Got Your Armor On?

“Got Your Armor On?” Ephesians 6: 10-18 Today I am going to share something that we are all familiar with — protection. Protection for ourselves, our families, our friends. Protection for all others. This protection I am going to share is through “Putting on the Armor of God!” Question? What do you use to keep yourself safely protected? As I mention the following, I am positive you will all think of some other ways to protect yourself and that is a good thing. We use seatbelts, bike helmets, life jackets, earplugs, mouth guards, and all types of sports gear. Sunglasses, sunblock, raincoats, umbrellas, boots, gloves, hats of all descriptions. Car insurance, along with homeowners, life and health insurance as well. Smoke and fire detectors, cameras, door locks, and firearms. Handrails, extra lighting, heaters and air conditioners can all be added to the list. I recently entered a bank and the sign read, “Are your finances protected?” We use immunizations and all health care, doctor visits of every kind. In this area, we are all very blessed to have volunteer firemen, ambulance personnel, EMT’s, local and state police protecting us whenever there is a need. We feel safe. And these are very crucial in our daily needs as they arise. Education and awareness of the world around us is key in protecting us. In the world of industry and the physical work field, the term PPE is a term commonly used. It stands for “personal protective equipment.” It varies from eye and ear protection, gloves and heat-resistant clothing to masks, hardhats and steel-toe shoes. Each day at the very minute we wake up, there is a need to be prepared, to take on the day. To be prepared against Satan and his battle with our spiritual well-being. Yes, Satan is only a thought away from poisoning our mind, our heart, our words and our actions. I have learned that the only way to keep ourselves prepared and protected, to have our personal protective equipment ready, is to put on the Armor of God! As a reminder and perhaps a learning message, the Armor of God will be described piece by piece. Let me begin by saying that each part of the Armor is truly important. They each play a key role. In this message from Paul in Ephesians, he uses this Armor as a metaphor against our daily struggles of spiritual attack. Spiritual attack is this: thinking of temptations to sin, doubting your faith, feeling like you’re not good enough, not good enough to share God’s Word. You know — stinkin’ thinkin’. We all get those thoughts from time to time. But this is truly when we need to have that Armor of God placed upon us! The first piece mentioned is the belt of truth. And just so you know the first three parts of the Armor being mentioned — belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and feet shod with the gospel of peace — we should have with us all the time. Or at least, try to have them. (A reminder, you realize, I am speaking metaphorically.) In ancient times the belt was thought of as the part that held all the weapons together. And now we add the belt of truth. Truth is what provides spiritual freedom and protection for those who belong to Jesus. The belt holds everything together, protects us against temptation. Think of the belt this way: This is the piece that reminds us to trust God’s Word and His plan for us. And to live a life that’s free of dishonesty or from hidden sin. When we wear the belt of truth, the evil forces cannot win or take over. God’s truth will prevail, not our truth but God’s. Cover your heart with the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate is the spiritual heart protector. I am sure we are all aware of what our weaknesses are and where temptation is most vulnerable. We are not perfect, but we do need to rely on the purity of Jesus and if we strive to be like Him, He will strengthen us. The breastplate protects us against self-righteousness. By the way, this piece is the protection of a vital organ. Righteousness is not something we can get by doing good deeds. It comes from faith in Jesus Christ. When we put on the breastplate of righteousness, it means we believe in Jesus and HIS righteousness, not our own. It also means that we stand firm against injustice and corruption. And it means knowing that God promises His protection against the forces of evil for those who have faith in Jesus. Feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We are to fit our feet in order to stand firm. Stand firm in our faith and readiness to deal with the enemy. The good news we have is that we can have peace with God. When we follow God’s calling in our life, we can be prepared to stand and battle against the forces of evil that might tempt us to sin and be in fear. It is a fact that before we turned to Jesus, we wanted to live our life, our way. We didn’t care or even think about following His plan. But oh, how thankful we can be that God loves us and reconciled Himself with us in peace. You know… the Lord God wants His believers to live in peace and unity with one another. This peace is the confidence that God (not us) has everything under control. Take up the shield of faith. This is one piece we take up, pick up! The shield of faith is our protection against temptations, persecutions and even blasphemous thoughts whispered in our ear. It is a defense of all defenses. Faith, as we know, is trusting God even when we do not understand. Faith is acting on truth. God’s truth. When we are faced with trials and tribulations, it seems the dark side wants to take over. Faith takes over when we follow God’s plan; His goodness will be the shield to all who will take up the shield of faith. The helmet of salvation — think about this for a minute. The helmet is the spiritual head protector. It covers our minds. Protection of the mind so we stayed focused on God’s salvation. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven of our sins and guaranteed a life with God in heaven. We need to rely on this knowledge as a protection from all our doubts and questions. Makes sense to me that when we keep our minds on the forgiveness of sins and having salvation through Jesus Christ, that all the other things (evil) going on in our minds are a waste. We have God’s grace and mercy to protect our thoughts. That alone will keep us safe from sin’s consequences; of course, we will wear the helmet of salvation! Carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We all probably know what a sword looks like. A sharp, metal blade designed to cut. The sword is the only piece of Armor that is used offensively. The belt, breastplate, shoes, shield and helmet are used defensively. To protect against the enemy, the sword is designed to defeat the enemy. Just how is this done? The Spirit, as I mentioned, is the Word of God. When you learn God’s Word and memorize Scripture verses, then you can cut down the enemy. This is so important to do — learn and then share the Word of God. Familiarize yourself with the Word; and then when confronted by any evil deeds, words or action, do as Jesus did when Satan confronted Him — quote Scripture to shut the devil down. We should confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that God’s Word and His message of salvation will win the battle with the enemy. We have all been given pieces of the Armor of God to use each day, so why aren’t we using them? To protect our spirit, our minds, our hearts? Is there someone who needs to hear the Word of God? As it is written in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” I have learned that the best way to engage this Armor of God is through prayer. Prayer is the thread that weaves the pieces of Armor together. Hear again Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the Lord’s people.” Prayer is what we can do every day, maybe once, maybe twice or as many times as needed, but pray! When a thought of a person “pops” into your head, take a moment and pray for them. Prayer is not listed as a piece of Armor per se, but it is so very important. There are other ways to help put on the Armor of God: one, read your Bible daily; two, join a small group, such as a Bible study or Sunday school class; and be part of a fellowship and pray. As we wrap this up, my thoughts are these: Each day God has given us our own PPE, our Armor of God. I know that this was a very brief overview of this topic. I pray that you all will place the Armor of God on each day. When thinking about today’s world, here are some ideas that came to mind when remembering the Armor of God: The belt of truth — think seatbelt. Every time you buckle up, say a prayer. When getting dressed in the morning, putting on your shirt, thinking breastplate of righteousness. Then say a prayer. Of course, putting on our shoes reminds us to stand firm in our faith. Say a prayer. When we get ready for the day, remember to take our faith with us as our shield of faith. Say a prayer. When either combing or brushing our hair (or washing our head), we are placing the helmet of salvation on. Say a prayer. And as we are eating breakfast or any meal, pick up the utensils and think sword of the Spirit. Pray again. And there you have placed on the Armor of God. Doing this, once you make the decision to follow Jesus, you will have the protection of God always. Now, I am asking for a volunteer to come up and help me with a visual demonstration. I will be placing the pieces of Armor on. As you see, I am using everyday items as the Armor of God. My prayer is that as we review and when you see some of these items along your way, you are reminded of each of the pieces of Armor and the huge importance they represent. (We will review the pieces as I place them on.) Thank you, (to the volunteer), and may each of us be ready to put on the Armor of God! Amen. Rosalie