Prepare for War! Put on Your Armor

"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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 saints." Ephesians 6:13-18

As soldiers in the army of God we have to ALWAYS be prepared for war. Our enemy often times comes to us like a flood trying to drown us with discouragement, fear, worry, frustration, confusion, feelings of unrighteousness and unworthiness. He will attack us at our weakest points. Remember that satan and his fallen angels have been around since before the creation of men and they have studied us. They know where to attack us and send familiar spirits to try to manipulate us and get us to drop our shield. They wait for opportune moments to attack full force. That is why we must be sure to put on the FULL armor of God if we intend to stand our ground until the return of our Lord, Christ Jesus.

One or two pieces of armor is NOT enough. Each part of the armor serves a purpose. It is vital that we are not only familiar with our armor, but that we know how to use it properly. Let’s first look at the defensive pieces of armor these help us to stand against the attacks.

Defensives Pieces

• Belt of Truth – Just like a natural belt is wrapped around our waist to help hold up and make our pants stay in place so the belt of truth is what will hold us and help us to stay in place. The truth that we have found in God’s Word is a weapon of warfare. The enemy will try to lie, deceive, contradict, and manipulate us any chance he gets. That is why we must wear the belt of truth buckled around our waist at all times. The truth will always set us free and help to maintain our ground.
• Breast Plate of Righteousness - The breast plate protects our vital organs from being pierced in battle. Our enemy will go straight for our heart trying to take our life from us. Our spiritual breast plate is made up of righteousness. Although we know that when we accepted Jesus as our Savior that we were clothed in righteousness we still need to manifest righteous living. By living with integrity, truth, justice, sincerity, upright, and by the Word of God really do not give the enemy anything to shoot at us. You see he is looking to be able to find fault and compromise in us so that he can accuse us of unrighteousness. Let us follow our Lord’s example and wear the breast plate of righteousness to protect our hearts. (Isaiah 59:17)
• Feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel – This peace of armor is both defensive and offensive. We have to be ready at all times to go out into enemy territory and share the truth of the Gospel without fear of persecution, but with determination in our hearts to see the captives set free. Then we must also always be prepared to give a response to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have, in gentleness and respect. We must be ready at all times to share the Gospel of Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15)
• Shield of Faith – To extinguish all the fiery arrows of the enemy. Our enemy is going to try to get us to lose hope and weaken our faith. He will attack our minds with worry, anxiety, doubt, fear, and confusion. He will try to get us to think that our Lord as forgotten us and that He is not listening to our prayers and cries. He will try to tempt us. We have to put up our shield of faith and trust God no matter what. We have to believe His Word over any thoughts or circumstances that will present themselves in our lives. Without out the shield of faith we are left vulnerable to receive all types of demonic oppression that will severely hinder us and eventually cause us to fall back in battle.
• Helmet of Salvation – Often times the enemy will try to tell our minds that we are not truly saved. So be assured of your salvation. Know without a doubt that you belong to Christ Jesus. The Lord will not allow His children to be plucked out of His hand. Put on the helmet of salvation and protect your mind. No matter what battle we are in we are His.


Offensive Weapons

• Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God is your sword. The spoken truth of God’s Word will always defeat the lies of the enemy. Remember when satan tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness Jesus responded each time with, “It is written” or the NIV says “The Scriptures say”. We have to know what the scriptures say in order to discern the lies of the enemy. Remember that satan and his devils know the Word too and they will try to distort the Truth and manipulate your mind. So be submitted to reading the Word of God daily. Be prepared to speak the Word of God. (Luke 4)
• Prayer – Prayer is often overlooked when discussing the armor of God. But just like a soldier in battle gets his commands from his commanding officer prayer is our line of communication to our Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ. We need to stay prayed up all the time, especially in the heat of the battle. We should never attempt to enter any battle without prayer and fasting. Also prayer is how we carry our burdens from our battles to the Lord and leave them at His feet. Through prayer and supplication we receive healing and strength. Then we will be renewed in our spirit with the peace from God that surpasses all understanding so that we can continue to fight against the wiles of the enemy. Prayer is vital!


Be prepared my brothers and sisters for war against these unseen forces. Put on your armor daily, pray without ceasing, and STAY ALERT!