Battle Ready

Ephesians 6:14-17
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.”

The Belt of Truth is Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)
The Breastplate of Righteousness is Jesus Christ. (Jeremiah 33:16)
The Gospel of Peace--shoes--is Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Shield of Faith is Jesus Christ. (Psalm 91:4)
The Helmet of Salvation is Jesus Christ. (John 10:9)
The Sword of the Spirit is Jesus Christ--the Word of God. (Revelation 19:15)

When David fought the Philistine Giant Goliath with a sling and a stone, he was dressed in military attire, but removed it because he wasn’t used to it. He walked out onto the field in shepherd’s clothes to fight the mighty giant. And on the other side was Goliath, with his sword and shield, a shield so big that he had another man carry it for him! Why was David going to fight Goliath? Was it for the protection of Israel? No, it was a spiritual battle. Goliath came out daily and taunted the Israelites, but he blasphemed the name of God Almighty and that got David upset! David put on the armor of God and fought a battle in the spiritual realm that day. He walked out on the field who he was, a shepherd, but he was wearing Jesus! David and Goliath became a physical representation of our spiritual warfare.

Putting on the armor of God is unlike preparing for any other battle. It doesn’t require a shield bearer and assistants to help you don your heavy and cumbersome suit. The training to be a fighter doesn’t involve 10 mile runs and various calisthenic routines to get in shape. The armor of God is Jesus Christ Himself. This battle isn’t physical, as the passage in Ephesians clearly points out, but it is spiritual in nature. Our training ground isn’t a weight room or boxing ring, it’s the Bible and a strong support of fellow believers.

When we put on the armor of God, we are wearing Jesus as our protection. We have put our trust in His death as our salvation, in His blood as our righteousness, in His Resurrection as our faith, in His purpose as our mission to go out, in His word as our truth, and His Kingship as our sword! Jesus Christ is my armor. The battle belongs to the Lord! (1 Samuel 17:47)