a metal armor
HEAR AND SEE

The Armor Of God

August 25, 2020
Reading Time: 9 Minutes

On August 13, 2020 I was driving to Paducah, KY to visit my mother for a few days. I had been listening to the book of Ephesians, and as Paul was describing the armor of God something finally made sense to me. The armor is Jesus Christ Himself!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV

The Helmet Of Salvation Is Jesus

The first revelation I got was when I heard, “the helmet of salvation”. Suddenly, I remembered that Jesus’ name, Yeshua, in Hebrew means Savior! Our helmet is Jesus Himself! Jesus is the Head of the Body of Christ and for those who worship and submit to Him, His Spirit rests upon our heads like a crown.

Praise the Lord, O my soul. Do not forget all his kind deeds. He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion, Psalm 103:2-4 NET

One of the signs that we are wearing the Helmet Of Salvation is the love and compassion that flows from our hearts. This can only happen when we take our thoughts captive and keep them in Christ.

I was so thrilled at the possibility that all the armor might be Jesus! So I paused the Bible reading app and thought through the armor in my mind.

The Belt Of Truth Is Jesus

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus is Truth. He is our belt of Truth! The opposite of truth is a lie. God cannot lie because He is pure and holy. God’s Son, Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God the Father. He never sinned. That is why He was able to become the Way to the Father. There are a lot of religions out there, but only one True Way who brings us Life. Only Jesus can protect us from the enemy who has come to steal, kill and destroy! He is our Armor of Truth! The world will tempt you to put on many other belts, but do not be deceived; only The Truth, Jesus, will protect you. We find His Truth in God’s Word, the Bible.

The Breastplate Of Righteousness Is Jesus

Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 GNT

There is no righteousness outside of faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus died on a cross and paid the price to free us from our sin so we could be made holy. Those who have accepted this wonderful gift of freedom now have His Holy Spirit living within us. It is our joy and honor to live righteously through the power He has given us in His Spirit. But we must keep the Breastplate of Righteousness on or we become vulnerable to the devil. Sin has no place in our lives.

The Gospel Of Peace Is Jesus

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 KJV

Our Prince of Peace literally gave His life so we could have peace with God! We become carriers of God’s supernatural peace everywhere we go if we will dress our feet with His presence! Jesus is always standing with us waiting for us to introduce Him to those we meet. They need Him too!

The Shield Of Faith Is Jesus

…to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:4-5 NASB

All of our faith is in Him. Some translations read faith of God because the implication is that our faith is given to us by God. It is up to each person to use the faith God has given us. As with all things pertaining to our growth in the Kingdom, the more we use faith, the more it grows!

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. Psalm 3:3 NKJV

The Sword Of The Spirit Is Jesus

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

Being in Christ is real and true in the spiritual realm and His Spirit is actually inside us in the natural realm. This is why we can be more than conquers! It is because He loves us and we are in Christ Jesus. He desires to speak His Word through our mouths like a sword to slay our enemies. Just as Jesus used the Word of God to combat the enemy in the wilderness, we must do the same! Otherwise, we are not fully armed. But if we believe from our hearts that the Word Himself, Jesus, is alive and active within us, we can speak His Words through our mouths and the enemy will be driven away!

Clothe Yourself With Jesus

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. Romans 13:11-14 NLT

Jesus is the armor of light mentioned in verse 12 above. He is the Light of the World. When the Word tells us to be clothed with the Lord Jesus, He is speaking of the Holy Spirit. We are born again to live victoriously through the Spirit. Do not cave to anything less than victory. We must clothe ourselves and arm ourselves in Jesus Himself. As Christians, we are overcomers in Christ!

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. Romans 8:9 NET

Jesus said He would always be with us. God promises to provide, protect and rescue us. It’s up to us to believe that He is with us, in us, and for us. If we forget or doubt that His Holy Spirit has empowered us, it’s as if we take Jesus off. But when our faith is in Christ and we believe in His Word, everything is possible. It is up to us to “put on the full armor of God!”

Stay In Christ

Any time we accept defeat, it’s as if we are taking off a piece of the Armor Of God. The Holy Spirit is grieved because every piece of the Armor is vital to Life in the Spirit. Here are just a few examples of what can happen when we fail to fully live in Christ.

  • If you take off The Belt Of Truth, you will begin to believe lies from the enemy.
  • When you take off The Helmet Of Salvation, you will start leading your own mind. This allows the enemy to get a foothold in your mind which will take root in your heart. A lack of love and compassion will be the first sign that you forgot your First Love, Your Savior.
  • If you take off The Gospel Of Peace, your feet will lead you to a place of fear and anxiety. This will cause you to become ashamed to share the Good News of Jesus wherever you go.
  • When you lay down The Shield Of Faith, you will compromise. It will be easy to follow what others say and behave like them, even if it contradicts what Jesus has said. Doubt will cause you to become double-minded and unstable in all you do.
  • If you drop The Sword Of The Spirit, you will lose the power of scripture in your life. Jesus is the Word Of God, given to you as a weapon against every attack of the enemy.

Our Armor Is Alive And Powerful

We are spiritual beings. If we interpret the armor as simply knowledge or ideals that we need to try and live up to, we will become vulnerable to the schemes of the enemy. We do need to grow in the knowledge of God and resist bad behavior. But our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It’s against evil spirits. The Only One who can conquer the enemy of our souls is Jesus Christ Himself! He is standing ready to help us at all times, but we must clothe ourselves in Him continually!

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10 KJV

The Lord Is The Spirit

Let us put on Jesus Christ every day through relationship with Him! We will encounter opposition from the enemy in many forms, but in Christ we can endure, persevere and overcome. His Spirit imparts Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Salvation and gives us power to defeat the enemy with His Sword! Even in the deepest valley, keep your Armor, on at all times. His Name is Jesus! He is the joy of our Salvation and the Peace that surpasses all understanding! Your victory in battle will be someone else’s hope! The Spirit of Jesus Christ is The Armor Of God and we are very much alive in Him!

Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 GNT

God loves you and has already made all the arrangements for you to be forgiven and to walk in close fellowship with Him. If you would like to learn more about Him, follow this link: Meet Jesus. God bless you!