Put on Your Armor

No doubt, 2026 will bring all of us times of joy as well as times of hardship and heartbreak. How will we cope, deal with and survive those times? What can we do now to better prepare ourselves for what lies ahead in 2026? In Ephesians 6, Paul is addressing the church of Ephesus. He isn’t just addressing the men, not just the women or children but he addresses all of them giving instruction for Christian living. Verses 1-9 addresses each individual group in a charge but then beginning in verse 10 he instructs everyone in HOW to “be strong in the Lord and His mighty power” as we fight against the devil.

Today I want to dive into verses 10-14 this week looking at the armor that God has so graciously given us so that as soldier in His army we can fight Satan and his schemes in this evil world. God never expects us to face any trial or temptation by ourselves or without full protection from Him. As verse 9 encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and HIS power”, Paul follows up with, “put on the FULL armor of God” (emphasis is mine). God knows (and knew) that we cannot fight against the evil powers of this dark world without Him and that we must prepare for battle. Paul’s instruction is very clear in verse 13 that we again, are to put on the FULL armor of God so that we can stand firm.

So, we know this “armor of God” is available to us, but where do we begin? What or who are these rulers, authorities and spiritual forces that we fight against? If we do not know our opponent, how can we fight? Consider the following verses in reference to Satan:  John 12:31 refers to Satan as “ruler of this world”; in Eph. 2:2 Satan is referred to as “the prince of the power of the air”; 2 Cor 4:4 refers to Satan as god of this world and 1 John 5:19 says, “…and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”. Sweet sister, we are not in battle against other humans (FLESH AND BLOOD), not against our family, coworkers, neighbors or even gangs- WE ARE IN BATTLE AGAINST SATAN! Jesus defeated him in battle as we recorded in Matt. 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13 when He was tempted in the same areas that Satan tempts us today: food, power and worldly fame.  Jesus used the same armor then that He has given us today as we battle against Satan. Jesus used truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and the Word of God in His defeat and we not only have these weapons but we also have salvation- Christ IN us through our Holy Spirit. Sister, we WILL BE victorious when we allow Him to fight our battles for us. 

The Belt of Truth is the first defensive weapon Paul mentions in Ephesians 6. The belt that a Roman soldier wore back in the day certainly wasn't like belts we wear today! Their belts were much larger and accomplished much more than holding ones pants up. It was worn on the outside of a soldier’s armor helped to secure the breastplate, hold weapons and also held the soldier’s sword-holder in place as well as other functions. Belts were worn at all times, even off duty. Belts were their core support. This belt (or girdle as referred by some) served 3 purposes: gave support to the core, held and stabilized armor and secured his tunic. Sister, the belt of truth of the spiritual armor holds the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (and the Word of God is truth). Truth (God) is our core support, it is our starting place. without acknowledging God as our Lord and Savior, we have no truth. The “Truth” symbolized in Ephesians 6:14 is Jesus! Putting on the Truth here means that we accept the truth about Jesus: He is the Son of God; He lived a life without sin; He died for our sin; and He defeated death itself by His resurrection. Putting on the belt means that we acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior. Remember, Paul wrote this letter to Christians in Ephesus – to believers who have chosen to follow Jesus. Without belief and trust in Christ as Savior, none of the rest of the armor matters. Just as only Roman soldiers were allowed to wear these belts, only Christians have access to the Armor of God! We are SO BLESSED! Now that we have "fastened the belt of truth" let's move on to the next item.

The second article of armor is also found in verse 14, "having put on the breastplate of righteousness". The breastplate is connected to and held in place by the belt of truth. The breastplate helped protect the soldier’s vital organs. If any of these organs were damaged in battle, the soldier was almost certain to die. The breastplate of righteousness means living right. It is applying truth to and in our lives producing actions that honor and please God. Aligning our hearts (vital organ) with God's truth protects our minds, emotions, choices, and conscience. Without this breastplate, we are making ourselves more venerable to the spears and attacks of Satan. We must apply God's truth's, God's Word to our lives. We must make conscious decisions to "hide God's Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against Him" (Psalm 119:11). When we put on the belt of truth by reading, studying, and learning what Scripture says, the breastplate of righteousness (the right way of living) will flow from learning and obeying God's truths. It will keep our hearts and lives on track as Satan fires against us. Let's pause for just a minute here to realize that we are never going to be perfect on this eart but as long as we repent and ask God for forgiveness, He ALWAYS forgives and we are made right because of th righteousness of Jesus. The desire in our hearts to want to live in the righteousness of Jesus (to abide in Him) it so very important in our lives! This is an action that must be a priority in our lives. The comma at the end of verse 14 takes us right into, "...as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace"- save this for next week! It will be exciting to continue this passage beginning with verse 15 next week as we continue digging into these wonderful tooles for battle that god has provided for us.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Psalm 119:11

Proverbs 4:23

John 17:17