Spiritual Armor
In Warren Wiersbe's book The Strategy of Satan, he reminds us that as we mature in our relationship with Christ, we will face battles of many kinds. In chapter eight, Wiersbe covers the "the 'spiritual armor' that God has provided." This armor is described in Ephesians 6:10-18.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, . . . Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:13, 14-17
"Paul emphasizes the fact that the full armor in necessary if we are to defeat Satan. The area in our life that we leave unguarded is sure to be the very place that Satan attacks" (p. 128)
The first piece of armor discussed is the girdle of truth. "Satan is a liar, (and) we must oppose him with God's truth". (P. 129) This weapon is for protection.
Next is the breastplate of righteousness. The righteousness here refers to "the righteousness of Christ which we receive when we trust Him" (p. 129). Satan will try to attack us with accusations. The breastplate protects us and allows us to "rest on the finished work of Christ" (p. 131).
The shoes of peace give us a solid footing that provides confidence in the face of the enemy. This firm footing comes from the victory we have in the Gospel. By fighting Satan, the Christian actually brings peace.
Satan shoots "fiery darts" at us. These darts may be thoughts of doubt, fear, worry, etc. This is why we need the shield of faith. By our faith in Christ, trusting in the promises of God's Word and knowing Bible doctrine, we can quench the attacks of Satan.
The helmet of salvation refers to the hope we have in the return of Christ. By protecting our mind, Satan cannot "use discouragement to attack and defeat us" (p. 134).
The final piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit. While the other weapons are used for defense, this weapon is used for offense. The Word of God will never lose its sharpness. It has a life and power all its own. It is the Spirit of God that allows us to use this weapon effectively.
The armor does us no good if we do not put it on. "We put on the armor by means of prayer, and we pray by means of the Holy Spirit" (p. 136).
"Prayer involves worship, adoration, confession of sin, supplication, thanksgiving". (p. 138). It is praying "in the spirit. This means that the Spirit must reveal to us what we should pray about, and that he must empower us to keep on praying. . . It must be watchful praying. . . Be alert to what the devil is doing" (p. 138).
If we are to fight the attacks of Satan successfully, we must put on "the equipment God has provided for us. God commands us to stand and withstand! And he enables us to do it! Put on the gospel armor, Each piece put on with prayer" (p. 139).
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, . . . Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:13, 14-17
"Paul emphasizes the fact that the full armor in necessary if we are to defeat Satan. The area in our life that we leave unguarded is sure to be the very place that Satan attacks" (p. 128)
The first piece of armor discussed is the girdle of truth. "Satan is a liar, (and) we must oppose him with God's truth". (P. 129) This weapon is for protection.
Next is the breastplate of righteousness. The righteousness here refers to "the righteousness of Christ which we receive when we trust Him" (p. 129). Satan will try to attack us with accusations. The breastplate protects us and allows us to "rest on the finished work of Christ" (p. 131).
The shoes of peace give us a solid footing that provides confidence in the face of the enemy. This firm footing comes from the victory we have in the Gospel. By fighting Satan, the Christian actually brings peace.
Satan shoots "fiery darts" at us. These darts may be thoughts of doubt, fear, worry, etc. This is why we need the shield of faith. By our faith in Christ, trusting in the promises of God's Word and knowing Bible doctrine, we can quench the attacks of Satan.
The helmet of salvation refers to the hope we have in the return of Christ. By protecting our mind, Satan cannot "use discouragement to attack and defeat us" (p. 134).
The final piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit. While the other weapons are used for defense, this weapon is used for offense. The Word of God will never lose its sharpness. It has a life and power all its own. It is the Spirit of God that allows us to use this weapon effectively.
The armor does us no good if we do not put it on. "We put on the armor by means of prayer, and we pray by means of the Holy Spirit" (p. 136).
"Prayer involves worship, adoration, confession of sin, supplication, thanksgiving". (p. 138). It is praying "in the spirit. This means that the Spirit must reveal to us what we should pray about, and that he must empower us to keep on praying. . . It must be watchful praying. . . Be alert to what the devil is doing" (p. 138).
If we are to fight the attacks of Satan successfully, we must put on "the equipment God has provided for us. God commands us to stand and withstand! And he enables us to do it! Put on the gospel armor, Each piece put on with prayer" (p. 139).
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