This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.   Ephesians 6:13 HCSB

We’ve been talking about spiritual battle and how we must have a good understanding of who and what we will face. In Ephesians 6:14-18, Paul lists the gear we must have in order to be victorious in a spiritual battle.

Once you have the right mindset to go into battle, you must have the right gear. Think about our military, our police officers and our fire fighters. They each have protective gear used to protect them against the enemy whether it be another military force, criminals, or a raging fire. This gear is designed to keep them safe during the battle.

In a spiritual battle, God provides gear that keeps us safe and today I’d like to look at some of this gear. It’s also important for us to understand that we never know when we will face an attack, so we must always be suited up and ready for battle.

In Ephesians 6:14, Paul talks about standing with truth like a belt around your waist. In Paul’s day Roman soldiers wore a wide metal belt. This would protect the vital organs from attack. Truth protects us. John 8:32 says, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” And Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” We can’t get to heaven without the truth. When we accept Christ, we are accepting His truth. His salvation is our protection in battle. So, the belt of truth is an important piece of gear.

Verse 14 also says we should stand with righteousness like armor on our chest. Matthew 6:33 tells us to focus on God and His righteousness. It says that we must first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Simply put, our focus must remain on Jesus Christ. When we focus on Him, He will take good care of us. Our police officers wear bullet proof vests to protect the heart. Righteousness guards our hearts. This is why we must focus on God and His righteousness and strive to be righteous. This keeps our hearts protected. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we should want to be righteous. We should want to be in that right standing with God which we achieve by doing His will. We must focus on doing His will and in time His will and our will shall be the same.

Ephesians 6:15 tells us to stand with our feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. I used to always wonder what that meant, but when I had the Romans footwear for battle shown to me, I understood. The Romans wore these sandals which had metal cleats or spikes on the bottom. These were used for helping them to hold their footing on rocky terrain. It helped them to stand strong when the enemy came against them.

And when we speak of the readiness of the gospel of peace it means that above all as Christians, we should want peace. This means that instead of stirring trouble, we stand firm in the gospel and desire peace. There are many passages in Proverbs about this. Proverbs 18:6 says a fools lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. Proverbs 10:12 say that hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

As Christians we should want peace and we should never want to stir up strife or cause confusion or division among others. What shoes we wear into battle are very important. We can’t stand firm without the right footwear. Be sure you are covered by footwear that stands ready for the gospel of peace. Our feet should stand strong in times of trouble, run towards peace, and avoid walking into strife.

Have a great day!