Charles Stanley - The Armor of God
Every command that God gives us in His Word has a divine purpose behind it. He doesn't just give commands just to be for giving them. He gives them for a specific reason. It is always for our good. When you and I understand those commands, often times they're a little bit easier for us to obey. When He gives us a command that we don't quite understand, it may not quite be so easy to obey that command. And yet, if He gives us a command it is always for our protection, always for our good. For example, when you're praying sometime and you feel like if the Lord has said something very clear to you, what He would have you to do. To neglect that is to invite disaster.
For the simple reason that God will give us a command or give us some sense of instruction because He knows what is ahead of us. He knows what's in the future. He knows what's in the distance. He knows what is close by. He knows what is right around the corner. Therefore, when God says, "Here's what I want you to do". It is not for us to debate with Him as to whether it is wise or unwise. It's not for us to argue with Him, whether we will or whether we will not. We know that by His very nature, because He's a good God and looking out for our best interests, that what He says do, He knows that it is best for us to do it.
When we don't understand, and cannot figure out why, we're just to be obedient anyway. And here's what you'll discover. You'll discover as you turn around and look in the past, God knew exactly why He issued this command. He knew exactly what He was doing when He said, "You're to do this, at this particular time, in this particular way". Because God is always looking out for us. Well, that is especially true when you and I come to face the whole issue of our warfare. Because our warfare is daily, often times moment by moment. God has given us some very clear commands, some very clear instruction in the Word of God as to how to prepare for that, how to be ready to face the conflict. How to be ready to face evil spirits and Satan and all the things that are involved in that warfare.
Well, in the sixth chapter of Ephesians if you'll turn there, you'll fine a very clear command that our Lord gives us here in this sixth chapter. Because here the Apostle Paul is dealing with what you and I have to deal with every day and that is spiritual warfare. And you'll notice in this passage that he uses some terminology and describes some things that physically you and I could never do, but spiritually we can and because this is a spiritual battle, we can expect to look at it from that perspective. So, let's begin reading in this tenth verse, remembering that in these first three chapters, he's talked about how wealthy we are as believers.
In the fourth and fifth and half this sixth chapter, he's talked about how we're to live, and on the basis of what God has given to us. And now he says, "But watch out because you have an adversary and he's out to defeat you". But you can be victorious if you'll do exactly, he says, what I'm going to share with you. So, he says, beginning in verse ten, "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world-forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places".
Then he says, "Therefore," because these are our enemies, "take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm". Then he says, "Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace". In addition to all this he says, "taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God".
Then most people stop there. But then he says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all saints," and then Paul says, "and also pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, or which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak".
Now what Paul has done here in these first few verses is to describe the kind of warfare we have. And he's talking about a spiritual warfare. That is, we face every day demonic forces, demonic powers. We face every day the devil and all of his hosts. And he says therefore, we are warring against those forces of evil, he says, in the heavenly places. But you and I also know we have to deal with them where our feet hit the pavement every single day. And in preparing us for it, he says we're to be strong in the Lord. He says we're to be firm in our stand. We're to stand strong against him.
And then he says, if you'll notice, beginning in this thirteenth verse, Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm". We saw before that he said we're to be strong in the Lord, standing firm and standing against the schemes, the strategy, the cunning efforts of Satan. Then he describes this armor. So, I want us to look at it from the Roman soldiers's point of view what it means, and then practically, how do I apply what the Apostle Paul said, on a daily basis? Because you see, he's not just writing to be writing a story. Here's what he says. He says we are to put on the full armor of God.
Now, if he said it, he meant it. So, the question is: How is it that I can arm myself? How can I defend myself on a daily basis with some kind of spiritual armor? So, let's look to see what he says. He says first of all, he says, "Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth". And what he was referring to here is the Roman soldier, where had Roman soldiers had a belt around 'em, and that belt often times was like a leather girdle that covered this part of their body. And it fastened and it was a protective part for their body. They also would hang their sword on that particular belt, and so it was a very vital part of it. He says it was the girdle of truth.
And what is He saying? Simply this. He names truth first because I believe that is absolutely essential for victory in the life of a believer. If you and I do not know the truth about God, if we don't know the truth about Jesus Christ, if we don't know the truth about the Holy Spirit, and if we don't know the truth about ourselves and our position as believers, that we are in Christ Jesus, sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. If we don't understand what our position is and we don't know the truth about ourselves, we don't know the truth about our relationship to Him, we don't know the truth about our assurance and our standing with Him, then when Satan attacks us, the first thing that we're going to do is we're going to be fearful because we will doubt, listen.
We will begin to doubt our position, doubt our relationship. And when you and I begin to doubt and fear comes upon us, we are already headed for major defeat. We need to know the truth, to walk in the truth, to live by the truth and let truth be certainly characteristic of our life. So therefore, when he was describing this soldier, what did he do? He looked at his armor and he began with that very important piece when he said the girdle of truth. Then you'll notice what he said, he said, "having put on the breastplate of righteousness".
Now, that breastplate was made often times of leather and it completely surrounded the body and often times covered with metal or sometimes they would slice the hoofs of the horses and cover their shields, cover their breastplates with that because they knew this was a very vulnerable spot. And often times they would be showered with flaming arrows from the enemy. And so, this was a very vital part. And of course, as they were in hand-to-hand combat, the protection of their heart, that part of their body was extremely important.
So, when he says the blest, breastplate of righteousness, he's not talking about the righteousness which you and I have as a result of being saved. What he's talking about here is practical righteousness. That is, living out what you and I know to be true day by day. And that is that our life is a life of righteousness, right doing, right thinking, right relationships. When I think about the breastplate of righteousness, I think also about the fact that here is that piece of armor that protects us in our emotions as we think about our heart and as we think about our feelings. God does not want you and me living on the basis of our emotions. He doesn't want us responding to life on the basis of our emotions. He doesn't want us making decisions just out of an emotional feeling. But rather, out of truth, the girdle of truth.
What is the truth? And so, we are to wear, he says, the breastplate of righteousness. Therefore, that you and I would live out what we know to be true, that our life would be characterized by righteous living. Then if you'll notice what he says. He says, "Now standing firm therefore having your loins gird about with truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Having your, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace". And more than likely, Paul noticing these Roman soldiers, they wore these very thick sandals. Well, I think primarily what he's speaking of here is this. That, we, you and I are to stand upon the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the gospel of peace. That is the foundation we're to stand upon.
You and I know what we believe. We've been saved by the grace of God. And so, we stand on a very firm foundation. What is it? It is the gospel it is the truth of the gospel which God has given to us through His Son Jesus Christ. And therefore, you and I don't have to be worrying about whether we have assurance, not assurance, or, or whether what we believe is true or not. We stand on the absolute firm security of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then if you'll notice he says, "not only now having our loins gird about with truth," and he says, "the breastplate of righteousness". He says, "Now we also have our feet, we are ready to move, ready to go, ready to stand firm against the onslaught of the devil". He says, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith.
Now, watch this. The Romans had two kinds of shields. One of them was a round shield. And these shields they placed upon their hand and in hand-to-hand combat, that shield was extremely important. And the short sword was a very, very unique weapon in that day. And so, often times we think about shields, that's the one we think about. The, the truth is that word for shield in the Greek is the same word for door. And the Roman shield that the Apostle Paul was referring to here is a shield that was about two and a half feet wide, four feet high.
Now the Romans in those days, for example were not all that tall. And so, what they would do, they would carry these shields and when, for example, they were being attacked by flaming arrows, those flaming missiles that Paul mentions here. What the enemy would do, or even what the Romans would do, they'd take those arrows, dip them in pitch, light them afire, and then what they would do, a whole barrage of them, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them would be flying through the air at the same time. And so, what Paul is saying is this. In order for us to be able to, listen, to ward off what Satan will try to do and come at us in every direction. He says above all, taking the shield of faith, therefore being able to quench, ward off the fiery darts of the devil.
And so, the Bible, for example, when you and I read the scriptures, what are we doing? We are strengthening, strengthening our faith. We are seeing what God says and then we're watching what God does. And this is why it's so very important to keep a diary in your life. Because if you keep a diary of what you ask God for and then what God does, what does that do? But it simply increases your faith. The greatest asset you and I have as a believer apart from the presence of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit living on the inside of us is our faith. Every single believer ought to be, listen, ought to be doing everything possible to strengthen our faith. How do we strengthen our faith? We get in the battle. How does our faith strengthen? Often times we falter, and we fall. How is our faith strengthened? When we are tested, when we are tried.
Now listen. When you and I go to battle, we're to go to battle ready, listen, we're to go, we're to go to battle ready and prepared and dressed properly. And so, part of that is the shield of faith. Then if you'll notice what he says. He says, "And taking the helmet of salvation, the helmet of salvation". For example, those Roman helmets. Interesting what they did. A Roman helmet was so strong it would take something like a battle axe in order to break it. That's how strong it was. They, they, they built 'em very ornate because they went into battle, and they wanted to be impressive. Romans were a very proud people. And they often times had flaps on the side to protect the side of their faces.
A Roman soldier would never go to battle without a helmet. Never go to battle without a helmet. Because it protected of course that vulnerable part of his thinking and of his mind. And what does the Apostle Paul say here? Simply saying this. He's saying, "One of the valuable, absolute, essential parts of a Christian's armor is the helmet that protects our thinking". While the breastplate may protect my emotional life and protect me from just responding in the wrong fashion, the helmet of salvation. He does not clarify, and so I'm not gonna give you some simple explanation about what he means by the helmet of salvation except to say it certainly protects us from doubting our salvation. He doesn't make it clear what he means by the helmet of salvation. But simply this.
When you and I understand the truth, we understand the truth, we do not want anybody tampering with our minds about what we believe. And so, I think it's very important when a person gets up in the morning, they put on the helmet of salvation, simply saying, God, I want You to protect my mind today, protect what I think. I want to think Your thoughts, I want to think 'em Your way. When the Apostle Paul looked at that helmet, he knew how absolutely essential it was for to-to protect that Roman soldier's head. And so, he says the helmet of salvation for all of us. Not that a helmet makes us saved. He's not talking about getting saved because he's talking about soldiers, talking about believers who are already saved. But it is to protect our thinking.
Now as we've said many times before, you think about how many, listen, think about how many voices you hear in a given day. How many people say things to you. How many things you hear. And how many things that you see. God has to enable us to protect our thinking as he said in Second Corinthians chapter ten, "Bringing every thought into captivity to the Lord Jesus Christ". Therefore, the helmet of salvation. Then if you'll notice what he says. He says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". Now, those Romans knew how to use that short sword. They were trained for quick, listen, they were trained for quick use of that sword, close combat. He says, "above all, taking the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit which is the word of God".
Now, I can imagine that as Paul thought about that, he also thought about often times how he had used the Word of God and how it had worked in his own life and. And so, more than likely, when you and I, when you and I think about that sword and think about what the Bible says in the third, fourth chapter of Hebrews. He says, "For the Word of God is," what? "Living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of the soul and the spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart". Now, what you and I have in this book is, we have the Word of God. This is the book, the instruction book, that tells us how to live. He says, taking the sword of the Spirit.
Now, if you and I are going to battle and we go to battle every day with the devil. Listen, you can't take this book and bring it to church on Sunday, and lay it up somewhere beside your bed, or in your office or desk somewhere the rest of the week and think that somehow because it's laying on the table, you're gonna "osmose it". That is not the way it happens. You know how you get it? You get it by looking in here and reading it. And here's what happens. When you and I begin to read the Word of God. This is why I'll say turn to a verse here, a verse there that I know that you know by heart, or I know by heart. There's something about looking at it. There's something about seeing it. What happens? Then it impresses, it's impressed upon my mind.
And so, what happens is, not only must we know some truth, we must know how to use the Word of God. How do we use the Word of God in defending ourselves against satanic attacks? How do we use the Word of God in sharing with someone else? We must study it. A soldier studies and trains. When a man goes to war with a rifle, listen, he is taught to be able to dismantle it, to take it apart with his eyes closed or blindfolded or in the dark, and also to put it back together in the dark, where he cannot see anything, but he knows by its part. It's amazing to me that how many people have. They say, "Oh, man, I got a King James, New King James, New American Standard, Living Bible, Application Bible, and Discovery Bible, and New English Bible, got all these Bibles".
They question is not how many weapons I have. The question is: Do I know how to operate any one of them? Listen, you can have a whole stack of Bibles and be totally ignorant, unless you find out how it works. The Word of God is absolutely adequate in every circumstance. You and I have a weapon, listen, we don't ever have to shield this thing. Because every day of our life, we need to be utilizing and wielding the weapon that God has given us for defensive as well as offensive. Now, usually this is where people stop. They say, "Well, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of the Lord". But listen to what the Apostle Paul said now.
Let's go back in verse thirteen to notice what he says, "Therefore he says take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm". Now watch this. "Stand firm therefore, and he lists all this armor". Then he says in verse eighteen, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints".
Now, let me just say this. You can have all the armor you want to, but friend, if you don't know how to pray, you're going down. Because listen, it is in prayer that you and I in talking to the Father and listening to Him. It is when you and I, listen, when you and I are on our face before God, crying out to Him, what happens? There is a power, there is a spiritual strength. There is a spiritual power that comes into a person's life when they humble themselves before God, crying out to God and begin to learn how to pray and talk to the Father. There's something there, listen, that will never be there any other way but learning to pray, no other way. And often times I've thought about this passage when I'd be alone thinking and maybe struggling about something and thinking about the fact, the truth is here's the way you could interpret this passage.
Listen, when will Satan attack you the most? In prayer. When will he... listen, what is it he wants to remove from your life? Prayer. So therefore, here's how you and I could interpret this passage and be legitimate. That Paul is saying, listen, "Get ready for prayer". Now, how do you get ready for prayer? You get ready for prayer by putting on your armor. Because, listen, when you get serious about praying, Satan's gonna get serious about defeating you. So how do you get ready to pray? You put on the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit. Then you get down to pray.
Now I'm ready to pray. You could look at it that way. Now let's make this real practical for a moment. You say, "All right, now wait a minute. We're talking about spiritual things, no such thing as a helmet of salvation, a breastplate of righteousness". All right. I want you to think about this. Do you know I still get letters from people, and I preached a sermon about this years and years ago, probably about ten years ago. Every once in a while, I'll meet somebody who will say, "I'm still putting on the armor". Because here's what I said, and I do believe this is true. You wake up in the morning, and before you get out of bed, let me ask you.
Satan doesn't have to wait till you get on the expressway to attack you, does he? He, he doesn't wait for that. He can attack you when you wake up in the morning. I want you to think about something. You wake up tomorrow morning and you say, "Father, I just want to thank You for a good night's rest, and maybe you didn't have a good one, but just thank Him anyway". And so, here's what you say, "By faith, I'm putting on the girdle of truth. I'm gonna walk in the truth that I know today. I'm putting on the breastplate of righteousness because I want you to protect my emotions. I'm putting on the sandals of peace because I want to stand on a firm foundation of the gospel by which I've been saved and which I'm willing to defend and proclaim.
By faith, I'm taking the shield today to ward off all of Satan's fiery darts of temptation. And I'm putting on the helmet of salvation right now because I want you to protect my thinking all day long. I'm taking the sword of the spirit, Your Word, and I want to use it as a defensive weapon and as an offensive weapon today, maybe to bring somebody out of enslavement and bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus. So, Father, I want to thank You that I'm dressing for the battle. I'm getting ready to walk out of here or getting ready to start the day. I want to start it, I want to begin the day dressed for the confrontation, ready for the battle, ready for the conflict I'm gonna face".
Now you say, "Well now, what difference would that make"? I challenge you to try it. Before you get out of the bed tomorrow morning. Some of you already know that you're gonna face something tomorrow or this week that's gonna be tough on you. Well, then, here's what you do. You get dressed up. Now listen, if you were going to a real formal party, what would you wear? You wouldn't wear shorts and jeans, would you? You would wear a tux or an evening gown. If you were going swimming, you wouldn't wear a tux. You would wear a bathing suit, right? If you were going hunting, you would be carrying and wearing hunting gear. If you're going to war, you wear armor. Every single day, you and I are in the battle.
What does God want? He wants us spiritually dressed for the battle. He wants us ready for the conflict which says simply in essence, what? I'm to be sensitive about the truth. I'm to be sensitive about my emotions. And I'm to be sensitive about where I walk and what my foundation's are all about and what I do with it. I'm to be sensitive, listen, I am to walk in faith, trusting Him to be my divine protector. I am to walk, trusting Him to protect my mind, because I want to think the right things. I want His Word to be ever an everliving part of everything that's going on in my life. All Paul is saying here is this: In order to defend ourselves adequately, we need to be aware of our own protection.
And God has provided for our protection in these pieces of armor that He's spoken of here. It's spiritual, yes, because it is a spiritual warfare. And I want to challenge you, I challenge you that tomorrow morning before you get up, while you are lying there, you just put it on piece by piece. And you know what'll happen? Somewhere tomorrow Satan will throw one at you. He'll fire one off at you. And the first thing you'll think about, shield of faith, I don't have to accept that. Zing! Right by you. Why? Because what you did is you exercised your faith. You trusted God to protect you.
It may be an arrow of gossip that somebody sends your way. It may be an arrow of slander that somebody sends your way. It may be some action that normally would have caused you to become angry. But because you had, listen, because you have on the breastplate of righteousness, you're not going to respond out of your emotion. You're gonna respond out of the truth of who you are. That no matter what they think about you, they can't make you any less than the wonderful person God has made you. And so, we learn to respond to the warfare on the basis of the armor that God has given us. I challenge you, before you get out of the bed, put it on piece by piece, by faith and see what God does in your life in a given week.
And Father, we love You and praise You, that You've not left us to go to battle improperly dressed and unarmed, properly dressed fully armed, and above all in prayer, trusting You, believing You, looking to You, listening to You for direction. Thank You, dear God, for the wonderful promise that we can have the victory no matter how fierce the battle. And we ask this in Jesus's name, amen.