Fully Equipped: Learning to Live Life With the Whole Armor of Godনমুনা

Recently, I found myself in a season that felt like an intense battle. It was as if I was being hit with one thing after another. Feelings of frustration, concern, and defeat often permeated my emotions. If I can be honest, although I was trying my best to maintain peace, however, my responses and temperament revealed the turmoil happening within my soul. Have you been there? Maybe you're there right now – trying your best to walk with God but feeling overwhelmed by life's battles.

During this challenging time, I remember asking the Lord, "What is happening with me? Why am I responding with such frustration instead of grace?" His response stopped me in my tracks: "Rachel, you're walking out the door with partial armor but expecting full armor protection."

Ouch. Sometimes, the simplest truths hit the hardest, don't they? You see, I had fallen into a dangerous pattern of picking and choosing which pieces of the armor I would wear, almost like getting dressed in the dark and forgetting essential pieces of clothing.

I knew the armor of God that Paul tells us about in Ephesians 6:10-19 consisted of the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shield of faith, shoes of peace, and the sword of the spirit (which is the word of God) but I wasn’t wearing everything ALL THE TIME. That day, the Lord gently reminded me of a powerful truth that has resounded in my soul ever since – partial protection leaves us vulnerable to the enemy.

As I studied deeper, I discovered something that truly transformed my thinking about the armor that God tells us to wear. Isaiah 59:17 tells us, “For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head;” (NKJV) God himself puts on armor as well! If the Creator of the universe models the importance of spiritual armor, how much more should we be intentional about putting on every piece?

Pause and Ponder: Which pieces of God's armor have you been neglecting lately? What situations in your life might be different if you had been fully equipped?