Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11

When in prison, Paul was surrounded by Roman soldiers who were never without their full armor. The metaphor of armor was not missed on Paul.

The Full Armor of God

He says to put on the:

Belt of truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

It can feel like we are at war can’t it? We use the word fight a lot in our culture. We fight cancer, racism, ageism, depression, and a million other things.

There is social unrest and political unrest happening all around us.

And then there’s the devil who will take every opportunity to get us to feel discouraged and lose hope, robbing us of peace and joy.

It is in times like these that we need to suit up each day with the armor of God. The quality of our life – that abundant and joy-filled life that Jesus promised depends on it.

This spiritual armor is powerful. Unlike Roman armor, it’s not heavy. It’s light. But our own armor is another story.

When You Put on Your Own Armor

Armor is meant for battle. Armor is heavy. It’s not meant to be worn all the time. This armor is used for self-protection. It’s understandable, especially if you have been wounded by someone.

Armor’s weight will cause you to grow weary, using up your energy to be constantly guarded.

When you are armored up, you keep out love, intimacy, and vulnerability.

At its worst, this armor can prevent intimacy with God.

Let Down Your Armor

Are you armored up with self-protection? Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Self-protection blocks the truth that “in the beginning” it was good – before life knocked us around and we developed broken places.

This armor blocks self-acceptance – being able to discover what pain is there in order to heal.

God is in the restoration business, always extending love and grace to restore us to wholeness. We need only to drop our armor and accept God’s loving, healing power and peaceful presence.

So, armor up with the whole armor of God to protect your joy and drop your armor of self-protection to live from a place of truth, peace, and freedom.

All the books, meditations, and courses I’ve created are simple but powerful resources to help you connect more deeply with God so that you can not only have greater peace, but find healing and inner strength so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil.

Do you know why you’re armored up? Journaling is a great way to discover what’s under that armor so that you can let it go. Discover exactly how in this self-guided journal class.