At my recent visit to the Royal Armouries in Leeds, I looked at a variety of body armour, from traditional chainmail and suits of armour to armour for animals (horses and elephants) to more modern protection like bullet-proof vests. All the armour reminded me of Paul’s words in Eph 6:10-20 about the need to put on the full armour of God.
Putting on armour is a cumbersome task. It takes time and preparation. If we want to stand against the devil’s schemes, we have to be prepared. We have to be ready. Paul makes clear the nature of the spiritual battle that is ongoing. (Eph 6:12) We cannot hope to remain standing if we are not prepared.
The armour Paul lists starts with the belt of truth buckled around our waists. (Eph 6:14) Truth is absolutely essential. It holds us together. It provides a firm foundation for us. Truth is under fierce attack in our relativistic society. We are drip-fed lies every day – lies about the meaninglessness of life, the lack of sanctity to human life, lies about identity, government, war, everything. We need the truth of God’s word if we are to stand firm.
Then we have the breastplate of righteousness in place, protecting our hearts. (Eph 6:14) Prov 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above all else; life flows from it. We need to be people who love God and other people with all our hearts.
Our feet need adequate footwear so we can run with the message of peace and reconciliation with God. (Eph 6:15) There’s no room for ill-fitting shoes. I bought some glittery, sparkly shoes to wear at the arts’ festival recently, and they were a disaster because they were so uncomfortable, blistering my heels and squashing my toes until I could barely walk, let alone run. We need to let our feet take us on God’s missions, so we need the right shoes!
The shield of faith protects us from the flaming arrows of the evil one (Eph 6:16), but it can only do this as we take it up. Faith will always be our best defence. When the devil lies to us, he speaks his native language (John 8:44). We can ony defeat his lies through truth and faith in what God has said. The word of God is our sword, able to defeat the enemy as Jesus did in the wilderness. (Matt 4:1-11)
Put on the armour of God. You’re going to need it if you want to stand firm today!