STUDY FOUR – THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

PART ONE – FIVE PIECES OF ARMOUR

INDEX
INTRODUCTION
BELT OF TRUTH
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
SHOES OF READINESS
SHIELD OF FAITH
HELMET OF SALVATION

 


INTRODUCTION

A quick recap:

In the beginning, man ceded his authority to Lucifer, the guardian cherub, after being tempted into pride, ingratitude and finally rebellion. Thereafter, the entire universe was cursed, subject to the law of entropy. God, because His love is unchanging, had mercy on us and promised to send a Saviour who would redeem us from the curse.

In spite of all the enemy’s efforts to subvert the plan, the Saviour was born and survived. (See Matthew 2 for the account of Satan’s attempt to kill him.) As the Lamb of God, the propitiating sacrifice, He made atonement for our sin (both the sinfulness with which we are all born as well as our individual transgressions) and we receive this gift of forgiveness and eternal life by putting our faith in Him. From that moment we are no longer under the authority of the god of this world.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. (Colossians 1:13 NIV) 

But from the moment you receive your salvation (are born again spiritually), you have earned the hatred of the enemy and he will do everything in his power to prevent you from enjoying your new life in Christ. Because he has no power over you, he uses the one avenue open to him – your mind. He will tempt you into disobedience through a combination of half-truths and outright lies, often concealed within a germ of truth.

It is therefore imperative that you learn to use the spiritual weapons which God has provided to protect your mind, so that you do not fall prey to the wily attacks of the enemy, who actively seeks your destruction.

Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet shod with the readiness which comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:10-17a NIV)

The two-fold purpose of the armour:

  • To enable you to stand your ground, alert and watchful, because he is constantly on the prowl, like a roaring lion, looking out for an unwary or weakened prey. (1 Pt 5:8)
  • To enable you to resist him, for if you resist him he WILL flee, just as he fled from Jesus!

Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NIV)

We will start with the first piece of armour listed in Ephesians 6 – the Belt of Truth.