Armor 2: The Breastplate of Righteousness & Helmet of Salvation

Alright, we are going to continue through Ephesians chapter 6 this morning as we are looking at the armor of God that is given to us to aid in the battle we are in that is not against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against something else. Something unseen. Something un-natural.

Last week we finally got into the actual armor. I just love Paul’s writings, as he’s sharing about these things, there is so much depth behind his words. I was reminded again this past week as I was talking with Pastor John-Michael, Paul spent years meeting with these people, training them, equipping them, sharing his heart and the gospel with them. So these letters he writes to these churches are first of all, super personal. He’s thinking about the people. He’s not thinking about the “church” 2000 years later. He’s writing to a specific group of people, in a specific location, during a specific time! That is always so important to keep in mind for context. BUT, He’s also probably thinking about Martha, and Mary, and Jack, and Jimmy and their kids, and the families meeting in homes. You see in some of his letters as he closes them, please say hello to … And as far as teaching is concerned, he’s building upon what he shared with them when he was with them.

He also says that he’s in chains, but it’s believed that he wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus in Rome, and the story of the journey to Rome is told in the book of Acts. See, Paul is arrested in Jerusalem, handed over to the Roman government, they don’t find anything wrong with him, want to release him back to the Jewish leaders, but that could almost certainly mean death - it did in the case of Jesus, right? The government officials saw nothing wrong with him but the people convinced them to crucify him. And so maybe for a some fear of his life, Paul, when the Romans want to hand him back over says, “Wait wait wait, yes, I’m a Jew, but I’m also a Roman Citizen and I want to appeal to Caesar..that’s my right, send me to Rome!”

If you’ve ever traveled across the border with someone from another country, the way they treat their own citizens vs how they treat someone from another country is very different! Kelley and I traveled a LOT with me having a Canadian passport and her with her American passport. But when we would go to Europe, of course neither of those matter, although some places would accept the Canadian passport a little friendlier, but when you aren’t a citizen it’s different. However, when coming home! Man, the difference is huge. Because you are home. You are accepted. And THEY have an obligation to allow you in, protect you etc… We’ve all seen a movie or tv show where someone is running toward an Embassy with people chasing them, screaming, “I’m a US citizen!!!!!” And all the military come out and stand guard as the person gets ushered in! So, as soon as Paul says, “I’m a Roman citizen”, everything changed. So, they send him to Rome and it says in Acts 28:16, When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

So, he’s in Rome, under guard, as a prisoner, but is allowed to write his letters, allowed to meet with local believers, and probably sitting there looking at this soldier who’s guarding him, gave him some inspiration for this portion of the letter.

Of course Paul isn’t saying, “Guys, there is actually a belt in the spirit, and you have to take it, and put it on...” No, he’s writing in a way they will understand. Listen, just as a soldiers belt is the very foundation of their armor, so is the truth to the Christian. You MUST put it on, FASTEN it, you can not be slack with the truth - no half truths, and don’t let people convinced you of what isn’t in the word… you can not be “off duty” with the truth, but you MUST put it on everyday, and put it on first. It matters most. It is the very foundation that the rest sits on.

So, we’re in Ephesians 6:10-18, let’s read a bit and jump in to the next couple pieces of armor that Paul talks about. / / A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

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. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these things, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

This week we are going to take up two pieces of armor. But first let’s look at what it means to put on the / / body armor of God’s righteousness. Or as the ESV says it the breastplate of righteousness.

Alright, first things first. If you remember last week we looked at the three different words used for getting dressed.

In vs 11 Paul uses the word / / endyo, which is really just a term to get dressed. This word is used in Matthew 6:25 when Jesus says, / / “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on [endyo]. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

So, Jesus is saying, “Listen, your life is more than the clothes you put on”. And Paul is saying, “Sure, but don’t forget to put your clothes on!”

Then in vs 13 Paul uses the word / / analambano, which means to take up a thing to carry or use it. So there’s a directive along with the putting on. You are adding purpose to the item, not just covering yourself.

And then the last word he uses as he writes vs 14, Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth, which is the word / / perizonnymi, and that is tighten your belt, make sure it is fastened properly.

Last week we saw that the belt doesn’t just need to be fastened properly, but also it is put on first for a purpose. It’s critical for the rest of the armor.

OK, so with the breastplate. When he says, / / having put on the breastplate of righteousness, this is back to the word endyo. No special meaning here, just a simple, once you’ve fastened that belt you can add, you can put on the breastplate.

Like we said last week, we are looking at two different aspects here: / / Physical Representation & Spiritual Discipline.

The physical representation of the Breastplate of Righteousness is that it is a large piece of armor, made of leather, bronze or chain-mail piece that protected the body from the neck to the thighs. Its purpose is kind of obvious here. It protects the vital organs. I mean, no soldier is going to go into battle without his body armor.

Now, I have heard it preached, and I am pretty sure I did this at some time, “The armor of God doesn’t have a back because we aren’t meant to surrender!” BUT, everything I can find historically shows very clearly that this was not just a breastplate, but body armor. So the back was there to protect against attacks from behind, but also in battle, you aren’t always going to be facing forward.

So if we think about it, the body armor is there to protect us from what you can’t stop. You have a sword to fight back when someone comes at you with a sword, you have a shield to stop the arrows, the shields etc… but what happens when even your best efforts to protect yourself with the tools you have don’t work? You wear your breastplate. Your body armor. For the attack you can’t see, or aren’t fast enough to stop.

Think of it this way, let’s say that the breastplate is a passive piece of armor. What I mean by that is that you don’t use your breastplate, your breastplate just is. You don’t actively defend, or attack with it. It’s not a weapon, and it’s not something you utilize for defence. You wear a breastplate because there might just be points where you’re not paying attention, or you grow weary, or you’re just not quick enough and the sword of your enemy gets through, or the arrow gets past the shield.

Even today, although we don’t wear a breastplate like they used to. Our police and our military still employ bullet proof vests, right? And again, there’s nothing active about the vest, but when you’re going into any situation where there may be an exchange of blows, or weapons involved, that vest goes on.

So, as we move over to the Spiritual dynamic, this is an absolutely brilliant connection to what God has done in the spiritual realm for us.

I hadn’t actually seen this until this week. But this is not the first time that breastplate of righteousness is used in scripture.

In the book of Isaiah there is a warning of what sin can and has done to God’s people. And even today, although we know that the issue of sin is taken care of through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have definitely seen and recognize that the wages of sin is death, and when we look at sin being our falling short of God’s standard, we see that the death caused by sin is a direct result of our actions.

As much as I would like to eat whatever I want and not gain any weight or suffer any physical consequences, we know that’s just not the case, is it? God has called me to a particular standard, and that standard may be different than the one He’s called you too, but for me, I have certain things I need to follow in my life, and when I don’t, when I fall short of that standard, my body, my health, my spirit and my soul all suffer. The falling short, the sin, produces death. Thankfully there is redemption, but redemption isn’t just forgiveness of sin, it actually calls me to a higher place!

So, in Isaiah 59, the prophet Isaiah describes the current climate and then hears the word of the Lord and delivers it to the people of Israel and he says,

/ / Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call...

I love that he starts by reassuring them that God is ultimately for them, AND still very capable and willing to deliver them from what they are going through. But then he describes what has been causing their problems, and I’m going read it all because I think there are some key points in it that I would say if we look around the world right now we might see some similar attitudes being expressed. Some similar issues being seen. And in the end the answer is still the same!

/ / It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.

No one cares about being fair and honest. The people’s lawsuits are based on lies. They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin. They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; whoever cracks them will hatch a viper. Their webs can’t be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.

So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead. We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue, but it is far away from us. For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord. We have turned our backs on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed...

I know, a little heavy, and not the funnest to go through, but, call this the human condition. Call this dramatically and in classic human fashion, falling short of God’s glorious standard. They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin. Essentially saying, they think about what they want, without regarding what God has called them to, and then go ahead and do it… Their actions follow what they have been thinking about.

No justice, little right living, you look for light and seem to only see darkness. We reach around in the dark, trying to find our way, frustrated that we can’t see, acting like hungry animals just looking for satisfaction, but looking for it in all the wrong places.

Our courts oppress the righteous… truth stumbles in the streets… honesty seems to be a far off concept.

Now, of course I’m not saying the world is too far gone. Neither did Isaiah. Remember how he started in vs 1, / / Listen! The Lord’s arm is NOT too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

But, what he is saying, and what we are praying for in this world and in this time, is that people see the salvation of the Lord and TURN to him. That is the answer people need. That is the answer we need. And so this is the turn around point. After starting by giving hope, and then describing the problem, the issue, the human condition of sin, Isaiah writes at the end of vs 16:

/ / So he [God] himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him.

He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.

That’s the promise. God will make a way. God will set it straight. God will wipe the floor with evil and sin, and set us free. God himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm...

And then in Isaiah 59:20 he describes how he will do this as he hears the word of God:

/ / “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the Lord.

“And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord, “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Talk about a beautiful summary of the Gospel! The Redeemer will come, make a way for those who turn from sin, and then give them His Spirit!

Isaiah 59 is a beautiful picture and description of the problem and the issue, our own shortcomings as humanity, but also the promise and the fulfilment, that God didn’t wait for us to get it right so we could come to him, but, he makes it right so that we can come to him.

And in the middle of all that Isaiah says of God himself, / / He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head...

In Isaiah 61:10 it says, / / I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.

So, / / What is righteousness, and what about this righteousness, as I said earlier, makes it passive? This robe, or breastplate, body armor, of righteousness that isn’t necessarily a tool. It’s not a weapon, it’s a covering that protects us.

In Ephesians 6:14 Paul writes, / / Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness... The ESV says Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

The word righteousness is the greek word / / dikaiosyne - and it means equity of character or act, equity of character is to possess all good qualities in perfection and perfect balance.

Hmm…well, that’s not us is it? Paul says in Romans 3:10, / / ...as Scripture says, "No one is righteous - not even one..."

So, what do we do? If Righteousness is being perfect in having good qualities, and having those good qualities in perfect balance, and Paul is saying that no one is righteous, do we even deserve to put on this body armor?

Well, here's where things shift. / / Righteousness also means Justification, which means the action of showing something to be right or reasonable - the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God.

Paul says in Romans 5:1-2, / / Therefore, since we have been made right [justified - ESV], in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege [grace] where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

He continues in vs 6, / / When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

And he then goes on to describe how through what Adam did in the garden of Eden, eating that fruit from the tree he wasn't supposed to, falling short of God's glorious standard. Adam and Eve introduced sin as a choice, into this world, and as a result, because of their actions were removed from the garden of Eden, which was paradise, and the result is that we are all born into a world where sin exists. It is no longer paradise. So, Paul says, just as one man's actions causes all that problem, another man, Jesus Christ, through HIS action, makes it all right.

Romans 5:18, / / Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

vs 17, / / For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness. for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

This is why we deserve to wear this breastplate of righteousness. Well, we don't, BUT, we do.

It’s because this righteousness is not our own. We are not made righteous through right living. We are made righteous through the obedience of Jesus Christ, his willful self-denial, that brought him to the cross to lay down his life so that we could be made right with God.

So now this definition of righteous - in a broad sense, the state of him who is as he ought to be, / / righteousness, the condition acceptable to God, the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved by God. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US!

Are the wages of sin still death? Yes, Romans 6:23, / / For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now, I said earlier, the description of this as the breastplate, this passive piece of armor, is unbelievably brilliant, and this isn’t even Paul bringing this to the table for the first time, he knows Isaiah 59, he knows Isaiah 61, the righteousness of God put on like body armor, like a robe, clothed in righteousness.

But the true brilliance of it here is that as we continue to look at this armor, continue to look at this battle we are in with evil - the enemy is constantly trying to get you to believe something about yourself that is no longer true.

See, we were Isaiah 59, sin had cut us off from God, it was getting in the way, our hands were dirty, our lips dripped lies and our mouths corruption. Honesty and right living were not the standard. There was no justice, we were living in darkness, growling like hungry bears looking for satisfaction, looking for justice but it never came......

And the enemy will continually try to get you to revisit that. Sin you used to be stuck in. Old patterns of thinking. This is why when talking about truth last week I said that statistically speaking, it takes an average of 66 days to rewire the brain to believe something new. To create a habit, a new thought pattern, a new way of thinking and being, acting and doing.

This is why Romans 12:2 says that we must be transformed by the RENEWING of our minds… that means to go through a complete renovation - a complete tearing down of how we thought, to be replaced with a new way of thinking.

Remember the definition of Repent. To change the way you think.

If the enemy’s power comes through us agreeing with his lies, then we are constantly in a battle to renew the way we think! Because as much as Christ has set us free, and we are free, Galatians 5:1 warns us NOT to fall back into the slavery of what we used to believe, what held us bondage.

That was the promise in Isaiah 59.... in vs 17 everything starts to turn around and by vs 20 and 21 the Lord himself declares, / / “The Redeemer will come… And my Spirit will never leave you, and neither will these words I have given you...”

See, it might just be that the greatest weapon we have is not a weapon at all. Armed with the truth and the reality of God’s righteousness through the justification of Jesus Christ, not our own works, when the enemy comes to tell you his lies, or tries to get you to turn back from this new way of believing, and go back to what you used to believe, go back to your old ways, your old habits, and he says to you:

You’re no good...

You’re worthless...

You’re just a sinner, always been a sinner, always will be a sinner...

You’ll always be stuck...

And it becomes so much and even if confusion takes over, and it feels like darkness is creeping in on you. Remember this: / / I am justified, MADE RIGHTEOUS by the obedience of Jesus Christ, not my own works.

Sure, you can use scripture, you can use the truth as a weapon and push back what the enemy is saying specifically, but if ALL you can remember is this, / / “I am MADE righteous…I am MADE righteous…I AM MADE RIGHTEOUS!!!”

That’s the beauty of a breastplate. When we forget how to use the sword, when we forget the tools on our belt, when we drop our shied and the blows come in, this passive armor is there to protect us.

The breastplate of HIS righteousness.

The robe of HIS righteousness, because of HIS obedience...

“You’re right satan, I am a sinner, I consistently get it wrong. That’s why I’m so grateful for HIS free gift of grace and righteousness. Because it’s not ever because I got it right, it’s because I believe in the one who made me right! / / If I got anything right, it’s simply that I admitted I didn’t get it right!”

And Satan says… You can’t even quote scripture.... ya, but I’m made righteous...

You don’t even have faith you’ll ever change… sure, but I’m made righteous...

Don’t worry. You’ll get better with the other tools. You’ll get better with the truth. The more you read the word the more you’ll have truth in your corner. The more you understand His word, the more you’ll be able to use it. The more you grow in your faith and all the other spiritual disciplines we employ, the more equipped you will feel. At some point you’ll be so full of truth the devil won’t even bother with you, but until that day comes, remind yourself that you are clothed in His righteousness. Remind yourself over and over and over again, I am MADE righteous. Not by my works, but by His.

Now, the other part of righteousness is this:

/ / You have been MADE righteous, to BE righteous… You have been freed for a purpose.

Galatians 5:1 says, / / So Christ has truly set us free. The ESV says, For freedom Christ has set us free.

What’s that mean, it means you were set free to live IN freedom. vs 13 says, / / For you have been called to LIVE in freedom. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.

What he’s saying is, Just because you can’t make yourself righteous by your own actions, doesn’t mean you cheapen the righteousness of God as a gift by doing your own thing and whatever you want and just relying on His righteousness.

Galatians 5:16, / / So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other...

In Romans 6 Paul says a few times, just because God has given us His amazing grace, doesn’t mean we keep on sinning, quite the opposite actually...

Romans 6:12-14 says, / / Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires… instead, give yourselves completely to God. Sin is no longer your master…Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

God’s gifts of grace, freedom & righteousness are meant to produce in us grace, freedom and righteousness. Even though we know God is a forgiving God, and if we sin we can ask for forgiveness, remember what true repentance is. Repentance is not just saying we are sorry and asking for forgiveness, repentance is desiring and inviting the transformation of God into our lives to change the way we think.

And if you change the way you think, you will change the way you act.

AND, it just so happens that the armor of God has tools to help with that process as well. If we need help in our mind, we need to protect our head.

We are going to skip ahead a couple verses and grab ahold of the helmet of salvation as well.

Remember that in Isaiah 59:17, the prophet says of the Lord, / / He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.

Mirrored again in Ephesians 6:17, / / Put on salvation as your helmet...

I don’t know if he’s making a play on words here, but the ESV translates this as …take the helmet of salvation, and the word translated to take means to receive, or accept, to literally take with the hand, take hold of...

No word is used for the putting on, or getting dressed, it’s like he’s almost saying, “there’s nothing to do here. You are saved, all you have to do is receive…accept it.”

Let’s look at this. Paul has already said this in an earlier part of his letter. Ephesians 2:8 says, / / God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

John writes in John 1:12, / / But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Jesus says in John 3:17, / / For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Mark 16:16, / / believe and be saved.

Romans 10:9, / / …confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

/ / Salvation is ours as a free gift when we believe.

We know the enemy is out to kill, steal and destroy, and a blow to the head is deadly. So, we take, receive, accept the truth of our salvation and that there is nothing we can do to make it any better, or make it work. It just works. He gives it, we receive it.

The word in scripture for saved is / / sozo, and it means not just to save, but to deliver and protect, to heal, preserve, save and to be made whole.

The gift of salvation is not just for our eternal soul, although definitely the most important part, but the gift of salvation is to truly be ‘sozo’, saved … made whole, body, soul & spirit, in the here and now, AND in the yet to come.

Now, I want to end this morning with giving you a thought:

What if, we as Christians, followers of Jesus, woke up everyday and began to heed the advice of Peter who said, Stay Alert! There’s an enemy prowling around like a lion, and he’s looking to devour you if he can. And we took the advice of Paul who says, Be strong IN the Lord and in HIS mighty power, now here’s how you do it...

What if we remembered to daily put on this armor. I mean, as crazy as it sounds, intentionally took a moment in everyday when we woke up and said.

Jesus, I accept and receive your salvation today. I accept and receive your sozo, your invitation to make me whole as I believe. I take it up, I put it on, like a helmet over my mind. I embrace the truth that I am saved, not by anything that I have done. But, in my weakness, in my inability to save myself, YOU have saved me. While I was a sinner, when I had done nothing right, You chose to die for me, to set me free, to pay a price I would never be able to pay.

What if we reminded ourselves of that every day?

/ / Do you think about your salvation?

Do you remind yourself that Jesus is alive in you?

Do you remind yourself of Ephesians 1:13 that says / / …when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by GIVING you the Holy Spirit...

Now put that on your head! Romans 8:5-6 says, / / For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

The way he writes it is kind of flipped around, but the truth is, thinking a certain way causes a certain kind of action and response.

So, instead of waking up and thinking, “aww man, I have to go to work today, I don’t want to. I don’t want to do what I have to do. #adulting is hard... I have to deal with this person. I have to deal with this, that and the other thing…I’m not feeling well, I’m tired, I’m achy...”

Sure, we don’t deny reality. We don’t always feel the best. That’s the whole point. We don’t deny reality, we simply invite the truth of God, the healing and power of the Holy Spirit, the helmet of our salvation, sozo, being made whole, to cover us.

I can’t see someone I don’t want to talk to and just think, “I’ll ignore them, that will work..” no, I can’t deny the reality of the situation, and just ignore it and hope it goes away. But I can, even in walking up to a person, in my heart say, “God, cover me with your sozo, your salvation that makes me whole and can make them whole as well. Cover me , with your power, with your love. I thank you for my salvation, for your power that sets me free. Would you reveal your love, grace, peace and power in this situation...”

We don’t deny we are sick, or not feeling well. But instead of focusing on being sick, we focus on the one who heals. And EVEN IF we don’t get healed, the bible says that he will walk with us through what we endure. I have realized that in my own journey this past year with addiction. What if, like Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 12, He begs God to take away his problems and God says, “No, but my grace is sufficient for you”… and Paul turns around and says, OK, so I’ll boast about it now, because that means that the very thing I am dealing with is an avenue to experience the grace of God! And what more could we ask for than to experience His grace in the midst of our struggle?

So, I don’t deny that I’m sick, I believe for healing, and I ask for His strength to endure through the trials.

Thank you God for my helmet of Salvation, wholeness for my whole self!

What if we began to / / thank God that we get to put on the robe, the breastplate of righteousness. Thank you for your righteousness that protects me like body armor. Thank you that the enemy can come at me all day with his lies trying to convince me that I’m not enough and that will NEVER change the fact that I am not made righteous because I got it right, I am made righteous because You were obedient to the Father. Thank you Jesus for your righteousness. Even when I get it wrong. Even when I mess up. I fall short of your glorious standard, and the wage of that should be death, I can find grace and mercy in my time of need and try try again.

Thank you God that because I am ALREADY made right with you I can live a life of doing my best to live righteously without the burden of my salvation depending on it. Fear of failure is removed because failure does not mean condemnation. I believe, therefore I am saved, and if I am saved, I have been made right with God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that is the very power to live a life that is pleasing to Him!

So, God, I put on the breastplate of righteousness, not so that I can live without concerning myself with being righteous, but as the very power that enables me to live righteously. Because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. Give me strength to endure, courage to press on, and the desire to do what you have said to do.

I choose to follow Jesus Christ. I choose to set my mind on the things of the Holy Spirit to live according to the Holy Spirit. Thank you for making me right. Thank you for destroying the lies of the enemy. Thank you for helping me live how you have called me to live.

WHAT IF we started our days like that?

Thanking God for what He’s already done and giving him access and permission in our lives to move and operate and draw us INTO a life where we are truly following His ways?

I’ve met so many christians that say they want to “live for God” but yet do very little to actually live for God. I’m not saying that’s you. I’m saying it’s the human condition… Paul saw it and called it out. When we set our minds on the flesh, of the things of this world, on our problems and earthly desires, we will end up living according to those very things because they draw us. We go where we are looking. This is why they put blinders on race horses, And the same is true of us because we can become easily distracted and not focused on the goal ahead.

So, look up. Look to Christ. Look to your heavenly Father who is full of love. Look to the Holy Spirit. And you can start doing that by taking the time to actively remember what He has done for you, thanking him for it and asking Him to work those very things in your life!