Armor of God

In the last post, I talked about why it is important to guard our faith. If we want to be able to have an even if faith (a faith that endures no matter what our circumstances may be-click here to read the first post on that topic), then we need to continually build on and strengthen it. Having our faith diminished is counterproductive to this and so we need to put on the armor of God to prevent that from happening. If we don’t, we risk losing any progress we made and our motivation to persevere. In the next few posts, I will write about a piece of armor and how we can use it to guard our faith, but first we’ll look at the full suit of armor.

      Paul talked about the armor of God in the book of Ephesians. He wrote, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (6:11, NIV). According to the Fire Bible Student Edition, the book of Ephesians was most likely written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome (p.1702). The armor of God wasn’t some nice sounding advice he thought up, it was the strategy he was using to maintain his faith. He knew what it took to have an even if faith and guard it amidst his circumstances. This is why it is important that we intentionally study and put into practice what Paul wrote in this piece of Scripture.

      Clothing ourselves with physical armor can help protect us in the midst of danger. It shields our body from fatal blows. While having armor on doesn’t stop attacks, it does allow us to stay in the battle longer and have a better chance at winning (and surviving). It is the same with our spiritual armor.

      Notice the word “full”. As you read through the next few posts on each specific piece of armor, you may be tempted to only work at the pieces that seem easier to clothe yourself with. That would be unwise. Each piece of armor is necessary and works better with the others. If you had access to a full suit of armor in a physical battle, you’d most likely use every piece. That’s because each piece left behind leaves more of your body exposed. It puts you at greater risk of injury.

      Spiritually, we need to take the same precautions. We can’t leave any part of our lives and our faith unguarded. While not all our trials are a part of the devil’s schemes, don’t think that because they didn’t originate with him he won’t try to use them to his advantage. We need to clothe ourselves with the armor of God in order to take our stand against anything he tries to throw our way. This way when trouble or hard times come, we can stand strong in our faith.

      In verse 13 (NLT) Paul wrote, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Going through hard times can leave anyone exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. Our posture after the battle, however, depends on our faith. 

      If we refuse to move and get back up when the battle is over, it’s because our faith has been depleted. The trial we endured didn’t stretch our faith, it broke it. When this happens, we have to start back at the beginning to rebuild it. Something in the foundation of our faith was weak and could not support the weight of our trials, so we need to go back to our foundation. We do that by getting to know Who God is again (not just a superficial understanding, but a true understanding of His character).

      If at the end of the battle we are left crawling, it means that we’ve been wounded and worn out but still have just enough faith to keep us going. Rebuilding from here looks different. Most likely we are still able to move because we know Who God is. Our faith withstood the trial because we did not waiver on His character or believe the lies the enemy told about Him. What needs working on here is usually going back and reminding ourselves what God said. This can be what He said about us, His promises, trials, His expectations of us, etc. The person in this posture trusts God, but is faltering in their hope because he or she does not know or needs reminding about some truth He has spoken.

      If we are able to get back up and stand after the battle, then it means that even though we’ve been hit, our faith has not been damaged. We held onto Who God is and what He said. In fact, when we go through difficult times and are able to stand, it is often true that our faith has grown stronger through the experience. This is because it’s been stretched, but not broken. Our capacity to handle trials increases and we are able to persevere through more. Still, we need to be careful to guard this faith because if we don’t, our posture after the next battle can be totally different. Past victories do not guarantee future success. 

      As we explore the pieces of the armor of God, be intentional about working on each one immediately. While we can see some attacks coming and are able to prepare for them, there are others that come without warning. Having an even if faith requires being prepared for battle at all times. Let’s put on each piece of the armor so that we can stand firm in our faith no matter what comes our way.