Armor of God, Intro
o many preachers have taught about the Armor of God but have missed something special which we will reveal here because “these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). When we hear someone putting on armor, it gives us a hint that they are preparing for battle. The Armor of God is spiritual and the battle we fight is actually spiritual warfare because the scriptures say:
We’ll take a look at how the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the desert and how he successfully tempted Eve in the garden. These two examples show us how important it is to always put on the Armor of God to defeat the enemy, just like David did against his enemy Goliath. The devil is relentless in his efforts to distract people away from God. We have to remain strong in our faith in Jesus by following his righteous way because he equipped us for any spiritual battles we might face.
What vices does the enemy use?
By examining The Temptation of Jesus in the desert, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and David and Goliath`s story in this series, we’ll be able to clearly see how the devil uses deception and lies to mislead people. The devil tries to mislead you through your thoughts (mind), offers material things that the flesh desires (body) and wants your spirit to turn away from God to worship him instead (spirit).
The Mind
Satan tried to play mind games with Jesus and asked him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple quoting manipulated scripture. Goliath, on the other hand, played mind games by tormenting the Israelites every morning and evening for forty days. The serpent also convinced Eve in the Garden of Eden to eat the forbidden fruit again, quoting twisted, manipulated scripture.
The Body
Satan tried to convince Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus was hungry, but he insisted that, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Satan can take the fight so we can live a life God does not intend, but scripture warns us : Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Romans 13:14).
The Spirit
Finally, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Here, the devil offered material things in exchange for worship. The devil wants people to turn away from God to him instead. As you can see, the enemy offers riches, wealth and other material things because he knows many people love money and are desperate and gullible. This is why so many false prosperity preachers are successful in deceiving their followers. Eve fell for the deceit which led to spiritual death. Jesus, on the other hand, taught us how to avoid such temptation.
Defense using the Armor of God
As believers, I want to encourage you that we will be able to withstand the attacks of the enemy by putting on the full armor of God. This way, you will be able to stand against the devil’s schemes.
Armor of God Breakdown
You will learn here, for the first time, that each piece of the Armor of God directly points to Jesus Christ.
In subsequent parts of this series, we will take a deep dive, breaking down scripture and learning what the Armor of God consists of:
01 - Shield of Faith
Faith used to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Faith is having absolute trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus demonstrated the importance of faith throughout his ministry. We teach biblical faith in almost all our teachings, just to show you how important it is.
02 - Breastplate of Righteousness
A breastplate is important because it protects so many vital organs. You can also identify someone because of their breastplate. The breastplate of Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire was so important that it was made to communicate a great deal of the emperor’s power and ideology. It is an attribute of God, This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:22). For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face (Psalm 11:7).
03 - Feet of Peace
Preparation of the Gospel which leads to Peace. You find the right path through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Peace comes when you believe the Word of God - fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Peter walked on water focusing on Jesus Christ until he got distracted.
04 - Helment of Salvation
Hope of Salvation. The battle starts in the mind, the enemy messes with your head telling you all sorts of lies saying how you not good enough, how you cannot make it etc.. The Helmet of Salvation is your thinking aligned with God. Do not allow any confusion, lies and hate to distract you, stay in line with God.
05 - Sword of the Spirit
Word of God – destroys the deception and lies of the devil. The devil knows how to quote scripture but manipulates it. Therefore, it is crucial to know sound doctrine. ``For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart`` (Hebrews 4:12). See, David defeated Goliath “in the name of the Lord Almighty”. The Word of God is authority, that is why Jesus always mentioned: “For it is written..”
06 - Belt of Truth
- truth buckled around your waist. (Ephesians 6:10). The “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32. Jesus is the truth: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Now you already know the opposite of true is false (lies): John 8:44 says: You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Key Takeaways:
Understand, Innerstand and Overstand
The Armor of God is necessary to defeat and destroy the enemy. It is not sufficient just to go on defense. This is a battle, you have to bring the fight to the enemy and destroy the enemy just like David did.
We have talked about the importance of faith since the beginning of this ministry. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8).
If you really examine the Armor of God, you will realize that it all points to our Lord Jesus Christ. As long we remain God’s children, the enemy will continue working relentlessly to turn you away from God. This means, we should always be prepared, with Jesus Christ on our side.
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