Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 328

November 24;      Ephesians 6:11;       174/260(III);        ‘The Armor of God’

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

What is the armor of God and how do we put it on?  Paul was in prison and as he looked at the Roman soldiers and their battle armor, the Holy Spirit gave him this metaphor.  The Lord Jesus has given us the victory, but there still are ‘battles’ we face for ourselves and in defense of others.  The armor of God is various aspects of the Word of God.  All of the protection we need is in the Word of God.  We also have been given a deadly sword not only to defend ourselves, but to aggressively advance.  First the belt that holds the armor in place is the belt of truth.  God’s Word is the center of our protection.  The breastplate of righteousness, as the Word teaches is knowledge that our sins were cleansed and we have right standing with the Father.  Knowing we are righteous protects the Word so we are free to use it.  Our boots are God’s peace, giving a firm foundation of peace wherever we go.  Our shield is faith.  The Word teaches what faith is and how we use it to block demonic attacks.  Our helmet is salvation.  The word salvation in the Bible has so many powerful meanings.  Just a few are our sins are gone, our body is healed, we have been made whole, we have been rescued.  Our mind is protected from the lies of the devil by the incredible helmet.  Our sword is not only a defensive weapon, but a powerful offensive weapon to vanquish our enemy.  The armor of God simply put is the Word of God.  We are protected and win in life by the Word.