The time for sitting idle has come to an end. The battle rages on every day and we cannot afford to sit idly by while people are dying and our people’s life spirals out of control because they do not know how to fight this battle. I do not have all the answers, but what I do have is my perspective on spiritual warfare. Not better than anyone else’s, just different. What I find many times when talking to people is that the Scriptures about warfare are quoted over and over and over again, but the application is a little fuzzy. For example, I’m putting up my shield of faith and pressing on. Ok, that’s great, but what does it mean?
Let’s start with probably one of the most overlooked pieces of the armor: The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15). It confused me at first that there was all this talk of war and whatnot but then the very first piece of your armor was about peace. The fact is that when you are dealing with people, humanity, etc., we are supposed to be peaceful to them. Don’t get walked on by them, but show them the same grace that God showed you. Isaiah 52:7 says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God Reigns!””. Someone who carries themselves promoting peace is a wonderful thing. It keeps your character intact, people let their walls down around you, they are more willing to trust you, they even will come to you in their time of need. That is when you can start to minister with your mouth instead of your actions. Where does the war part come in? That’s it. The devil can’t stand people being polite. When their walls start coming down, his strongholds in them begin to crumble. When you refuse to promote drama, gossiping, stabbing people in the back, etc, the strongholds in YOU start to crumble. I’ve had people come in my house and say, “Wow, it is really peaceful in here. I like it!” Second part of this is the meat of the entire piece of armor. The Gospel is where that peace is found. Jesus knows you’re not perfect, He died for you anyway, now He just wants you to take the grace that you’ve been given and take it to everyone that you come into contact with. You have to prepare yourself by knowing how Jesus handled things. He forgave sinners, healed the sick and rebuked the people that thought that they knew everything. Learn the way Jesus walked, apply it to your own life, and you have shod your feet with the PREPARATION of the Gospel of Peace.
Next, we have the belt of truth. This is a tricky little piece of the armor that is one of the most important. Think for a second about the way a roman soldier was dressed. After all, Paul (the writer of Ephesians) was sitting in prison under guard by, you guessed it, a roman guard. Therefore, it would benefit us to look at how they dressed in order to better understand what he’s talking about. The belt held the breastplate in place, held the sword, and any other little pouches that the soldier chose to carry. The belt is arguably the most important piece of garment that the soldier wore. In the context of this passage of Scripture, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that the belt of truth would be the most important part of the armor. Why would any of this be worth it unless it was the truth. If our salvation, faith, etc was not truth, nothing else is worth it. Jesus is the truth. There is nothing false in Him. The truth that Jesus is the Truth is what makes it all worth it.
Speaking of things that the belt holds up, we have the breastplate of righteousness. A breast plate is pretty straight forward. It covers from the waistline up to the neck. It protects all of your vital organs, most importantly, your heart. Your heart can also be referred to your mind, will and emotions or your “soul”. Your soul is where what you feel about yourself comes from. Righteousness is positional and situational. Positional righteousness is that you are in right standing with God. Situational righteousness is where you are in a position of blessing in your life. Therefore, the devil comes along and tries to tell you that you can’t be right with God, no matter the circumstances. Problem is, he comes up against your breastplate and can not hurt you!
The fourth piece of your spiritual armor is the shield of Faith. This is an interesting piece especially if you know something about first century battle tactics. The Roman Centurions would take wooden shields and soak them in water. That is why the next line is “so that you may be able to quench the fiery arrows of the wicked one.” The devil says, “Nah, Jesus didn’t save you. You can’t be healed. You can’t beat that addiction.” Your faith is intact and that stuff just bounces right off and the fire goes out. The helmet of Salvation works much the same way except for the fact that it is not soaked in water.
The last and final piece of the armor is by far my personal favorite! The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God! In Rev 19:15, Jesus has a sword coming out of His mouth, that with it He should strike the nations. That is the sword of the Spirit. Essentially, He is talking them to death. He is God, His word is the Word of God, His word is the Sword of the Spirit!
Now we come to the application of all of this. Each piece of defensive armor works hand in hand with the Sword. The devil comes and tells you that your salvation means nothing, fire back with Scripture that reminds him why it means everything. Satan tries to tell you that the one time in the last week that you got upset has made God angry with you, retaliate with “His mercies are new every morning!” Don’t be afraid to put a boot on his throat and a sword through his eye. He does not fight fair, neither should you. I’ll say it this way, if he puts one of yours in the hospital, put 10 of his in the morgue. Never stop attacking him. Stay in constant communication with your Commander, General Jesus, if you will. Keep in mind that our war is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and rulers of this dark age. People will be rude and mean, but show them grace. Tell your Daddy on the devils that deceived them. Who’s your Daddy? Always remember, Satan Loses!
Grace and Peace Be With You ALWAYS
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