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"Put On" The Armor of God
Eph 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Eph 6:14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, Eph 6:15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph 6:17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
"Put on" and "Take up"
While most people will recognize Ephesians 6:13, that is not the only verse that tells us to dress in God’s armor.
Romans 13:12 tells us to "Put on" the armor of light
Romans 13:14 tells us to "Put on" the Lord Jesus Christ
And Ephesians 6:13 tells us to "Take up" the armor of God
The phrases "put on" and "take up" come from two Greek words. The first is ana-lam-banō, which means to pick up something in order to use it and the word "Enduo" meaning "to sink into (clothing), put on, or clothe one’s self." Both of these words are verbs presented as a command. In other words, it’s an instruction to do something – in this case God’s word commands us to get dressed in His armor. As a command, this is not optional and we are the ones that are supposed to do it.
Clean up this room!
Suppose for a moment, you tell a child to do something like "Clean up this room!" What do you expect the child to do? You don’t make it optional by saying, "would you like to clean up this room?" And clearly you’re not asking the child, "Would you like me to clean up this room for you?" No, you’ve given the child an instruction and you expect the child to do it. You expect an obedient child to do as you say and the clean up the room.
We are God’s children and He is our heavenly Father. When He tells us to get dressed in His armor, He expects us to get dressed.
If we refuse to dress in God’s armor, we are disobedient to His word and as we saw with Saul, we are under spiritual protection when we are obedient to God’s word.
Of all the ways to be disobedient to this command, the one I find most disturbing is hearing someone pray, "Father God, protect us with your holy armor," for not only does this prayer ignore God’s command to take up, put on, and dress in His armor, it asks Him to do something He has told us to do for ourselves. This is like a parent telling a child to clean their room and the child replying, "No, you do it!"
What Goes On, Can Come Off!
Satan understands God’s armor and how it works, but since he can’t get through it, he will try to fool you into taking it off. As we explore God’s armor, we will find that while hope protects the mind, losing hope will expose the mind. While righteousness will protect the heart, forgetting who you are in Christ can expose the heart to attack. God’s armor works and will protect you from Satan’s attacks, but as we said repeatedly throughout this course, don’t underestimate the wisdom of the enemy. God created Lucifer with great wisdom and he will try to use that wisdom to fool you into taking off your armor. One must be vigilant and on the alert at all times. So, be a smart bear – don’t take off your armor.
God’s Holy Armor
The nine pieces of spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6 are:
The Helmet of Salvation
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Belt of Truth
The Sandals of Peace and Readiness
The Shield of Faith
The Sword of the Spirit
All Prayer and Petition
Most people read this as seven pieces of armor, but careful study reveals there are actually nine different parts to God’s armor listed in Ephesians chapter six. Let’s now go over each one in detail.
The Helmet of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation is hope.
Eph 6:17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION,
1Th 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. It is here that we learn that the helmet is hope.
In combat, a helmet is worn to provide protection to the head
The Roman helmet had a ridge across the forehead to prevent a sword blow from penetrating into the head and a "bill" that extended from the back side of the helmet to protect the neck from a sword strike.
Scriptures used to proclaim the Helmet of Salvation:
Eph 6:17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION,
1Th 5:8 ...and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Heb 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
1Ti 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Eph 6:14 tells us to PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
The breastplate provided protection to the whole upper body from the waist to the neck.
The Roman solider breastplate was made up of overlapping strips of metal fastened to a larger inner front and back plate. This allowed better movement at joints like the waist and shoulders as the overlapping strips would flex with movement. The overlapping strips also offered better resistance to penetration from a sword than did a single layer.
Scriptures used to proclaim the Breastplate of Righteousness:
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
Heb 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Act 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
The Belt of Truth
Eph 6:14 tells us, Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH,
Beyond the practical use of belt, it should be noted that a belt surrounds its wearer and therefore a belt of truth will surround its wearer in truth.
Roman belt played a crucial role in the effectiveness of a soldier's armor. The belt held the scabbard, without which there would be no place to put a sword. Additionally, from the belt "hung strips of leather to protect the lower body."
Scriptures used to proclaim the The Belt of Truth:
Joh 14:6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Joh 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
Heb 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
Joh 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; Joh 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
The Sandals of Peace and Readiness
Eph 6:15 reads, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; - Careful study of this verse reveals two elements, preparation and peace.
Roman legionaries were equipped with strong sandals. These made them highly mobile. They could make long, forced marches at short notice.
The lesson of Gideon’s 300 men from Judges 7:2-7 also teaches us about God’s expectation of readiness. Beginning with 32,000 people, God told Gideon how to weed the ranks of his army until there was only 300 men left. These 300 men had passed a special test. When they were led to the water to drink, these 300 men brought the water to their mouths by cupping the water with their hand instead of bringing their face down to the water to lap. In doing this, their eyes remained on the alert and ready to respond to an enemy attack. One hand remained on their spears ready to fight. The New Testament warns us thirteen times to be or keep on the alert. This is readiness.
Scriptures used to proclaim the The Sandals of Peace and Readiness:
Joh 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Mat 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts... Mat 15:20 "These are the things which defile the man;...
Jdg 7:2-7 - vigilant and on the alert
Jdg 7:2-7 - ready to answer God's call to serve
The Shield of Faith
Eph 6:16 tells us, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
A shield is a mobile protective covering that a soldier carries with him. At any time, the solider can crouch behind the shield for protection from attack.
The word translated here as shield is connected with the word for door. Its length was greater than its width. A trained soldier could crouch down and draw his body in so that he was completely protected. He had to be fit and athletic. An overweight man would not be fully protected.
Scriptures used to proclaim the The Shield of Faith:
Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Rom 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Mat 17:20 And He *said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
The Sword of the Spirit
Eph 6:17 tells us, And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
A sword is both a offensive and defensive weapon.
Roman swords were made of iron with wood or bone handles. The swords were short for use in close combat.
Scriptures used to proclaim the The Sword of the Spirit:
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Rev 12:17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
All Prayer and Petition
Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Though not often recognized, prayer and petition are two distinctively different spiritual weapons. These weapons have the ability to strike deep into the kingdom of darkness. Prince calls these weapons our ICBMs or the Christian warrior’s intercontinental ballistic missile. Both of these weapons and others are detailed in the course Foundations in Spiritual Warfare available in ICM’s theology and ministry catalog.
The Armor Challenge
As I testified in lesson one, God considered His armor so important that before He guided me to deliverance from the spirit of nicotine, He first taught me spiritual protection through the Armor of God.
For four years and counting, not a day goes by that I neglect to dress in God’s armor. Now, dressing in God’s armor is as natural as putting on my shoes and every day, an atmosphere of spiritual protection radiates around me.
You too may experience this same protection. Below is a link to the same guide we used in the video to dress in spiritual armor. The guide is in the PDF format. You may use it on your computer, smartphone, iPhone, iPad, or Android device. I challenge you to download that guide and use it to dress in God’s armor every day for three weeks. As you repeatedly proclaim God’s word over yourself, you will reinforce and strengthen your personal armor.
Key Point Review
Dressing in God’s armor is not optional. God’s word commands us put take up or put on His armor.
Satan will try to fool you into taking off your armor.
Asking God to protect us with His armor is rebelling against His command to dress ourselves in His armor.
The Helmet of Salvation radiates an atmosphere that surrounds and protects the mind.
The Breastplate of Righteousness protects the heart.
The Belt of Truth surrounds its wearer in truth.
Sandals of Peace and Readiness have two functions, peace that guards the heart and mind and readiness to answer God’s call to serve Him.
The Shield of Faith offers the warrior total protection of body, soul, and spirit.
The Sword of the Spirit is the spoken word of God that is used for both attack and defense.
All Prayer and Petition are like the Christian’s ICBM or intercontinental ballistic missile.
Explain what’s wrong with praying and asking God to protect you with His armor.
According to this lesson, explain how the Helmet of Salvation holds spirits of the enemy at a distance.
In your own words, describe a way Satan may try to fool you into taking off your armor.
The Sword of the Spirit is both a defensive and offensive weapon. Explain how you might use the Sword to defend yourself and then explain how you could use the Sword to attack.
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