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Purpose of the Armor of God and Why We Need It

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The purpose of the armor of God is to equip us to stand in spiritual warfare. This armor gives us what we need to battle and stand against the plans of the devil. Because Satan will always bring accusations against us, Ephesians 6:11; 6:13. As believers, we must learn how to use our armor to fight our spiritual battles.

Learning the purpose and why we need the armor helps us have victory. To have victory, we have to know where our strength comes from.

Where Does Our Strength Come From?

purpose of the amour of God Psalm 28:7-8

Our strength comes from the Lord through the Holy Spirit (Psalms 28:7-8). How do we implement His strength? By submitting our ways to God and trusting Him, (2 Peter 1:2–4). Then we will experience His strength and peace to win our battles (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:16-22).

However, if we choose to rely on our own strength, it brings intense frustration! This is how we know the difference between relying on ourselves or relying on God.

To learn how to apply the Lord’s strength, let’s take a look at Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:10 Be Strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to “ be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

We are strong when we are in union with Christ Jesus through our faith. It is through this union that He gives us His strength and makes us able to stand.

Christ’s strength has dominion and is perfect. When life hits us, we are to stand in faith and in union with Christ. Christ’s strength then takes dominion over our fear and gives us exactly what we need.

The might of Christ in us is a force that enables us to be overcomers.

Be strong, In strength and Of His might, reveal that we cannot win any battle unless we are clothed in Christ! Galatians 3:27, Romans 13:13.

If you don’t know what this looks like, then how will you be strong in the Lord. God teaches us how to prepare for spiritual war.

God Teaches Us How to Prepare for Spiritual War

purpose of the amour-of God 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

To prepare for spiritual war, we need to read His Word. The first thing He teaches is to accept our own weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). Because He knows in our flesh we are no match for Satan. Jesus says, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, (Matthew 26:41).” Which means, in our own strength, we cannot obtain victory over evil.

To prepare for the spiritual war, our union in Christ must be solid. When our union is solid, then we will rely on and trust in the Lord. Then, through our faith and yielding, we will experience Christ’s strength and power to stand.

The closer we are to God, the more intense the battle becomes. Because God sends trials to deepen our relationship and dependence on Him. Which means the more effective our faith becomes, the more aggressively evil fights back.

Satan’s purpose is to rob our faith (John 10:10). He accomplishes this by striking us with doubt after doubt, making us focus on what we see, think, and feel. He wants us to have doubts about God’s ability to keep His word and accomplish what He promises! This makes our faith in Christ Jesus the most valuable treasure we possess.

Our faith is the beginning for the whole armor of God. This will prepare us for the kingdom work of God (Ephesians 2:10). This will also teach us to lean on and trust in the power and victory of the cross (Colossians 2:15).

Preparing for spiritual war teaches us why we need the armor and how to use it.

Purpose of the Armor of God?

The purpose of the armor of God is to shield us from daily attacks. For example; when a person goes to war, they wear armor over their body. This armor does two things, it prepares and protects them when they engage in the war. Without this, a person cannot endure, fight, or stand against the enemy. They will lose!

This armor is for physical warfare; however, as a believer, we too endure warfare, but spiritually. Our warfare and our enemy cannot be seen by people. So, we need a supernatural armor to protect us. Our enemy is real, who is Satan. He has one focus: to steal from you, kill everything about you, and keep your life in destruction until he completely destroys it.

It is vital that a believer understand the purpose of the armor of God, what it is, and how to use it.

What is the armor of God?

We use the armor of God to help us fight against evil. Even though we cannot see this armor with our physical eyes, it does exist. Each part plays a specific role that will help us win the battle. There are 6 components.

  1. Belt of truth: God’s truth destroys the lies of Satan. (Psalm 119:160, John 14:16). Pssst, the belt of truth is a person, John 14:6, 16:13, and 17:17.
  2. Breastplate of Righteousness: keeps us from making immoral choices. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:8-9).
  3. Gospel of Peace: is salvation through Christ and enables us to have strength to stand (Romans 1:15-17).
  4. Shield of Faith: is knowing who you are in Christ. (Galatians 2:20).
  5. Helmet of Salvation: protects our thought life. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
  6. Sword of the Spirit (Word of God): is strictly used to defeat Satan by combating his lies with truth, (1 Samuel 7:28; John 17:17; Luke 4:1-13; Ephesians 1:13)

Example of How to use the armor of God?

Having an example of how to use the armor will help us in our daily lives. To battle correctly, this must be more than head knowledge.

Proverbs 3:5-7 is a living example of how to battle biblically against worldly thoughts. Each verse will give an illustration.

Proverbs 3:5 Example

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

Trusting the Lord with your whole heart begins when we recognize we are not to lean on our own ways. Instead, we yield to the Word of God, and His truth will begin to penetrate our thought life.

We do this by reading, studying and thinking on the Word of God. When we do this, we are putting on the belt of truth.

The belt of truth also engages the Sword of Spirit (Word of God). This will reveal the lies in our hearts and also help us to defeat the lies of Satan.

Which exchanges our worldly knowledge for biblical truth. This is called the renewing of the mind, (mind, will and emotions), Romans 12:1-2.

As we learn and experience God in our battles, our confidence and devotion toward Him will strengthen. Then we will begin to mature in our reliance on Him and His wisdom. Meaning over time, we will stop trusting in our own ways and thinking.

Proverbs 3:6 Example

6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Acknowledging God exhibits that He exist and is the Truth. When we confess that Jesus is Lord and God, He will give us clear direction.

We do this by confessing God’s Word to Him. We also confess to Him that we are not able to acknowledge Him in all our ways.

Our ways means our behavior. Therefore, how we behave is a reflection of what we believe. If we choose the lies, then our life will continue down a path of destruction. This looks like, anger, distress, doubt and every emotion that is the opposite of Galatians 5:16-26.

If you are tired of this and want out, then there is hope. We do this by recognizing the lies in our thoughts. Instead, we confess them to God, not man. A confession to the Lord is a way of acknowledging Him.

Acknowledging God activates the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness.

As we use our shield of faith, our faith increases. As our faith increases, we learn who we are in Christ. This will influence our behavior, meaning our flesh diminishes and effects our behavior toward God.

The breastplate of righteousness will keep us from making immoral choices. As we learn the truth of God, our righteousness in Christ becomes stronger. This experience will teach us that God is trustworthy. When we know God is trustworthy, the helmet of salvation will guard our thought life. Which results in God blessing us with clear direction.

Proverbs 3:7 Example

To understand Proverbs 3:7, you must believe and engage verses 5 and 6. Because you cannot achieve verse 7 without the first two. Verse 7 is about us exchanging our knowledge for His wisdom. Which means you completely surrender all your ways (2 Corinthians 10:5).

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

God is warning us not to be wise or proud because, when we are, our decisions work against us. This warning is in Deuteronomy 30:19. What does it mean when God tells us to choose life? It means we choose to trust in God and His Word. Because being wise or prideful causes us to choose death. God’s wisdom will teach us discernment and show us what evil is.

To not be wise in our own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil, we need to engage the full armor of God.

Putting the Full Armor of God On

armour-of-god-belt-of-truth

Putting on the full armor is quite different than reading about it. Engaging this will take time and diligence. In our daily spiritual war, the armor will equip us for victory. A believer’s hope is to finish their race in faith, 2 Timothy 4:7-8.

Now that we have the knowledge, let’s put it on and make it practical every day.

Belt of Truth

The belt of truth will reveal the lies we believe daily. When we think and plan, we need to stop and ask for guidance from the Lord. We should ask, is this from me or from the Lord. The thoughts we are thinking should line up with God’s Word.

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate of righteousness guards our heart from yielding to sin. Because the choices we make lie in our heart. So the saying, follow your heart, is not biblical (Jeremiah 17:9).

Gospel of Peace

The Gospel of Peace enables us, through Christ, to stand and reject evil. God gives us the strength to reject evil and to choose peace with Him. Choosing peace can only come from the power of God through salvation. When we choose Christ (peace), then we are working out our salvation before the Lord, Philippians 2:12.

Shield of Faith

The shield of faith stops the lies of Satan from tempting us. The temptations we encounter are tactics Satan uses against us. These tactics are, doubt what God says, who He is, and who we are in Christ. They activate lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.

Believing God is how we combat the “fiery darts” shot our way. Our whole way of living is by faith in God’s character and promises to us. He tells us this in Habakkak 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38.

Helmet of Salvation

The helmet of salvation will continually protect our thoughts. Which means our lives change from the old way of life to our newness of life. Therefore, we are no longer apart of this world because we are being set apart for God.

Sword of Spirit

The Sword of Spirit (Word of God) is how we have victory over the lies of Satan. Because only God’s Word has the power to defeat him, Hebrews 4:12. In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we read how Jesus defeats Satan by saying, “it is written.” Satan will only yield to a power stronger than his.

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Conclusion: Purpose of the Armor of God

Having an understanding of the purpose of the armor of God will equip believers to have victory over the enemy. Reading the word of God and keeping our armor in mind, we will begin to understand that the entire holy scripture is our armor. Notice that the armor begins and ends with truth.

Therefore, learning and understanding the purpose of the armor of God should be part of our daily lives. We do this by knowing the Truth, loving the Truth (Jesus-God), and obeying God’s truth.

Armor of God Bible Study Series

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