A Call to Action for Spiritual Warfare: Being Equipped with the Armor of God [Part 1]

Like I shared before in a previous post there were many things that I did not fully understand how to tap into as a young believer in Christ. I learned many things in theory and understood the essence of what I gleaned from the scriptures. However, I was often left with questions, and I struggled with how to transition the information I learned to demonstrate those practical application of kingdom principles.

One such topic is spiritual warfare. I must tell you that in my earlier years, the mention of this phrase scared me. I felt I was out of my depth to take on spiritual battles. Also, I  felt that only certain people were equipped with special skills to deal with ‘spiritual wickedness in high places’ according to Ephesians 6:12. However, we all as believers who have put on the name of Jesus in baptism, and who have been filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in another language/tongues you did not learn, are called to be engaged in spiritual warfare. With this revelation, I made it my mission over the years to understand spiritual warfare, and how to effectively engage for a victorious outcome.

Be reminded believers that we are all soldiers in an ongoing spiritual battle and are not left defenseless.  There is a blueprint for spiritual warfare and Ephesians 6:10-18 provides this blueprint: the Armor of God, which prepares us to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy, defend when the attacks come, and go on the offensive to destroy strongholds.

 In this post, I will describe each piece of this spiritual armor and explain the significance of each. I will also outline how you can practically apply it in your daily life to achieve victory as you fight against principalities and powers, rulers of darkness in this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). This is a call to action to all believers, to be vigilant, equipped, and ready for the battles we must fight in the unseen spiritual realm.

Understanding Spiritual Warfare

As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's not just about doing what is right and then enjoying peace and safety. There is an environment in which we live that generates hostility and opposition towards the nature and will of God, which creates a battle between the kingdom of God and Satan for the souls of people. In spiritual warfare, there is a daily spiritual battle against the forces of darkness (Daniel 10:12, Ephesians 6:12, Psalm 91:3, 5,6) and every believer must be involved to push back against these forces. In essence, it’s the display of the schemes of the enemy to cause deception, disruption, defeat, and death.

Satan is described as “the god of this world who has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is also called the “prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), “ruler of this world” in John 12:31, and therefore the “world is under is control of the evil one” ( 1 John 5:19). To sum this up satan has a major influence on ideas, world theories, philosophies, education commerce, religion thereby producing ungodly thoughts and actions, destructive ideas and inventions, and false religions. He is the father of lies(St John 8:44).

While his influence, authority, and power are mainly directed towards unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4) we as the children of God are cautioned to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power Ephesians 6:10, because the devil goes around as a roaring lion seeking whom (believers and unbelievers alike) he may devour.

So, as believers, we are strongly advised to put on the FULL armor of GOD to be able to stand our ground and engage successfully in the spiritual battle. Having on the armor of God we will be equipped to uncover or recognize deception, nullify disruptions in our lives, defeat the enemy, and avoid spiritual death. Then only are we able, through Jesus Christ to snatch unbelievers and free them from the bondage of sin so that they too can become warriors in the ongoing spiritual warfare.

The Armor of God

1.     The Belt of Truth: Ephesians 6:14, John 14:6, John 8:32

Natural Uses

• Provides support for the back and abdomen

•  Holds clothes in place ( pants, shirt), prevents a disheveled look

• For military/police the belt is used to carry ammunition, knives, guns, tasers, pepper spray, handcuffs, etc

In Spiritual Warfare

The Belt of Truth is foundational, it provides an anchor for us, it holds us in place rather than being tossed about by every wind of a new teaching, preventing us from being easily influenced and deceived by lies presented as truth (Ephesians 4:14). When we have the truth of GOD in us, we reflect the identity of Christ, and this truth comes by knowing who GOD is – meaning His nature and His character. Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth, and knowing the truth sets us free from deception and lies. Jesus says in St John14:16 “I the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Therefore, your belt of truth is the Lord Jesus Christ, and when you use the name of the Lord Jesus to battle lies and deception, you will not be deceived because you have put on Christ and have made no allowances for your flesh to lead you astray (Romans 13:14).

This is how most people are deceived, the devil uses his favorite weapon of deception to appeal to the flesh. Let's look at what happened to Adam and Eve, initially, they had the truth, God was with Adam and communed with him daily about truth because GOD can be nothing else but truth (St John14:6).  Also, Eve was very aware of the truth, she knew what she and Adam were to eat and what was forbidden to them (Genesis 3:2-3).

However, when we make provisions for the flesh by casting aside our belt of truth, then we have made room for lies, confusion, and deception. As we see here the devil subtly enticed the woman until she believed a lie (Genesis 3:4), and then she lost the battle because she removed her belt of truth and is now focused on doing what made her feel good. Genesis 3:6 says “And when the woman saw that it was pleasing to the eye (lust of the eye), good for food (lust of the flesh), and desirable to make one wise (pride of life). This is why truth is so important as a weapon for spiritual warfare, truth focuses on what is good, pure, holy, and noble, it’s the very identity of Christ Jesus. Lies and deception cannot exist where there is ultimate truth.

Spiritual warfare is about having our belt of truth firmly girded around our waist to effectively battle lies, false narratives set out to deceive us, and confusion from the enemy. The belt of truth is part of our sanctification as seen in St John 17:16-17…..Jesus prayed for his disciples asking God to sanctify them with truth. Hence to engage in spiritual warfare we must be sanctified by the word of God, which is the essence of truth, and be filled with the Holy Spirit which gives us the power to cast down every lie and uncover the subtle cloak of deception. Therefore speaking the word of God is speaking truth and we must never face battle without being girded with our belt of truth.

Practical Application – Putting on the Belt of Truth

• Engaging in discipleship – teaching the truth of the gospel to others so that they can grow in their faith ( St John 8:31-32).  

• Renewing your mind daily with the truth that comes from reading and studying the word of God (Romans 12:2)

• Having pure and sincere motives (1 Timothy 1:5)

• Speaking sound doctrine - aligns with the word of truth (Titus 2:1, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

• Operating with humility and grace (James 4:10)

• Pray the scriptures – God's word is truth. It will fill your heart with truth (St John 15:7-8, St Matthew 4:4)) and power to counter every lie spoken and reveal seemingly innocent situations designed to deceive you.

• Study the word of God so that you can hide it in your heart (Psalm 119:11, St John 15:7-8, Ephesians 4:29), then you will be able to speak the truth that comes from your heart ( the word of God) to counteract deception and destroy lies. 

2. The Breastplate of Righteous: Ephesians 6:14, Proverbs 4:23, Philippians 3:9

Natural Use

• This piece of armor is made out of strong high-quality leather, bronze, tempered steel, titanium, or iron.

• Covers valuable organs such as the lungs, heart, liver, pancreas, stomach

• A solid wall of protection to what is most valuable.

Spiritual Use

The biggest part of the armor is the breastplate because God wants to ensure the heart is well protected and remains pure only for HIM. The Lord Jesus Christ went to great lengths to secure our hearts, by dying on the cross for our sins. Therefore, we are very valuable to HIM. Also, when we repent of our sins we become righteous (1 John 1:8-9), and righteousness means we are in good standing with GOD.

Therefore, since we have a new heart through the new birth experience (St John 3:3); It's with our heart we say yes Lord, we will seek your face (Psalm 27:8),  where our treasure is that is where our heart will be (St Matthew 6:21), and we must guard our hearts with all diligence ( Proverbs 4:23). In spiritual warfare, satan attacks us with the weapons of shame, guilt, feelings of low value, and self-worth concerning GOD and where we stand with HIM. So this is where the breastplate of righteousness comes in as a protection for our heart which belongs to God.

When we are covered with righteousness then we are blessed, even if suffering and hardships come (1Peter 3:14). Focusing on God’s blessing even when we are facing challenges leaves no room for the devil to penetrate our protective barrier because our focus remains on the one who made us righteous. Isaiah 33:15-17 says that when we walk righteously and speak uprightly we will dwell in abundance and therefore give no place for the devil to influence our heart towards ungodly behaviors.

Jeremiah 17:9 notes that the heart is deceitful and wicked, no one can understand how the heart operates. That is why we must have on our breastplate, it’s a battleground for our love and what we yearn after, and satan always tries to penetrate that layer of protection by drawing our hearts away from the things of God. However, when we repent, God takes hold of our hearts and transforms them by imputing the righteousness of GOD in us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and we can therefore stand in the presence of a holy God.

Remember, Satan is strategic in warfare and therefore we must be strategic also. A main strategy he uses is to try to disrupt the peace that God places in our hearts by accusing us, tempting us, and shooting fiery darts of hate, unforgiveness, and bitterness, among many other negative things that can fill our hearts and drive us to unrighteous behaviors. He pushes negative spiritual forces and influences constantly to bombard us to open our hearts to accept ungodly things (that are seen as the norm in society), resulting in our peace being disrupted (2 Corinthians 11:3).

We must recognize this attack and therefore hold on to the peace of God by shielding our hearts with righteousness (Psalm 7:10). Therefore, in this ongoing spiritual battle, the breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts by shielding us and keeping us under the cover of the Almighty God, keeping us in His grace, and keeping us centered on the peace that only God can give. Righteousness covers shame and guilt and gives us value in the presence of Christ.

Practical Application- Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness

• Protect your heart from bitterness and unforgiveness, malice, anger, gossip, being envious, etc (Titus 2:12).

• Renounce all ungodly behaviors and seek God’s righteousness by reading His word (1 Corinthians 15:34).

• Repent and accept God’s forgiveness.

• Obey God’s instructions which are laid out in His word (Psalm 106:3). Practicing mercy, compassion, self-control, being prayerful, giving praise to God, showing love, etc are ways to live a righteous life that honors God (Proverbs 21:21).

• Be mindful of your environment, the activities that you participate in, and the influences that shift your heart away from God. Avoid triggers or things that can ensnare you. Protect your heart at all costs with the righteousness of Christ (1Thesselonians 5:22-24).

• Become empowered by ‘feeding’ the Holy Spirit which lives in you – through prayer, reading of the word, and engaging in praise and worship. This leads to a heart more likely to seek after God (Colossians 3:16).  

Conclusion

Being victorious Spiritual warfare is vital for every believer and God has equipped us with an armor designed for guaranteed victory. Part 1 outlines the significance and use of the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteous. It is important that we fully understand how to battle spiritual wickedness by using the armor in our everyday lives and the attack that comes against us. Look out for Part 2 in which I will delve into the Feet Shod with the Gospel of Peace and the Shield of Faith. Part 3 will conclude with an examination of the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit.