Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil....Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
How will I get the armor of God? We “put it on” by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33). We make Him and His ways our dwelling place (Psalm 91:1). We delight in His commands and desire for His ways to become our ways (Psalm 37:4; 119:24, 111; Isaiah 61:10)
The 7 Pieces of the Armor of God and How to Use Them
Jesus defeated every enemy when He died on the cross and conquered the grave three days later. It is from confidence in His victory that we can put on the full armor of God and stand firm in our daily battles.
Before we get to the seven pieces of armor and how to use them, here is the scripture that Paul wrote.
Ephesians 6:10–18: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
#1 How to Use the Belt of Truth - The first piece of armor Paul discusses is the belt of truth. ... The belt is where Roman soldiers stored their weapon – without a belt, they could not carry a weapon! So, why does Paul associate the belt of a soldier with truth? For Christians, God's Word is truth, and it serves as our foundation. A) Start your day in the Word. B) End your day in the Word. C) Memorize Scripture based on the lies you are struggling with.
#2 How to Use the Breastplate of Righteousness - So, why does Paul call it the breastplate of righteousness? If we do not protect ourselves with righteousness, we open ourselves up to attack from the enemy and can fall into sin. To be righteous means to obey God's commandments and live in a way that is honorable to Him.
As believers, we have no righteousness apart from that which has been given us by Christ. Our breastplate is His righteousness. His righteousness will never fail.
A) Identify righteous activities in your life that strengthen you. This may be as simple as having an occasional conversation with a homeless person and getting to know them by their name.
B) Identify unrighteous activities in your life that weaken you. For each of us, this is going to be unique. I found that I was consistently watching movies and TV shows that were not in line with my beliefs. By intentionally exposing myself to immoral behavior, I was allowing Satan to weaken the walls that Christ had built around me.
#3 How to Use Sandals with the Gospel of Peace - We must understand what the gospel of peace is. The word “gospel” means “good news,” referring to the sacrifice Jesus made for us so that we can be saved. Having our shoes fitted with the gospel of peace allows us to do this successfully. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
A) Preach the Gospel to yourself daily - Remind yourself of the hope you have in Jesus Christ. Because of His sacrifice and your belief in Him, you shall not perish but have eternal life. Do not wait until the hardship to remind yourself of this. Build your foundation on a daily reminder of this hope, and you will be able to get through anything.
B) Share your testimonies with others - The easiest and most effective way to share the Gospel with others is to tell your story of how Jesus changed your life.
C) Be a living example - The way you walk through life will be seen by many. When you carry yourself with the fruit of the spirt, people will stop and notice.
#4 How to Use the Shield of Faith - Paul discusses the shield of faith and tells us to take up the shield of faith in order to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ... To have faith is to believe God created the world and sent His only Son to die for our sins so we might have eternal life.
A) Faith is the shield of the believer. Trusting in God’s power and protection is imperative in remaining steadfast. When the battle rages, we must remember that God works all things for good. He is always true to His promises.
B) Take time to remember the promises of God. When fiery darts try to impact your heart, extinguish them with reminders of God’s goodness over your circumstance. Here are some of His promises…
He will never forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).
He will meet all your needs (Phil 4:19).
Call on Him and He will answer (Psalm 50:10).
He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
C) A soldier’s shield was strongest when linked with another - Band together with other believers in the fight of faith. The best way to band together is through the closeness of a small group. This is how the church began in the first century, and this is where the strongest bonds are made today.
D) Recount God’s past victories in your life - Make a list of all the ways God has come through for you in the past. Whenever your faith waivers, recite this list and remember in detail how God made a way.
#5 How to Use the Helmet of Salvation - In the Roman army, the helmet served as protection for the head. It was a vital piece of the armor, as an attack to the head could result in instant death. The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: willa ("will" or "resolution"); and helma ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elements effectively means "helmet of will" or "guardian".
A) Stand on the conviction of your salvation - When you know without a doubt that you are going to heaven because of what Christ did on the cross, not even death can defeat you. We will all face extremely dark times. In these times, our salvation will light the way and carry us home.
B) Placing your thoughts on things above by listening to sermons via podcast - Be intentional about feeding your mind with spiritual food throughout the day. Load up your podcast with sermons from the greatest preachers in the world. Play those podcasts every single day on the way to and from work.
#6 How to Use the Sword of the Spirit - All other pieces of the soldier’s arsenal are defensive weapons, but not his sword. The sword, a gladius, was a deadly weapon. In the hands of a skilled warrior, he could pierce through even the strongest armor.
Our sword is the Word of God, both the written and the incarnate Word. Every other piece of armor protects us against attacks. With God’s Word, we are truly able to fight and defeat all enemies. Christ used Scripture to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the desert. We must do the same.
A) Arm yourself - Be intentional about reading scripture. As I mentioned earlier, find a time that you can dedicate reading and studying the word of God where you are free of distractions.
B) When attacked, fight back with the Word of God - When Satan attacked Christ in the desert he told him, “No….for it is written…” Use Christ’s example when Satan tries to come after you.
C) When beaten down, immerse yourself in the Bible - Even those with great faith are going to have days when they feel like they are barely hanging on. On these days, ten minutes of time in the Word is just not enough. Take a sick day and immerse yourself in His Word for the entire day. Read, study, pray, and repeat.
#7 How to Use Prayer - In prayer, we show our reliance upon God to act and move. Our entire armor is rooted in His strength. Without His presence, we are powerless in the fight. We must fight on our knees. The One who has won the war is with us in the battle. We will see a victory when we fight in His power.
A) Pray when your eyes open every morning - Before you do anything else, go straight into prayer. I start every day asking God for the wisdom to make good decisions, the discipline to stay true to His word, and the vision to hear His voice for direction.
B) Pray impulsively throughout the day - Sometimes we can get caught up in saying the same prayer over and over again. This can lead us to be in autopilot when we are speaking to our Father. You can break through the repetition by impulsively praying throughout the day. Pray for the people you encounter. Pray for the people you read about. Pray for the wonders and beauty of God’s creations.
C) Have a conversation with God on your knees before you go to sleep - There is just something powerful about getting on your knees to honor the King of Kings. The creator of it all is omnipresent and available to talk to you at all times. Tell Him what you are thankful for and talk with Him about whatever is on your mind.
Although the war has been won, the daily battle must be fought. Thankfully, we know with every fight we face, that we have the armor and weapons to help us defeat the enemy.
