In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by the devil, who is a vicious fighter; see 1 Peter 5:8). To withstand their attacks, we must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of his armor. Paul gives this counsel not only to the church, the body of Christ, but also to each individual within it. The whole body needs to be armed. Satan checks for weak spots; he knows them all. So, we must help each other, stand our ground, and resist the enemy until the end of the battle. Don’t try to face him unarmed. We are engaged in a spiritual battle—all believers find themselves subject to the devil’s attacks because they are no longer on the devil’s side. Thus, Paul tells us to use every piece of God’s armor to resist these attacks and to stand firm, staying true to God in the midst of them.
Piece of Armor Meaning and Application
Belt of Truth
The devil fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like the truth; but only believers have God’s truth, which can defeat the devil’s lies.
Breastplate of Righteousness
The devil often attacks our hearts—the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God’s righteousness is the breastplate that protects our hearts and ensures his approval. He approves of us because he loves us and sent his Don to die for us
Shoes of the Gospel (Readiness that comes from the gospel of peace)
Satan wants us to think that telling others the gospel is a worthless and hopeless task—the size of the task is too big, and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the footgear God gives us are the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in God—news everyone needs to hear.
Shield of Faith
What we see are the devil’s attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from his flaming arrows. With God’s perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.
Helmet of Salvation
The devil wants to make us doubt God and doubt our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting God’s saving work for us.
Sword of the Spirit (Word of God)
The sword is the only offensive weapon in this list of armor; all the others are defensive in nature. There are times when we need to take the offensive against the satan. When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God’s Word.
Ephesians 6:10-17 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. [12] 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. [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, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Under Gods command 