In our daily life, we face spiritual wars and attacks from an enemy that is real and is set on destroying us. The enemy wants to kill, steal from and destroy us but Jesus Christ has come to give us abundant life.
The Bible tells us that the war against the devil is not physical but spiritual. You cannot defeat the enemy using your own strength, tactics, and strategies. This is spiritual warfare which needs spiritual weapons.
The armor of God is what we use to defeat the attacks of the enemy. Through the full armor of God prayer, we use each piece of the armor to pray a scripture-based prayer that enables us to walk in victory as Christians.
There are seven pieces of armor and each has a distinct role to play as a means of defense against temptation and evil. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we access the whole armor and can stand firm against the devil’s schemes and plots.
We don’t need to be afraid or discouraged by the spiritual battles that we face. Through the mighty power of Jesus Christ who has already won the war against evil, we can confidently stand firm, strong, and courageous on the promises of his word.
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What is the Armor of God Prayer
Apostle Paul encourages Christians to “put on the whole armor of God”. We as Christians are soldiers in the army of God. The armor of God is what we use to prepare and fight against the spiritual forces of evil and come out victorious.
In a spiritual war, we need the power of the holy spirit to help us win. So we use God’s armor which equips us to fight the good fight of faith against the attacks of the spiritual forces of evil.
The full armor of God are the tools we’ve been given to help us stand firm against the evil one and have spiritual victory over the enemy. But why does Apostle Paul use an analogy of a soldier’s uniform?
When Apostle Paul was jailed for preaching the Good News of the Gospel, he was guarded by heavily armed Roman soldiers.
But he didn’t use this time to blame God for imprisonment, he wasn’t angry at his and he certainly didn’t wallow in self-pity. Rather, he wrote letters to the churches he had planted to strengthen them in their faith.
In one of these letters to the early church, he spoke about the armor of God. He knew that they could picture the Roman soldiers’ uniform and this analogy would be well understood and resonate with them.
While each piece of the uniform of the Roman soldiers purposefully protected them from their physical enemies, Apostle Paul used these pieces as examples of how they could protect us as believers in spiritual warfare. He spoke about the purpose of each piece and how this could be used.
We find the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18. Here is the full version below.
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians. 6:10-18 NIV
What Are the 7 Pieces of the Armor of God?
The full armor of God is made up of 7 pieces:
- Belt of Truth
- Breastplate of Righteousness
- Gospel of Peace
- Shield of Faith
- Helmet of Salvation
- Sword of the Spirit
- Prayer
Let’s dive into each of these pieces of armor!
Belt of truth
The belt for the soldier is meant to support the full armor and hold it in place. God’s word is the truth that holds us together and helps us stand firm against the devil who is the father of lies.
Knowing the truth from God’s word helps us to stand firm and grow spiritually. We gain confidence in who God is and this grows our faith.
The great truths of the Bible which include God’s love, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sin, grace and power to live for Jesus, and the promise of eternal life are all truths that set us free from Satan’s lies.
As we let the truth reign in our hearts, we will experience victory against the battles we fight in the spirit.
Breastplate of righteousness
The breastplate is placed to protect the heart and other vital organs. Being righteous is being made right with God. Our righteousness was achieved through our Lord Jesus Christ who reconciled us to our Heavenly Father.
We receive his righteousness freely when we become Christians and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Righteousness is what protects our hearts from Satan’s temptations in our lives. When we choose to obey God rather than give in to sin and temptation, we are using the breastplate of righteousness.
It’s Christ’s righteousness through his blood that protects and covers us from the enemy. It doesn’t come through works or deeds but by his grace and God’s love for us.
Gospel of peace
The good news of the Gospel results in peace with God and men. The peace from above is different because it happens in the midst of difficulties and storms.
When we receive Jesus Christ in our lives, we can overcome anxiety and fear and choose to carry in us the perfect peace of God.
The Gospel of Peace or Shoes of Peace helps us to step forward as soldiers in confidence. The shoes ground us firmly in our faith in Jesus Christ.
Shield of faith
Flaming arrows or fiery darts were used by the enemy to kill or injure the opponent. When the Roman soldiers went to war, they would carry a shield made of animal hide and dip it in water and when fiery darts or flaming arrows hit them, the wet hide would put it out and render these weapons powerless.
Satan’s temptations can be defeated by our strong faith in Jesus Christ. When we know whom we have believed, the lies of the devil have no chance in our hearts and minds.
But how do we grow in faith and confidently believe in God? The Bible says faith comes the more that we hear and apply the word of God. Faith is one of the foundations of Christianity because we were saved by grace through faith.
It sets us apart as Christians and sustains us on our journey in life. When you feel that you’re losing your faith, you can pray for God to renew your faith in him.
Helmet of salvation
For a soldier, the helmet is put last as a sign of readiness for war. It protects his head from attack which makes it one of the key pieces of armor.
In the spirit, protecting our heads means we protect our thoughts from Satan’s lies. The devil is the father of lies and he can deceive us into sin and temptations.
God’s work was done when he gave us the gift of salvation through his son Jesus Christ.
His work continues as we’re being sanctified to become more Christ-like. But we also have a part to play by building an intimate relationship with God and making an effort to honor and obey him daily.
As we become closer to God, we allow the power of the holy spirit to control our thinking daily. That way, the devil will flee and stay away from us.
Sword of the Spirit
The sword is used to defend the soldier from his enemies. Spiritually, the sword is the word of God. As we read it daily, we develop a close relationship with the Lord and can defend ourselves. The sword is both a defensive weapon and an offensive weapon.
You can use the word of God to defend against spiritual battles and to also declare the power you have over evil spirits. The word is used to ask and plead to God for his protection. The sword of God’s Word both protects us and destroys our enemy and his temptations.
Prayer
Prayer may not be one of the pieces of the armor of God but Apostle Paul closes off this section of scripture with prayer. It’s the glue that binds all the pieces together. Through prayer, we communicate with God so that he equips us with his armor.
We often draw strength from God and ask for his protection through prayer. Prayer is the one we use to apply and activate the armor of God.
Pray the Full Armor of God Prayer
We may have a real enemy but our God is also real and more powerful than all his schemes and tactics. Because of God’s love for us, we never fight alone. He has given us weapons to fight with through his armor.
Through this scripture-based prayer let’s ask the Lord to equip us with the full armor of God.
Heavenly Father, you are mighty, powerful, and worthy of all the glory, honor, and praise. Thank you, Jesus Christ, that through your death on the cross and resurrection, you defeated the works of the enemy. He is a defeated and powerless enemy.
O Lord, help me to put the whole armor of God so l can stand firm against all spiritual attacks that come my way. Equip me with the belt of truth so that the truth of your word rules in my heart. Give me a hunger for your word and help me to build an intimate relationship with you.
Lord Jesus, thank you for making me a righteous person through your grace. As l put on the shoes of peace, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding rule in my heart and mind. May l be an ambassador of the Good News of the Gospel of peace wherever l go.
I pray that as l take up the shield of faith, it would protect me from the fiery darts that are targeting me. Renew my faith and help me to believe and stand on the promises in the Bible. I walk confidently in the victory that l have against any evil spirits.
I put on my helmet of salvation that guards my thoughts and my mind from the deception of the enemy. May l no longer be conformed to the patterns of this world. Rather l ask that l be transformed by the renewal of my mind and l allow the Holy Spirit to control my thoughts.
I use the two-edged sword of the spirit to defend myself and my family against the spiritual battles coming our way. I use it as an offensive weapon declaring my victory in Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, remind me to pray without ceasing so l can experience the power and presence of God. I pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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We face a spiritual war and an enemy who’s real. He wants nothing more than to bring defeat, for his main aim is to steal, kill, and destroy us. But Jesus Christ came to give us salvation and victory.
Apostle Paul encourages us as Christians to “put on the whole armor of God”. This is used both as a defensive weapon and an offensive weapon against temptation, evil spirits, and the devil’s schemes.
Each piece of armor has a distinct purpose and can be used to offer us protection, defend us and defeat the attacks of the enemy. The armor of God offers us confidence, strength, and courage because we know that our Lord Jesus Christ has already won the war.
We can take up the armor of God through the power of the holy spirit. We can stand firm, sure and confidently walk as victorious children of our Heavenly Father.
