Click to Enlarge
Contents of This Page
Introduction
Overview
Scripture
Helmet of Salvation
Breastplate of Righteousness
Belt of Truth
Shoes of Peace
Shield of Faith
Sword of The Spirit
Daily Reminder
Conclusion
Your generous dontation (in any amount) to this ministry enables us to continue our work for the Lord. GOD BLESS YOU!
Introduction
Do you believe there are spiritual battles going on all around you, all the time? Let me assure you, spiritual battles ARE occurring all around us, all the time.
Revelation 12:9 explains why: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Since Satan and his angels (demons) were cast to earth, they are here to fight spiritual battles against human beings to win souls away from God.
Between God and Satan, the battle for your soul and spirit is being waged every day. There is a dividing line between good and evil and the choice of which side to stand on, is yours.
If you are not a born again Christian, now is the perfect time to become one. Without being born again, you are not ready to fight spiritual battles and win. Becoming born again is not difficult. Accept Jesus first before continuing on this page. Then come back here, born again, and be ready to read the rest and WIN your battles!
Just like physical battles that we can see, invisible spiritual battles are being fought every day, spiritual battles are being being engaged in and a spiritual war is being waged.
Would you go into a physical battle without weapons? Of course not. Yet many Christians find themselves in spiritual battles unprotected and unarmed. Is this wise? No way!
The enemy IS prepared to DESTROY you in your spiritual battles. He wants to KILL you and he is very capable of doing that. He wants to STEAL everything good from you. Without Christ, you will always lose!
All of satan's battle tactics start in the mind of the person(s) being attacked. All of them. Always.
In order to WIN your spiritual battles, you MUST be prepared. One of the most powerful and effective tools that the Lord provides to all Christians is what is known as The Whole Armor of God.
On your own, the enemy will always beat you. In Christ however, as a born again Christian, you always win. Are you ready for the fight in Christ and ready to win?
Prepare yourself everyday with The Whole Armor of God.
Overview
The Whole Armor of God is described in the Holy Bible at Ephesians 6:11-17. All Christians should know these verses well and use God's spiritual armor every day.
The Whole Armor of God is every bit as real in spiritual combat as is actual armor used in physical combat.
Many Christians however are completely unaware of The Whole Armor of God. As such, they venture into the world unarmed and unprepared for the spiritual battles they will inevitably be involved in.
This page is intended to teach you about:
- The Whole Armor of God
- How the pieces of the armor work
- How to use the Whole Armor in spiritual battle
To make the pieces of the Armor easier to learn and remember, instead of addressing them in Biblical order, we will start with the head, work down to the feet and then pick up what's left.
The Whole Armor of God is yours as a free gift from Him. Learn it. Put it on every day. Fight the good fight. Use the tools God has given to you to be victorious in Christ!
The Whole Armor of God consists of:
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Belt of Truth
- The Shoes of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Sword of The Spirit
Thanks in advance for any feedback you wish to share.
Top
Scripture - Ephesians 6:11-17 - RSV
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the
principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this
present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Top
Helmet of Salvation
Satan focuses his attacks on people's minds. He can not make us sin so he tries to persuade us into sin. This gives him a foothold in our minds that he can work on. He tries to make the foothold bigger and bigger and grow it into a stronghold in a person's mind.
Sins generally are rooted in one or more of four spirits, all of which exist in the mind of a person. These are easily remembered with the acronym FLAP:
The helmet of salvation is the protection God gives us for our mind. As born-again Christians, our salvation has been bought and paid for in-full. All of our sins have been completely paid for and to God, its as if they are at the bottom of the ocean. Forgiven and forgotten completely.
The helmet of salvation also gives us the courage to continue to ask God for his forgiveness for our sins and believe His word that they are indeed forgiven.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren - he will accuse you of everything you have ever done in your life over and over again if he can get you to accept his accusations. Revelation 12:10
When we do sin, we need to realize it, go immediately to God and ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. We need to forgive others completely for their sins in order to be able to receive forgiveness from God.
Then we need to pray for the strength of the Lord to repent from our sins (not do them anymore).
If you are playing football or riding a motorcycle, what do you wear for the occasion? A helmet. Spiritual battles make helmets desirable too.
Why is a helmet worn? To protect your head. What is inside your head? Your mind. Your mind controls your body. I think this is a pretty important part of The Armor.
Do you?
Put on the helmet of salvation knowing you are born again and going to heaven. If you have not been born again and wish to be, click here.
The act of putting on the helmet of salvation protects your head and mind. It reaffirms your relationship with Jesus and also gives you courage because you ARE saved and ARE going to heaven.
The helmet of salvation also gives your brain a nice, cozy and protected place to rest in Jesus so you can let Him fight your battles for your benefit. See 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Jesus is strongest in our weaknesses. He manifests Himself when we are weakest. We are surrendered to The King of Kings - Jesus. He always kicks in when we humble ourselves before Him and His Throne.
See 2 Corinthians 12:9
Top
Breastplate of Righteousness
Another place the enemy attacks Christians is in their hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life."
A breastplate protects what? The heart.
Guarding our hearts is an issue all Christians deal with. Guarding our hearts is mostly related to the relationships we have with other people in our lives.
When we don't guard our hearts, we often end up with a broken heart. The words others say to us out of anger and the actions people take that betray us can definitely and often do break our heart.
Unfortunately, broken hearts often become hardened hearts and this is definitely not of the Lord. God wants our hearts to remain soft - especially toward Him and to others in our lives. Forgiveness comes from a soft heart toward God, not necessarily toward the people who wrong us. We must guard our hearts carefully to keep them from being broken and becoming hardened.
God's Word also tells us that evil thoughts come from the heart and this is another reason to guard our heart. Matthew 15:19 says "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
A hardened heart is not receptive to the things of God including miracles that God performs. Mark 6:52 says "For they considered not [the miracle] of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
Furthermore, our ability to win spiritual battles also comes from the heart. Mark 11:23 says "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in
his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."
Finally the first of the Ten Commandments is a command to love God with all of our hearts. Mark 12:30 says "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is]
the first commandment."
As you can see, the Breastplate of Righteousness is a vital part of the Whole Armor of God.
One last point about the Breastplate of Righteousness is that the righteousness is not our own righteousness as all human beings including Christians are sinners. Instead, the righteousness is the righteousness we have in Jesus Christ when we are born again and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Top
Belt of Truth
The scripture tells us to "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, ".
At first this may seem a bit obscure but if we break it down and look at some of the major problems in our society today, it makes perfect sense.
Lets go to Webster's dictionary for some definitions:
gird - verb - (girt or girded)
1. to encircle with a belt or band
2. to fasten with a belt or band
3. to surround; to encircle; to enclose
4. to clothe; to dress; to furnish; to equip.
5. to prepare (oneself) for action.
loin - noun - the third definition applies here
3. the hips and the lower abdomen regarded as a part of the body to be clothed or as the region of strength and procreative power
Divinely, the sentence for using the word loin in context in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary is:
to gird up one's loins; to get ready to do something difficult or strenuous.
fornication - noun
1. voluntary sexual intercourse between an unmarried woman and a man, especially an unmarried man: it is generally forbidden by law.
Fornication (is) the act of incontinency in single persons; if either party be married, it is adultery.
2. in the Bible, (a) any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery; (b) a foresaking of the true God and worshiping of idols.
This last definition of fornication means fornication is also a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments .
Sexual sin is rampant in today's world and in American society:
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Unwanted pregnancy and abortion
- Teenaged pregnancy and abortion
- Fornication outside of marriage
- Adultery within a marriage
- Sexual slavery
- Pornography
- Prostitution
When a person has sex with another person, the two people are spiritually joined together as one. Period.
When a Christian has sex with a non-Christian, that Christian is now spiritually married to a non-Christian. What if the other person worships satan? The Christian is now spiritually married to satan (not good).
Considering all of the above, is it really any surprise that the rate of divorces today, even within the church, is greater than 50%?
Matthew 19:6 says "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
This scripture means that when two people are married, God no longer considers them as two people but as one.
Top
Shoes of Peace
The scripture tells us to shod our feet with the gospel of peace.
In order to understand this piece of armor, consider what our feet do. In battle, your feet are your foundation. They are also your transporation that move you from one place to another.
Also consider that Jesus Christ is also known as The Prince of Peace.
By making peace the foundation that we stand upon, we are always depending on Jesus Christ to fight our battles for us and we are placing the victory in Him. Once again, if we are fighting our spiritual battles on our own, we will never win against the enemy. In Christ however, we are always victorious because of the battle Jesus won for us on the Cross at Calvary.
By making peace the direction in which we travel, we are always moving closer to Jesus which is what being a Christian is all about. We are sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd leads the sheep. The sheep know the Shepherd's voice and they listen to it and follow it.
Top
Shield of Faith
The scripture tells us: "besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one".
Without faith, spiritual victory is not possible. In fact, life as a human being is completely based on faith. Faith is described as the substance of things that are hoped for.
Consider the role that faith plays in:
- Faith that God hears our prayers
- Faith that we will have food to eat
- Faith that the Word of God is true
- Faith that we will have clothes to wear
- Faith that we are saved in Jesus Christ
- Faith that the sun will come up in the morning
- Faith that we will continue to be alive on Earth
- Faith that God will never forsake or abandon us
Without some measure of faith nothing is possible. The Bible tells us that faith even the size of a mustard seed is what gives us the power to move mountains.
Matthew 17:20 - "He (Jesus) replied, Because you you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They are tiny.
- < This is the size of a mustard seed
So God is telling us that if we have even a tiny amount of faith, He can multiply it into a force powerful enough to move mountains. Wow! God is awesome!!!
Also consider however that if we do not have any faith, then nothing is possible. The enemy wants to DESTROY your faith completely because without faith he CAN destroy you completely.
The scripture tells us to use our shield of faith to quench all the flaming darts of the enemy. Spiritual attacks against us are like flaming arrows being shot at our body. The Word is telling us that we can use our shield of faith to not only extinguish the flames but also deflect the arrows from hitting us.
The shield of faith is perhaps the most important defensive piece of armor we have in spiritual battles. If we do not have the helmet of salvation, nor the breastplate of righteousness, nor the belt of truth, nor the shoes of peace we can still use the shield of faith to protect our spirit. Nonetheless we are much better off with all of the pieces of armor on and being used.
Top
Sword of The Spirit
(shown with a scabbard - another name for scabbard is sheath)
The scripture says " And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The sword of the Spirit (capital "S" meaning Holy Spirit) is the word of God. This includes not only the Logos (written) word of God but also the Rhema (the word God speaks into our hearts) word of God.
While all the other pieces of The Whole Armor of God described above are defensive weapons, the Sword of The Spirit is the one offensive weapon that we have. This is very signifigant.
If we look to Genesis 1:1-31, we can see that everything in the universe was created by God speaking the Word in to nothingness, darkness, emptiness, the void.
If we look to Luke 4:1-15 we find that when satan tempted Jesus, He was able to resist the temptation and cause the enemy to flee from Him using nothing other that The Word of God.
This was after Jesus was in the wilderness fasting and praying for 40 days! You can imagine that after 40 days of fasting and praying by Himself, Jesus must have been very hungry, very tired and very lonely. Nonetheless, Jesus resisted all the direct temptation of satan using the Sword of The Spirit.
This brings up another interesting point that all Christians should be aware of. We are most easily tempted when one or more of four basic human needs are not being met. Its easiest to remember these using the acronym HALT. We are most tempted into sin when we are:
- Hungry
- Angry
- Lonely
- Tired
Jesus was able to resist satan using only The Word of God even when three of His major human needs were not being met.
The Sword of The Spirit, The Word of God is very, very powerful indeed! Looking to John 1:1-5 illustrates the importance of the Word of God even further:
John 1:1-5 - King James Version
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
While the logos (written) Word of God is very important as we have learned, the rhema (the Word God speaks to our hearts) is very important too!
When we ask God a question, He answers us. Often, as adult human beings, we make the mistake of either ignoring the answer we receive or we fail to act upon it. This is very subtle.
However, if we listen very carefully to the voice inside our heart, we will hear God's answer to our question. From there it is a matter of obedience to act upon that Word or use that Word from God to attack the enemy.
Luke 12:11-12 - King James Version
And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Notice the word "powers". Now think back to Ephesians 6:12 which says:
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The enemy does not want you to know the Word of God. He knows that if you know the Word, you can overcome any of his temptations (just like Jesus did). If you know the Word and put on The Whole Armor of God everyday, you can win your spiritual battles in Christ.
The Sword of The Spirit is the only offensive weapon in The Whole Armor of God. It is sharper in the spiritual world than any two-edged sword is in the physical world.
Do the next steps below and and become more fully prepared to use the Sword of The Spirit in every spiritual battle.
Next Steps
- Read the Bible to learn the written (logos) Word.
- Receive the gift of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This will enable you to more easily receive the spoken-into-your-heart (rhema) Word of God. The Rhema Word of God is spoken directly into your spirit from the Holy Spirit. You may find this Lakewood Publication: Understanding The Baptism in The Holy Spirit useful.
- Print the Whole Armor of God Daily Reminder below and post it where you will see it daily.
- Be sure to put on The Armor every day.
- Remember The Armor and pray in battle!
Top
The Whole Armor of God Daily Reminder
Want to remind yourself to put on The Whole Armor of God every day? Use the link below to view "The Whole Armor of God Daily Reminder" on your computer screen.
Then print copies for your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car or wherever works best for you. Feel free to print additional copies to share with family, friends and loved ones. When framed, this makes an excellent, inexpensive gift for any occasion.
The Whole Armor of God
Daily Reminder Tool
PDF File - 96Kb
NOTE: You must have the free Adobe Reader software installed on your computer to view and print the Daily Reminder Tool. Most computers have this installed already.
If you can not view or print the Daily Reminder Tool, then download and install Adobe Reader and try again.
Top
Conclusion
This page is my humble attempt to explain the details of The Whole Armor of God. I pray I have done well.
This page is a continuing work in progress. Thanks in advance for any feedback you wish to share.
May you use The Whole Armor of God everyday and accept the victory in your spiritual battles through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Your generous dontation (in any amount) to this ministry enables us to continue our work for the Lord. GOD BLESS YOU!
In His Precious and Holy Name,
Rob Leatherwood
Top
Christianity Is Cool
