This One Word Changes Everything You Thought About the Armor of God

As I studied to write a chapter about the full armor of God for my book, Silence Satan, the Lord clued me in on something that radically changed how I approached it.

In Ephesians 6, Paul instructs, “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (v. 11). Next, he clarifies the source of our struggles: “For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12).

Then he boasts, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your waist girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” (vv. 13-14).

A New Revelation

I noticed that in only five verses, Paul uses the word “stand” four times. Then God revealed something revolutionary to me: “The armor isn’t meant to help battle a devil who is defeated, but to stand in the victory of the One who defeated him!” This simple revelation changed everything about my plans for the chapter. I suddenly saw that Paul uses the context of the Roman soldier’s uniform to relate about the power we each possess as those dressed “in Christ.” Amazingly, each of the six articles in the armor are all ours—not to fight for what we don’t have, but to help us stand in what we already have in Christ.

Take a look.

The 6 Articles of the Armor

The belt was a thick leather band girdled around the soldier’s waist. Paul probably mentioned it first because it was foundational—the belt is what most of the weaponry was attached to. Then he likened it to the truth we have in Christ. That is, knowing the truth about who we are and what we have in Him is foundational for victory.

The breastplate was a beautiful, scaled metal piece that fastened to the upper body, protecting the vital organs of the soldier. Paul likened this to the righteousness was have in Christ, which protects the most vital part about us—our identity in Him.

The shoes were made of a leather sole with bands that wrapped up to the ankles. On the bottom were stones—cleats—to help the soldier stand firm in his position. In Christ, we have shoes of peace, which help us stand calm and strong in the midst of difficulties and trials.

The shield was the largest and most movable piece. It protected the soldier from the flying spears and swords of battle. Paul compared this to our faith in Christ, which when raised, protects us with unwavering confidence that God’s got this!

The helmet protected from the most fatal wounds on the battlefield—head wounds. In Christ, we have a helmet of salvation, which protects our minds with salvation thoughts: thoughts that are true, pure, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8).

Finally, the sword was both a defensive and offensive weapon. Of course, defensively, it could block the enemy. But offensively, the soldier would stand and wave it in the air, signaling to an enemy: “I’m armed and dangerous, you better stay back!” In Christ, God’s Word is like this sword. When spoken, it defends against the devil’s attacks. But used offensively, it alerts Satan: “Stay back! I know who I am and what I have in Christ!”

Now Stand in It!

Isn’t this awesome? As someone who is “in Christ,” you already possess the armor of God, which is the uniform of Jesus. Yes, in Christ, you have truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and His Word to help silence Satan. Now stand in it!

Go in depth into the historical and practical application of the armor of God with my full-length teaching, “The Uniform of the Righteous.” Get it on iTunes or mp3 today. {eoa}

Kyle Winkler equips people to live in victory. His mobile app, Shut Up, Devil!, is the No. 1 spiritual warfare app; and his recent book, Silence Satan, has helped thousands shut down the enemy’s attacks, threats, lies and accusations. Kyle holds a Master of Divinity in biblical studies from Regent University. Get daily encouragement from Kyle on Facebook and Twitter.