Take CourageSample

“Put on the Armor of God"

Over and over again, the Bible teaches us to “take courage,” “do not fear,” and “be strong in the Lord.” But how do we do that? Certainly not in our own strength. Scripture teaches us in Ephesians 6 that we must daily put on the “whole armor of God.”

So let’s talk about the armor of God and maybe look at it with new eyes. When introducing the armor of God, Paul exhorts us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” He goes on to say that we need to put on the whole armor of God, so that we “may be able to stand against… the devil.”

What is the armor of God, and what does each piece represent? Well, we have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece is powerful, potent, and necessary to live a victorious life. I encourage you to put on, pray over, and study each piece carefully.

I want to encourage you to look at this familiar passage in a new way by seeing Jesus Christ as the armor of God. Think of it as Paul’s way of encouraging us to put on Christ each day. Now let’s think about it and break it down.

Christ is truth. Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace! We place our faith in Christ. It is Christ who is our salvation. And Christ is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Bible calls Christ the “Living Word.”

When we are clothed in Christ, we are powerful and potent and the enemy fears us. When we move, breathe and operate out of His might, His glory, His strength, and His gospel and are clothed in His armor—His very being—we can conquer our fears and be overcomers.

The key is to do this daily and to remember that we cannot do this in our own power. We must put on Christ and live under His protection and follow His guidance. This is the key to the Christian life: clothing ourselves in Christ and walking by the Spirit.