EPHESIANS 6:10-19
THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,
15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the [a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness [b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of [c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit [d]wields, which is the Word of God.
18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
19 And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),
I provided the Amplified version of this scripture for a bit more insight into what our armor pieces are, for it is so essential that we fasten them appropriately. To do so, we must comprehend with what we are clothing ourselves.
A short while ago, I was very ill. I suspect it was a flu, but also turned into an infection; I was bed-ridden for 7 days and sick for a month. During those especially trying days in bed, wondering if I'd ever get out of it again, I realized now more than ever I needed my armor on. I was so ill that I could not even sit up to read my Bible, but luckily the Bible App on my phone has a dictation mode. I also immersed myself in sermons and youtube videos of prayer and deliverance.
I stumbled upon a sermon given by Derek Prince (linked below), in which he expounded upon the armor of God. I realized that even though I've read this passage before, I didn't exactly know how to describe what each piece fully meant. I therefore realized that I may not be wearing it properly. Here are my notes from the Derek Prince sermon; may they provide further insight for you into these critical roles we must take on as Christians: that of spiritual soldiers and warriors, of faithful protectors and defenders.
VESTMENTS 1-5 are DEFENSIVE:
1) The Girdle of Truth:
- A girdle is a belt. It's the first thing we cinch upon ourselves - the foundation of our uniform.
- we must be ruthlessly honest with our self, with others, and with God: Be Real.
- this specifically relates to what we speak: no cliches, no idle speech, no "religious talk" that is empty, judemental or legalistic.
2) The Breastplate of Righteousness:
- The breastplate covers your heart - protect it.
- Your heart is protected by being in Jesus Christ
- Righteousness is the Change of Heart that happens when we abide with Christ; the breastplate transforms us into new people, giving us that "moral rectitude", in other words, we stand up straight - we are poised and postured.
("Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me" - Psalm 51:10)
3) "Having your Feet Shod" = Wearing the proper footwear (strong "Sandals/thongs"):
- If we've got the right shoes on - strong and comfortable, broken in - we will be available and ready at any time to move, to go where God directs us.
- This may include literal or spiritually long journeys
- It also is a call to readiness to preach the Gospel wherever we go
4) Shield of Faith:
- Our faith held strong and assertively will leave no part of ourselves exposed.
- We are told that the evil one will hurl flaming arrows at us; therefore we must not leave any part of us uncovered - no body part must be left exposed.
- Derek notes that the shield is only meant to protect what is essential - only ourselves, "just as we are", but not luxuries and other things in life we wish to hold onto and protect. The shield is properly sized to cover our body, nothing more.
5) The Helmet of Salvation:
- The mind, where most of our spiritual battles take place.
- Things like depression and other mental obsessions can weaken our defensiveness. We must remain optimistic, and what more can lift our spirits than the promise, the gift of salvation?
- Derek points out that this is not a given: the helmet, nor salvation. We must TAKE IT. We must accept Christ's salvation and put it on: "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)" Being sober in this verse is about being sober-minded. If we are not, we may not be thinking straight, and we may forget to adorn ourselves in the blood of Christ - our salvation.
VESTMENTS 6 & 7 are OFFENSIVE:
Not comfortable with the metaphor of war and battle? More comfortable with the gospel of peace? Even Jesus, normally thought of as a gentle peacemaker, makes clear to us that he too wields a necessary weapon: ""Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."(Matthew 10:34)
6) The Sword of the Spirit:
- The sword is the Word of God
- Our Testimony - speaking God's Word with our mouths (ever noticed how the word "sword" has the word "word" within it?) We all know the power of the tongue. Use it wisely.
- When Jesus protected himself against Satan's temptations, he always quoted back scripture. Read Matthew 4:1-11 to see how Jesus wields his sword (vs 10: Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.")
7) Pray Always:
- Derek tells us that Prayer is like a missile that can be directed anywhere!
- He reminds us not to go into battle alone, "lone ranger" style. But to unite with others in prayer of the scripture. This is why the 40 Day Prayer Commitment is so powerful and effective!
- The church will overcome extreme opposition when united in prayer
The Word of our Testimony MUST come out of our mouth to activate the Power in the Blood. Derek relates this to the Passover blood in the Old Testament. The blood of the lambs were collected in the basin, but it was only activated when it was sprinkled on the doorways with the hyssop branches (Exodus 12:22). The "hyssop" for us is our testimony. We sprinkle the blood when we speak it.
Remember too that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19 - "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself...") So protect what God has given you; protect where the Spirit resides.
Find out more about the 40 Day Prayer Commitment