Why is Armor of God important?
To go to war, most soldiers will want to be equipped and would want to know how to use these armors.
Soldiers going to war without armor or do not know how to use their armors would be a suicide mission.
Hence, every Born Again believer is already born into an Ancient War between God and Satan that is still going on for thousands of years.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
What are the 8 pieces of armor of God?
How to use them?
See below on each piece of Armor and how to use them.
To go to war, most soldiers will want to be equipped and would want to know how to use these armors.
Soldiers going to war without armor or do not know how to use their armors would be a suicide mission.
Hence, every Born Again believer is already born into an Ancient War between God and Satan that is still going on for thousands of years.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
What are the 8 pieces of armor of God?
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Gospel of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
- The Cloak of Zeal
- Prayer
How to use them?
See below on each piece of Armor and how to use them.
Roman Soldiers about 2000 years ago
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Soldier of today
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The Belt of Truth
In Ephesians 6:14, we are told how to apply the belt of truth. This truth, as explained in John 4:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” No matter how much we desire to know God and live by His Word, we cannot do this without having a personal relationship with Jesus. He is the Truth…the first piece of the armor of God. Think about what a belt does. A belt pretty much holds us together, keeping our clothes where we want them to be, allowing us to carry things with us that we might need. In some situations, we would be a complete mess without a belt. Imagine wearing clothes that are too loose and going through your day without a belt to hold them up. You would be exhausted by the end of the day because too much energy would have been spent on doing the job a belt easily could have done for you. When we don’t acknowledge Jesus as our Truth, we are attempting to take on a responsibility that was never meant to be ours. Putting on the Belt of Truth allows us to keep the rest of our armor in place because Jesus, the Truth, is the most important piece of our armor. 
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The Breastplate of Righteousness
In Ephesians 6:14 we are instructed to wear the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness means right living, an element of goodness that we are simply not capable of on our own. A breastplate covers our heart, the very source of our happiness and our pain. When our emotions rule us, we tend to lack peace because we are looking for outside sources to give us what they cannot. Wearing that breastplate protects us, keeping our heart focused on Jesus, the only source of goodness we can experience. And thereby keeps us walking in God’s will, living out His righteousness. 
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The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:15 tells us about an important piece of our armor, our shoes. These coverings for our feet are being prepared with the Gospel, our source of peace. Without shoes, we wouldn’t get very far, especially if the ground we walk on is anything less than perfect. And, since ground is subject to the elements, there will always be something to potentially harm us or trip us. Shoes protect our feet. They also allow us to go places that otherwise would be too dangerous for us to travel. The Word of God, the shoes that will protect us from the devil while also giving us what we need to share Jesus with others, will keep us from going to the wrong places and protect us from pain that may come our way when we tread where we shouldn’t go. By spending time in God’s Word, we hide in our heart what we need to help us to not sin against Him, as we are told to do in Psalm 119:11. By wearing the shoes of the armor of God, we also open ourselves up to follow the perfect map of God’s Word, letting us know exactly where we need to go to help others. 
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The Shield of Faith
In Ephesians 6:16 God shares with us the shield of faith. We carry a shield in our hand. It is a defense weapon, one we need to protect us from the weapons thrust toward us from others. It can be moved, allowing protection to every part of our bodies. We are told that the devil will send fiery darts our way. By simply having faith, we can fight the evil of these arrows. We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “…without faith it is impossible to please…” God. We have the ability to exercise our faith which helps us to raise the shield to protect us from every temptation the devil throws our way. 
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The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 reminds us of our helmet of salvation. Our mind needs protection. Our thoughts can take us places we don’t need to go. Our mind also can, when saturated in the Word of God, remind us of the truth, protect us from lies hurled at us. The helmet of salvation is a gift we are given when we put our trust in Jesus, accepting everything He did to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. 
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The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:17 tells us about the sword of the spirit which is God’s Word. When you are in any kind of battle, you need a weapon. Without one, it isn’t possible to fight someone who does have one. And the devil definitely has weapons. Yet, his weapons cannot even come close to the sword we Christians are given when we are born again. However, it’s a weapon we have to choose to pick up, though; it’s no good to us if it isn’t used. 
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The Cloak of Zeal
The cloak served multiple important functions for the Roman soldier. It provided warmth, which was important to defend against the cold. Natural oils were used to make it nearly waterproof, which was important when the rains came. It also provided makeshift bedding, which was important during long marches. Without his cloak, a soldier was subject to bitter cold, freezing rain and painfully uncomfortable nights. These unfortunate conditions would give a noticeable edge to a better equipped enemy, since a cold, wet and sore soldier can easily be a demotivated soldier. And a demotivated soldier, while not incapable of fighting, will not be performing at his peak. What is zeal? (Zechariah 8:2) Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her." God Himself is zealous and fervently passionate about His people and His plan. In simplest terms, zeal is fuel. It is anything that drives people: their passion, their purpose, what they live for. For Christians, zeal is a burning desire to do God's will and to live according to His purpose. Why is the cloak of zeal important to us as Christians? (Isaiah 59:17) For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. Just as a soldier without his cloak could quickly find himself demotivated and unable to operate at his peak, so we soldiers of Christ will quickly find ourselves unable to operate at our peak unless we are fueled by zeal. Can our zeal go astray if we don't base it on right knowledge? (Romans 10:2) For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. |
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Weapons used by the Ancient Roman Soldiers
The Modern Weapons we use today as shown below:
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Prayer
The final piece of the armor of God mentioned in Ephesians 6:18 is prayer. It is a weapon we can pull out at any time. It is a weapon that Jesus Himself used. We are told throughout the Gospels how Jesus went away to pray to the Father, setting an example for us to follow. The Bible tells us there will be times when we don’t know what to pray. God took care of that for us by giving us His Holy Spirit who can pray for us. In Romans 8:26, we learn that “…the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Through fervent prayer, we not only get the protection we need, but we also gain strength to fight the devil’s fiery darts and live for our Saviour. 
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