The Whole Armour of God

Scripture: Ephesians 6 v 10-12:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”


The reason God gave this spiritual armour to us is because we wrestle not against flesh and blood.  This armour consists of the girdle, or belt, of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; shoes of the gospel of peace; the shield of Faith; tell helmet of salvation; the sword of the Spirit i.e. the Word of God.

This means that every major problem we encounter seemingly on the  human level, is actually a wrestling match against the rulers of darkness of this world - Satan and his demons, who have ruled over human beings since the Garden of Eden.

Many millions of people have no idea about this reality. Their bitter family feuds; ugly divorces; history of miscarriages; inherited illnesses etc are seen as unavoidable human conditions.  Tragedies like rape, murder, loss through scams or theft; car accidents;  wars; atrocities; addictions; abortion; sexual sins; and most other conditions that SEEM to be controlled by humans can be placed at the feet of the master mind of Satan.  If they knew Jesus and His victory over the Devil it would solve many problems for them.

South Africa is in crisis right now through a ruling party that is steeped in corruption and greed.  The people are rising in protest but Psalm 127 v 1 says: "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."  There is no way that the house of the African National Congress is built by the Lord Jesus Christ!  They are labouring in vain against the forces of darkness and must battle alone.

Zechariah 5 v 3 - 4: "Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.  4  I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof."  Comfort yourselves with these words those who follow the Lamb.

God gave all humans a free will to choose whether we would serve Him or not.  If you choose not to serve Almighty God and His Son Jesus, but some other god or be an atheist, you are in the midst of Satan’s kingdom and under his control.  He uses the unsaved souls in his sadistic mind games aimed at all those who are in the Kingdom of God.  This is why we need to put on this armour and never remove it.  It protects the born again saints against the fiery darts of the enemy of our souls.

The girdle of truth keeps us honest in all our dealings with other people.  Jesus honours those who discard white lies to get out of tricky situations, as the truth will set you free, but lies will bind you.  The strongest infallible truth is the Holy Bible.  Read it daily and do what it says to do.  It is the sword of the Spirit which Jesus demonstrated when He fasted forty days after His baptism.  He used scripture to defeat Satan. Matthew 4 v 1 - 11.

The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart and keeps you from sinful deeds.  If you do not overcome sin in your life this protection loses its effectiveness and you need to do some repenting to get it back.  The helmet of salvation protects our minds from bad thoughts, evil imaginations, sexual fantasies and mental diseases.  You are in control of your mind and need to exercise that control.  You can let a bird land on your head but prevent it making a nest in your hair.  Chase those thoughts away.

The fervent effective prayer of a righteous man gives great victory. We need to wear this armour always to be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. This armour stops satan in his tracks. It gives us the ability to stay standing while he falls.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have covered every angle the enemy can use against us, and it is up to us to use all Your provision to live an abundant life in Your kingdom.  Thanks for this spiritual armour that protects us.  Lord help us to keep it on by being obedient to Your Word.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.