10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 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. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
The Armor of God Ephesians 6: 10-20 NIV
9min read
The Full Armour of God is something I speak over myself and my family many days of the week. When I know there is a loved one battling, I pray the armour over them so the peace and wholeness of God can fall onto them.
I hadn’t recognised the importance of this until this year. And when I say it over and over I feel strengthened and prepared to walk in my day with more understanding, more sharpness and more boldness to battle what is ahead. I generally say it while I’m driving to work, on my way to school drop off, as I am pacing up and down the hallway, or when I feel the ushering from the Holy Spirit. And sometimes it is a good reminder to me that the words I speak over myself and my family, are things that I build myself up with in the ways of the LORD.
The armour consists of 6 aspects that are spoken about in Ephesians 6. I believe each piece of battle clothing is as important as the other. And as a whole we are able to suit up reminding ourselves of our need for the workings of the trinity within us: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Giving us spiritual awareness and readiness for the battle we walk into each and every day.
The Belt of Truth is the piece of armour that holds all things in its place. Truth is God’s word and within His word is what He says about us. I believe the belt of Truth is the first piece to put on ourselves as a reminder of who we are in Christ, so we can break down any strongholds of the enemy that cause us to stumble. We are no longer victims, so we can stand with boldness, bravery and courage knowing we are Loved, Chosen, Accepted, Blameless, Righteous, Redeemed, Worthy, Holy, Wonderfully and Fearfully made. We are here for a reason and God the creator of the universe sees us, hears us and desires to have relationship with us. So don’t be deceived by the lies that the enemy throws, he is not worthy of our time. Commit yourself to believing the truth that is God’s word, speaking His word and walking in obedience to His word.
1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
John 1: 1-3 NIV
The Breastplate of Righteousness is a piece we can place on ourselves with gratitude, for the never ending works of God that protect our heart from the evil schemes of the enemy. Our hearts are inclined to do what is contrary to the Spirit of God and we can recognise that it is through God’s gentle rebuke, correction and conviction that He leads us on the path everlasting. So have a heart of gratitude and recognise what we should be grateful for; grateful that He draws us back, grateful for allowing us to repent, grateful for His love, mercy and goodness that never fails. So thank you LORD God for blessing us with the blood shed on the cross by giving us your Son so we can be reconciled back to you. It is a good time to stop and check our hearts. God desires for a heart of purity and holiness, not in our own strength but through the washing of blood from the lamb, Jesus. He is pure and holy so we can be pure and holy. Check our hearts oh LORD, and invite Him to speak into any sinful way in us. For further reading take a look at the blog- It’s a Heart Issue. https://godlywives.blog/its-a-heart-issue/.
The Shoes of Peace is the item of battle clothing we place on ourselves as we walk in the readiness of sharing the gospel. Let the peace and power of the gospel remind us that He will order the steps of a righteous man, that He knows of our coming and our going. There is something so beautiful about understanding who we are in Christ, sharing our testimony and walking the path of righteousness set before us so we can be the light of Christ to those around us. When we recognise what we have been saved from, when we recognise where we have come from, we can desire to be the light of Christ so others can experience the saving grace of God for themselves. In Matthew 10. Jesus speaks to His disciples and commissions them to spread ‘the good news of the gospel’ to all the nations. He invites us as disciples to understand that there will be times when people choose not to listen. That their eyes do not want to see and their ears do not want to hear. And we can remember to shake the dust off our feet and keep walking in the peace that God gives us, knowing that His ways are so much greater than our ways, that He desires to bring those who are far away, near to Him far more than we could ever imagine. So have peace knowing that God is all knowing, all wise and all holy. Be the light of Christ so that all who see will glorify our Father in heaven.
12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Matthew 10: 12-15 NIV
Put on the Shield of Faith, as a guard of protection from the enemies fiery darts. We can be reminded that the battle has already been won! That He surround us on all sides, He is above us, below us, beside us, in front of us and behind us, being a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. The shield is there as a defence, so we can stand firm knowing that we are already victorious because of the bloodshed of the Lamb. The Shield of Faith is a reminder to me that the enemy has no grip on me. Mediate on this. Do you believe it for yourself? Faith is something we need to grasp for ourselves, it s a substance of things hoped for but not yet seen. Strengthen yourself in the truth of God’s word and remember each battle has an end, and we can be rested knowing that Christ is our victory. So stand firm knowing there is no thing we cannot overcome because He has already won.
We can then put on the Helmet of Salvation as a piece of battle clothing to keep our minds focused on you LORD Jesus. Be strengthened in remembering Who we are and Who’s we belong to. That our identity is in you LORD Jesus. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God and He is worthy of all our praise. I believe the Helmet of Salvation is where we can strip ourselves of all self-righteousness and surrender our will for His greater will, allowing our minds to conform to the mind of Christ. And as a body of believers, the gift of our salvation has been given to us freely. But does your mind understand the power of grace that is set before you in Christ Jesus? He has given us everything that we need to walk the path of righteousness, defeating evil. Be strengthened by the renewing of our minds, breaking down any strongholds that are contrary to His word, and taking each thought captive to the obedience of Christ. For further reading take a look at the blog- The power in His name. https://godlywives.blog/the-power-in-his-name/.
The Sword of the spirit is the defensive battle weapon for spiritual warfare. It divides between soul and spirit, bone and marrow, truth and lie, clarity and confusion, our will and His greater will. Let the two edged sword of His word be ready in our hands, reminding us that we are in a battle. That we have an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is a liar and a thief. So suit up, be victorious because He is victorious and know that God is on our side. What victory cannot be won in the mighty name of Jesus.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4: 12-13 NIV
Nadia x
All for His Glory.