Bible Study Part #3
So How Do We Protect Ourselves?
No football player throws on his uniform haphazardly and runs onto the field to face his opponent. The player’s equipment is critical to his performance and his safety when facing his opponent.
The uniform is only effective if it’s put on correctly and in its entirety. Wearing only part of the uniform is reckless and dangerous. So is being unprepared in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Ephesians 6:10-18)
The Armor of God
Let’s look at our spiritual armor. Paul instructs us two separate times to make sure we are wearing all of our armor so we can resist our enemy and stand strong. The key word I want you to focus on is – ALL.
Belt of Truth – to protect us against Satan, the deceiver, destroyer, and liar
Breastplate of Righteousness – to represent our positional righteousness before God our Father
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – to ensure we are at peace with everyone and ready to go wherever God calls
Shield of Faith – to quench all of Satan’s fiery darts
Helmet of Salvation – to ensure we know, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are a saved child of God, covered by Jesus’ blood and possessing the mind of Christ
Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God and our only offensive weapon
Satan’s primary weapon is lies (Genesis 3: 1-13; John 8:44; 2 John 1:7). Doesn’t it make sense we need a primary offensive weapon to wield against Him? That weapon is TRUTH.
The Belt of Truth
The belt of truth provides strength and stability. The belt also helps us decipher truth from trash. The truth Paul refers to is God’s truth, and when we have God’s truth (His Word) at our core, it provides the weapon necessary for defeating our enemy. God’s truth sets us free from the lies our enemy uses against us, making us slaves to him. Believing the enemy’s lies only continues the cycle of slavery. Jesus’ precious blood has already won our freedom (Galatians 4)
The belt of truth holds God’s Word as the standard for our life, wrapping truth around our entire life and giving us the wisdom needed to decode the enemy’s lies and tricks. We use the belt of truth to hold the enemy back by boldly declaring God’s truth and guarding our lives from the destruction the enemy’s lies bring.
If we are not firmly grounded in God’s Word, it’s impossible to have a core strong enough to support our armor, sustaining us as we battle against our enemy (2 Timothy2:15). Our enemy is a liar, consistently twisting and manipulating the truth to suit his evil purpose.
Similarly, a weak (physical) core increases our chance of injury and hinders our progress. Just wait and see! 😉
The Helmet of Salvation
Consider the helmet of salvation we wear as part of the armor of God. Remember, that it protects our head from the enemy’s toxic thoughts and lies (2 Corinthians 10:5) . Being ignorant of God’s Word opens the door to believing the lies of our enemy (Psalm 119:10-11). The Word of God encourages us to renew the mind (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:20-24). Consuming God’s Word (reading, studying, listening) helps us to renew our minds.
Let’s get our armor on for our mission awaits!
- Are you engaged in a spiritual battle over your health today?
- What part(s) of your armor need to be readjusted?
Godspeed,
The MissionFiT Team
