiritual battles that believers face in the world

EPHESIANS 6: 11-18

11.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.

12.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies–the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.

13.  So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up.

14.  But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval.

15.  Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God.

16.  In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

17.  And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

18.  Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.

THE ARMOR OF GOD

STRONG BELT

USE: Truth

APPLICATION: Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but believers have God’s truth, which can defeat Satan’s lies

BREASTPLATE

USE: God’s Approval

APPLICATION: God approves of us because we have trusted Christ to save us and cleanse our hearts from sin, His approval, like a breastplate, protects our heart–our feelings and our self-worth.

SHOES

USE: Readiness to spread the Good News

APPLICATION: Satan tries to make us think that telling others the Good News is too big a task and too scary. But God helps us want to tell others about him.

SHIELD

USE: Faith

APPLICATION: The shield of faith protects us from Satan’s flaming arrows: insults, setbacks, and temptations.

HELMET

USE: Salvation

APPLICATION: Satan wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our mind from doubting what God has done for us.

SWORD

USE: The Word of God

APPLICATION: The sword is the only weapon for attacking in this list of armor. We need to use God’s Word against Satan when we face temptation to sin.

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