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. Stand therefore with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:13-15 HCSB

Protective gear makes no sense if all of it is not used. Firemen rushing into a burning building wearing their hats with jeans and a t-shirt would make no sense. A soldier wearing a vest with no helmet wouldn’t seem right either would it? A catcher simply wearing the breast plate without the face shield wouldn’t be good. So, why would we only wear part of the armor that God provides for us. Today, I want to talk about the first three pieces of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6.

First, he mentions truth. If we can’t be truthful, the rest of the armor is useless to us. We must begin with truth. Like a belt, it is what holds everything else up and securely in place. We all know people that would rather climb a tree and lie than stand flat footed on the ground and speak the truth. Proverbs 12:22 tells us that lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight. We must be truthful.

Next Paul speaks of the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate is what we think of when we think of things like bullet proof vests. They protect the heart as well as other vital organs. Righteousness is a necessity for the Christian. Righteousness is right standing with God or being in a right relationship with Him. It’s not something we can have on our own because we are sinful by nature. But it’s something that God can grant to us. We will never be totally deserving of it, but God gives us credit for being faithful. We are told in Genesis 15:6, it tells us that Abraham believed the LORD and He credited it to him as righteousness. We can’t please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). We can’t have righteousness without being in a right relationship with God. Righteousness is the piece of armor that protects the heart.

Then Paul mentions having your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. We often think about how they wore sandals back in Paul’s day. When you think of sandals, you think that they are not very protective footwear, right? But the sandals worn by Roman soldiers were fitted with metal spikes on the bottom. Often they would be fighting in muddy or rough terrain. These spikes helped them to maintain their footing or stand firm. Charles Spurgeon said that the right shoes can help to make the rough roads smooth. As Christians we should always have shoes that keep us on the path that pursues peace. Romans 12:8 says that if it is possible that we should live peaceably with all.

You can see from the first three pieces of armor mentioned that they all work together. You can’t have righteousness with truth and peace. You will never have peace in your life without truth and righteousness. They all go hand in hand. We are told to take up the full armor of God. This means that it is provided, but it’s up to us to put it on each and every day.

We know that unlike God, the devil is not omnipresent. He can’t be everywhere at once. But he has many troops working with him. He had plenty of demons to do his bidding and works through many unsuspecting people. Because we never know when and where we will encounter the devil, we must be protected at all times. So before you go out into this cold, cruel world, suit up so that you can stand firm.

Have a great day!