6 Armour to Put On

6 Armour to Put On

Hook The Armour of God is for spiritual warfare. There are six pieces of this Armour. They protect the believer from the attacks of the devil. It is very important that you put on the whole Armour and not to leave any piece out. Look 1 Belt of Truth 2 Breastplate of Righteousness 3 Shoes of the Gospel of Peace 4 Shield of Faith 5 Helmet of Salvation 6 Sword of the Spirit Key Verse “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour 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 the saints.” – Ephesians 6:13-18 Book 1 Your enemies in life are not people but are the wickedness, evil powers and the devil. Never fight with people; always fight against evil. 2 Do not think that you are under spiritual attack only when there is demon oppression or obsession. All your problems are fundamentally spiritual in nature. When people accuse you unjustly, when danger threatens you, when you meet with failure, all these indicate that evil forces are also at work, attempting to cause you to sin. They want you to say things and behave without truth, righteousness, faith, and peace. 3 This does not mean that once you solve the spiritual dimension of the problem you solve the whole problem. But it means that you must solve all your problems using spiritual means. In other words, you must always solve all your problems with the strength of the Lord (Ephesians 6:10 and 1:19.) Putting on this Armour is the way we appropriate God’s strength for spiritual warfare.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. – Epehesians 6:10 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, - Ephesians 1:19

4 Note that this Armour is the Armour of God. In other words it is His Truth, His Righteousness, His Peace, etc.. Never rely on your own strength, your own truth, your own righteousness, etc.. 5 The way that you put ont this Armour is by praying in the Spirit. This means praying by the strength, power and authority of the Spirit. Pray in truth. Pray in righteousness, etc.. Often you will not feel like praying. That’s when you really need to pray. 6 The Belt of Truth holds the entire Armour together. Without this belt, all the other pieces will fall off. Therefore it is the first piece that you put on. Pray and ask God to make you realize the truth of what Christ has already accomplished in your life. 7 For example, Christ has accomplished peace for you. But something or someone may cause you to quarrel with a Christian brother. You will be in danger of losing your unity and peace with him. There is no way you can change that brother’s mind. Instead you need to pray that God will help you maintain peace because that is a truth taught in God’s word. (Ephesians 4:3)

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:3

8 The shoes are not just the shoes of peace. They are the Shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Gospel means ‘good news’. The shoes prepare you to bring good news of peace to others. 9 The importance of the Shield of Faith cannot be over-emphasised. Do not attempt to fight wickedness with arguments and strategy. Use the Shield of Faith instead. Have faith in Christ’s work in you and in the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome evil and sin. 10 The Helmet of Salvation is the promise of ultimate salvation for all God’s people in the future. (Isaiah 59:17)

He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. – Isaiah 59:17

11 Our Lord Jesus used the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to defeat satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:4)

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4

12 We are called simply to stand against evil spiritual forces. We are not called to attack them. They will come and attack you! You know you are under attack whenever you face temptation, evil and wickedness. 13 As you put on God’s Truth, you should also be transformed to become completely truthful. As you put on God’s Righteousness, you should live righteously. As you put on the Gospel of Peace, you should live peacefully with others, etc. Took Key response: Stand 1 List the opposites to the six pieces of Armour. For example, the opposite of Truth is deception. Truth – Deception, lies, secrecy Righteousness – Peace – Faith – Salvation – Spirit’s Word – 2 Consider the problems that are facing you right now in your workplace, your family, your church and your neighbourhood. What “fiery darts” are the devil shooting at you?

3 Have you put on the whole Armour of God? Which piece of the Armour do you think you are most likely to forget to put on? Number them in the order from most likely to least likely. ___Truth ___Righteousness ___Peace ___Faith ___Salvation ___Word