Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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 Lord’s people.”

What are you wearing?

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul writes about putting on the full armor of God. This is armor God has given us to help fight off the devil’s schemes and to be able to stand our ground.

We can stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist. Belts help to hold our pants up. Losing your pants can be embarrassing! The belt of God’s truth helps to hold us up and keep us from embarrassing ourselves.

We can put on the breastplate of righteousness. This helps us to protect and guard our hearts. As Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

We can have feet that are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We can put on our shoes of peace. We can walk in peace when we know and live in the presence of the Prince of Peace. We can know God’s peace that surpasses all understanding.

We can use the shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. We have victory in Jesus!

We can put on the helmet of salvation. This protects our head and our mind. Romans 12:2 reminds us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. With God’s help, we can get rid of our stinkin’ thinkin’. We can have the mind of Christ! We can rest assured in our salvation.

The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith and helmet of salvation are all defensive pieces of armor. They help to protect us.

There are two more pieces of “armor” that God has given us that are offensive in helping to fight off the enemy. One is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We do not have to fight the battle alone. The Holy Spirit goes before us. Victory is the Lord’s! We can use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to fight and fend off the enemy. The Truth of God’s Word will prevail. The Spirit can use the Word to convict us and others of sin. The other piece of “offensive armor” is prayer. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes us. Use these gifts that God has given to us. Wear them out!

The battle belongs to the Lord. We have victory in Jesus!

Put on the full armor of God so you can take a firm stand against the devil’s schemes.

Keep praying and fighting the good fight of faith!

Rev. Haley Hausman
Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Kewanee

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.

***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association