Armor of God #2 / Jennifer Peckmore
It would be crazy for a soldier to go into war without his armor; in the same way, it is crazy for a Christian to be in combat against the devil without being equipped with the full armor of God. Take a minute to consider what you think of when someone says the full armor of God. I believe many Christians would have no idea makes the armor of God. I hope as we dive deeper into the meaning of each piece you will understand how vital it is for the Christian walk. The first two pieces of armor listed in Ephesians 6 are the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.
Ephesians 6 says “having girded your loins with truth” (NASB). Some translations read “belt of truth.” When you think of a belt, you automatically know it keeps pants in place. In this scripture, the belt protects the abdomen and keeps garments out of the way. One could not fight effectively if their clothes were in the way. There are many people, opinions, and influences we need to keep out of our lives. It is very easy to become distracted when we let worldly views impact us or let culture tell us how our lives should look. These are things the devil uses to try and win battles against us.
Think for a moment on a cultural view that impacted or currently impacts your life. This may be a silly example, but I remember when “Selfie Sunday” was a thing when I was in high school. Girls would post selfies on this day; it became almost like a competition. ‘Who would get the most likes?’ was the ultimate goal. It was as if these ladies were letting people define how beautiful they were based off the number of likes the received. We are not defined by the amount of likes we get on social media, we are defined by who God says we are. He says we are loved, chosen, adopted, complete in him, forgiven, and so much more! With truth wrapped around us, we can realize what is from God and what comes from this world. It is important that we are influenced by scripture and not culture. The devil is constantly going to tell you lies. The belt of truth is vital for us; if we are “wrapped up” in truth, we will be less prone to believe these lies.
Secondly, Ephesians 6 reads, “having on the breastplate of righteousness” (NASB). The breastplate provides essential protection for vital organs. The heart and lungs are protected here, obviously we cannot live without these organs. It’s important we realize this righteousness is not from ourselves, but we receive righteousness through faith in Jesus. He came to earth to enact righteousness and we have the same call today. We will never fully live up to this call though, because we still give into sinful temptations.
It can be easy to become discouraged as a Christian if we focus on our shortcomings. Once someone places their faith in Jesus, it does not mean we do not sin anymore. We still fail every day, but we look to Jesus. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God,” Hebrews 12:2 (NASB). It becomes easy to serve when we know Jesus has provided right standing with God. We can press forward not because of anything we have done, but through His work in us. This is not an excuse to go and sin because we are righteous through Jesus; Jesus died so we could be empowered to live righteous lives.
It is very easy for me to fall into the lies of the devil and become discouraged when I do not feel I am doing enough to grow spiritually. This is when I remind myself of the breastplate of righteousness and the belt of truth. I do not have to be perfect because my righteousness comes from the Father. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus, the source our righteousness and goodness. I am not defined by the lies the devil tells me, but who Christ says I am. We must be mindful of who and what we are letting into our minds, the world or scripture. I hope this truth encourages you today.