Below, we have pulled 10 great teachings from our Daily Devotional series talking specifically about the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18. We hope this will help you grow in your walk with God and in your understanding of the power available to you as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Be Strong in the Lord
Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
The book of Ephesians is Paul’s letter written to the churches around the metropolitan area of Ephesus during the first century. Ephesus was a high commerce area and a center for pagan worship. The people of Ephesus worshiped hundreds of false gods, and the city of Ephesus housed the temple of Artemis, the goddess of fertility. The massive and beautiful temple was one of the ancient wonders of the world. Every week the city would throw a parade in the honor of Artemis and offer sacrifices to her. Also, the practice of witchcraft and dark magic was widespread, and people lived in constant fear of spiritual powers who could curse or harm them.
It was in this context that the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Paul isn’t being redundant here. God has so much strength, Paul uses two words to describe it.
Next, Paul instructs us to “put on the whole armor of God.” Why do you need armor? You need armor for a fight. And in this fight, you have a spiritual enemy.
Paul tells us the reason God has given you armor is to stand against the “schemes of the devil.” The Greek word for “schemes” here is the word methodeias. It’s where we get our English word “method” from, and it simply means “to plan” or “to strategize.” Paul is telling us that the devil has a plan for your life. That’s right, he has a strategy to keep you from God, to destroy you and your family, and to keep you from being effective for God’s kingdom. You must be aware of his strategy. So, what is the devil’s strategy?
The devil attacks us in two primary ways:
- The devil lies to you. Jesus described the devil in John 8:44 as “the father of lies.” If the devil is talking, he’s lying. He wants to lie to you about who God is, who you are, and what other people think about you.
- The devil accuses you. Really, this is another form of lying. If you’ve blown it, he wants to exploit it. He wants to tell you that you’re no good and that the thing you’ve done defines you.
The good news is that God has given you spiritual armor to stand against the enemy’s lies. You don’t have to let him accuse you because God has a plan for you. His plan is better, and He is stronger!
So, what can we take away from these two verses today?
- You are in a fight. The challenging situations you’re facing are not an accident.
- You have a spiritual enemy. The devil has a plan to destroy your life, but…
- You can win. You can receive strength from the Lord to stand against the enemy.
You're in a Spiritual Fight
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Yesterday we talked about how the devil has a scheme for your life, but you can receive strength from God to overcome. To fight the devil, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. We’ll look at the various pieces of armor and what they represent later. But Paul’s point is that you need spiritual armor for a spiritual fight.
In the ESV version of verse 12, Paul says “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” The word “wrestle” is an interesting choice. It brings up an image of two opponents in close, hand to hand combat. That is what wrestling with the enemy is like. He wants to get personal and to attack you where it hurts.
Why does Paul say “flesh and blood” in this verse? “Flesh and blood” refers to people and situations in the natural realm. You may be locked in a struggle that seems completely natural. Maybe you’re in a fight with your spouse, have an impossible deadline at work, or you’re facing a tough financial crisis. The temptation is to see these struggles only in the natural, when there may be a supernatural component at work.
Paul describes your real enemy in these battles in four ways: rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil. These are all terms the New Testament uses to describe demonic powers. Your enemy is spiritual, not flesh and blood.
How do you fight a spiritual battle?
You fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. We want to solve the natural problem, but God may be working on you at a deeper, spiritual level. God may want to use the battle you’re in to change you, to teach you, or to cause you to rely on Him more. Spiritual battles are incredible opportunities for God to work out more of His fruit into your life.
One of the best things you can do when you find yourself in a battle is to ask God some simple questions:
- God, what are you trying to teach me through this situation?
- Where am I trying to control what can’t be controlled?
- What do you want to do spiritually in me right now?
Spend some time today meditating on those questions. Ask God to show you what He’s doing. He wants to show you, and He wants to strengthen you for the fight.
The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:13-14a (NIV)
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
We’ve been talking about the spiritual battles we face in life and how those battles require spiritual weapons. Today, we want to begin looking at the six pieces of armor God gives us to fight the enemy.
But first, notice in verses 13-14 how many times Paul mentions the word “stand.” He says it three times. What’s more, Paul also tells us to “stand” back in verse 11. So, Paul tells us to “stand” four times in the course of just a few verses. What’s Paul saying? He’s telling you that you can stand against the enemy and fight!
The question is, “How?” How can we stand?
Fasten the belt of truth around your waist.
It’s important to understand that the Roman soldier’s belt was not like a modern belt, designed to hold up your pants.
- It was large and wide, designed to protect the soldier’s organs.
- It attached to the scabbard, which held the soldier’s sword.
- Most importantly, it surrounded the soldier.
In the same way, the belt of truth must be all-encompassing in your life. Too often, we want to accept only a part of God’s truth. We say, “I’ll believe what the Bible says about Jesus, but I won’t accept what it says about my finances…or about my dating life…or about my sexuality.” But we can’t do that. We have to accept God’s Word as the ultimate source of truth around every area of our lives.
You have to determine in your heart that when it comes to your family, your job, your finances, your relationships, and your habits:
- I will trust what the Word of God says.
- I will accept His Word as authoritative.
- I will obey His Word.
When you make those determinations, what you’ll find is that His truth is protective. It protects you from the enemy’s attack. Abandon yourself to God’s Word today, and fasten the belt of truth around your life.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
We’re talking about how to stand against the enemy and win. Yesterday, we looked at the belt of truth. Today, we’re going to look at the breastplate of righteousness.
What was a soldier’s breastplate?
- The breastplate covered all the vital organs in the chest.
- It was the heaviest piece of armor.
- It stopped the enemy’s weapons from penetrating you.
Just like the soldier’s breastplate, God’s righteousness protects us when we are attacked. You’ll notice I didn’t say our righteousness protects us. I said God’s righteousness.
Here’s why: The Bible tells us that our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We can’t stand on our own righteousness because we’ve all blown it. We’ve messed up.
One of the biggest reasons people don’t win spiritual battles is because they don’t feel like they deserve to win. They feel like they’ve messed up too bad and they can’t win.
But that’s looking at the battle wrong. The Bible teaches us that when we are saved, we put on the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
When we’re saved, we take off our unrighteousness, and we are clothed in God’s righteousness.
Here’s what that means for you today: You don’t stand against the enemy based on what you’ve done. You stand against the enemy based on what God has done for you. That’s good news!
Jesus loves you so much that he was willing to fight for you. His righteousness covers your life. You can stand against the enemy and win because Jesus already gave you the victory.
The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:15 (NIV)
…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
So far, we’ve talked about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Today we’re going to focus on the third piece of armor God has given you to stand against the enemy: the gospel of peace.
Verse 15 mentions the soldier’s feet that are “fitted” with protection. We don’t typically think of shoes as something vital, but they are, especially to the soldier.
- The soldier’s shoes provided protection on rocky terrain.
- The shoes guarded the soldier’s feet against hidden traps on the ground.
- The shoes provided stability to stand.
God has given us shoes for our spiritual battles today. Our shoes are “the gospel of peace.” Without the gospel of peace, we lose our ability to move forward in the battle.
Here are two thoughts about the gospel of peace I want to give you today.
- The gospel message saves you.
We are all broken because of sin. The gospel message is that a perfect God came down from heaven to reach us in our brokenness. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross so we can be saved. When we make Jesus our Lord, it changes everything. The gospel is our foundation—it’s the sure footing we stand on. The word “gospel” means good news, and this is God’s good news for your life. But the gospel doesn’t just save you.
- The gospel message propels you.
The good news of Jesus changes you personally, but His message doesn’t stop with you. You now live to carry His message and His mission to the world. When you start seeing your life as an extension of God’s mission, it changes how you live. It changes how you see the battles you’re facing.
The enemy wants to stop you from advancing God’s Kingdom, so he attacks your marriage, your kids, your job, your finances, etc. But you have to realize that there is a Kingdom agenda to your battle.
When you stop looking at the attacks you’re facing as something personal, and you start seeing them as the devil’s attempt to stop God’s Kingdom from advancing, it changes how you respond to the fight. When you put on the gospel of peace, it gives you the ability to cooperate with God and advance His Kingdom. Now you are in a battle that belongs to the Lord.
Stand Against the Day of Evil
Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
We’ve been talking about our spiritual battles and how to stand and fight. So far, we’ve looked at the first three pieces of armor in Ephesians 6—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the gospel of peace. We’ll cover the last three pieces of armor this week, but first I want to go back and look at the reason why we need spiritual armor to begin with. What’s all this armor for?
Why We Need Spiritual Armor
Verse 13 tells us we need spiritual armor so that we can stand our ground when the “day of evil” comes. Spiritual battles require spiritual solutions. They require spiritual armor.
The day of evil, here, most likely refers to any spiritual battle you find yourself in— the challenging circumstances and unexpected events that come our way.
Paul is writing this letter from prison, where he saw Roman soldiers every day. Their armor would have made an impression on him. Paul must have been struck by the thought that the Roman soldier was ready to fight at any moment. He was dressed in armor, not only for planned battles, but also in case of an ambush or attack.
So, what is Paul telling us here?
We can’t always pre-plan our battles. Sometimes the devil hits us out of nowhere. It’s a “day of evil” when we are attacked and never saw it coming. That’s why putting on the full armor of God is so important every day. We can’t wait for the battle to get ready. We have to be ready at all times.
This entire COVID-19 pandemic caught us all by surprise. It’s a great example of why we need to be prepared at all times.
We need to put on the armor of God every day.
We are all facing an evil day right now. Some of you have been hit especially hard. You’re struggling with finances, job loss, health issues, or other fears. But God’s message to us is that while we go through this time, we can grow through it also. We can be ready to stand and fight the enemy, knowing that God has given us victory.
The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:16 (NIV)
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
So far, we’ve looked at the first three pieces of armor God has given us to stand against the enemy’s attacks during the day of evil. Today, let’s look at the fourth piece of armor, the shield of faith.
When most people think about faith, they think of believing in God. Of course, we need “faith” in God to be saved, but faith is so much more than that. Faith is also a supernatural confidence that God will see you through any situation.
Jesus Taught His Disciples about Faith
Think of all the times Jesus taught His disciples about the importance of faith. He taught them to step out on the water by faith. He said to speak to the mountain, and it would be removed. He taught them that faith the size of a mustard seed would grow into something powerful. He said if they asked for anything in faith, they would receive it.
Why did Jesus train His disciples in faith? He wanted to prepare them for the storms of life that would come.
Faith—Your Shield
So many people right now are paralyzed with fear. You may be facing a challenge in your life that’s paralyzed you. But God wants you to have faith to protect you and to propel you forward.
The Roman shield was not a small round disc like in superhero movies. It was large and thick, almost the size of a door. It’s something the soldier could hide behind for protection from fiery arrows. But it wasn’t only protective—it was offensive. Paul was probably thinking about the Roman phalanx, where rows of soldiers would create a barricade using their shields. Soldiers could stand behind the shields and use it to advance against the enemy.
The shield of faith is an offensive weapon.
Supernatural Confidence
As Christians, we don’t have to stand passively when the enemy attacks. With faith, we can actually go on the offense and advance against the enemy.
Put your faith in an almighty God who can heal the sick, calm the storms, and raise the dead! When you have faith in God like that, it gives you supernatural confidence. Your God is faithful and eternal. He never fails. With faith, you have confidence that your God will see you through any situation, and you can move forward in battle.
The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The next piece of armor God has given us to stand against the enemy is the helmet of salvation. It is perhaps the most important piece of armor we have.
There are only two places the New Testament mentions a soldier’s helmet: here and in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. In both places the helmet refers to our salvation. Why would Paul compare salvation to a helmet?
How Salvation is a Helmet
The soldier’s helmet covers the head. It is a critical piece of armor. A blow to the head can cause incredible damage and even be life threatening. So, the helmet is important.
Like a helmet, salvation also covers and protects us. When we are facing a spiritual battle, Jesus is our salvation. He is our protection against the enemy. It’s important to know that the enemy can’t steal your salvation because your salvation wasn’t dependent on you to begin with. You are covered. You are secure because of Jesus.
Salvation also protects our minds. If you remember, one of the greatest ways the enemy attacks us is through our thoughts. He lies to us, and he accuses us. But when you are saved, you receive the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). You have the ability to refute the enemy’s lies and accusations because of what Jesus did on the cross. That’s great news.
Take the Helmet of Salvation
Notice in verse 17 that Paul instructs us to “take” the helmet of salvation. Salvation is something that God offers, and we have to take it.
Let’s take a look at another verse:
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A wage is something that you earn. We earn the consequences of sin. But salvation is a gift that we receive. We must “take” God’s gift and receive it into our life.
When we do, we are forever covered and protected by God. And no matter what we face in life, we know the outcome: We win. When we step into eternity, we know our salvation is secure. This truth guards our minds and moves us forward.
No matter what, we win—because we have received God’s salvation.
The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:17b (NIV)
…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Today we’re going to look at the final piece of armor God has given us. So far, we’ve looked at the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. Today we are going to look at a powerful offensive weapon—the sword of the Spirit.
Paul tells us what our sword is. It’s the Word of God. This is not the only place the Bible describes God’s Word as a sword. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Here’s what that means. God’s Word gets down to the deepest part of us. It gets to the heart of the matter. That’s why so many people dismiss the Bible, because they don’t want it judging them. But when we dismiss God’s Word, we dismiss our weapon to fight the enemy.
The Truth of God’s Word
The Word of God teaches us who He is. It teaches us about God’s character and nature. When we read God’s Word, we get to know Him. We know how He thinks. We know the truth.
What’s the alternative? Without God’s Word, we’re only left with popular opinion. Or we’re left with our own thoughts and personality. But when you get around someone who has God’s Word in them, you can tell. It changes everything about them.
Confessing God’s Word
One of the most powerful things you can do is to speak God’s Word. The Bible continually ties what we believe to what we confess. The more you speak God’s Word, the more you will believe it. The more you speak His Word, the more it becomes a part of you.
Here’s what I want to challenge you to do today: Begin speaking the Word of God over your life. Confess God’s Word over your situation, over your kids, over your health crisis, and over your fears.
Let God’s Word become the governing factor of your life. Speak His Word and stand armed in His truth.
Pray In The Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
After going through all six pieces of armor God has given us to stand against the enemy, Paul continues to give us one more weapon at our disposal—prayer.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever considered prayer as a weapon you can use when you’re being attacked, but that’s how Paul viewed prayer. According to verse 18, prayer should be an all-encompassing part of the Christian’s life.
But what about the phrase “pray in the Spirit”? What does that mean?
To begin, we must understand this verse is referring to the Holy Spirit. The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). And just as the Word of God in Ephesians 6:17 is described as the sword of the Spirit, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth of God’s Word.
Praying in the Spirit
There are differing opinions on what it means to “pray in the Spirit.” Some people think it means praying and sensing a closeness with God as we pray. Some say it refers to the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf as we pray (Romans 8:26-27). Some tie this verse to 1 Corinthians 14:14 where Paul talks about using his prayer language.
I think all of these views are accurate. They all provide a picture of what it means to pray in the Spirit.
As we close, consider the power of this verse:
Jude 20 (NIV)
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit…
This verse tells us that we can build ourselves up by praying in the Spirit. Praying through the power of the Holy Spirit is a part of spiritual warfare and is an incredible tool God has given us to fight the enemy.
If this is an area you want to grow in, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and to help you. He wants to meet you right where you are.