PUT ON YOUR FULL ARMOR, EVERY DAY (PART 3)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Stand firm then...with the breastplate of righteousness in place...”

Ephesians 6:14b

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When a soldier would go into battle in biblical times, they would do so wearing armor to protect their body against weapons that could be used against them.

In chapter 6 of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we find the Apostle using an illustration that people would be familiar with (donning armor for physical combat) to convey spiritual direction in regard to defense against the attacks of the devil. You may remember these words from Peter about the spiritual adversary of all Christian believers:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Indeed, Satan is always in the destruction business as we live each day within a spiritual battleground. There, we find our God fighting against the devil and his minions, the powers of the dark world and evil spiritual forces of the heavenly realms. Being a part of God’s enlisted forces through Christ Jesus, we are under attack daily and this is why the scriptures advise us to be put on the full armor of God so we can stay strong in His mighty power and be able to take a stand against the devil’s schemes.  

Each component of this armor is critical to our spiritual safety and yesterday, we began looking at each part individually, beginning with the belt of truth. Today, we find Paul adding the breastplate of righteousness.

“Stand firm then...with the breastplate of righteousness in place...” Ephesians 6:14a

Go back to the physical armor that military men would wear. While all elements of the armor were important, the breastplate was particularly significant because it guarded the soldier’s heart, lungs, and other internal organs critical to life.

Now translate this to what Paul said. He likened the breastplate to wearing righteousness. In other words, righteousness needs to be in place to shield the most critical areas of our spiritual health and life.

At the most fundamental level, righteousness is what keeps us from ending up on the devil’s side. For if one lives in the ways of wickedness and transgression, they are in company with Satan who thrives in that place. In fact, when Paul talks about the schemes of the devil, he is talking about falling into sin instigated by the enemy and the only way for Christian believers to avoid this trap is by putting on their full armor of God every day and making sure the breastplate of righteousness is firmly strapped in place.

The belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.

These are the first two pieces of the spiritual armor that God’s word calls for us to wear daily.

Tomorrow, we’ll see what goes on our feet.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com