Certainly all of us are aware of the horrors faced in Iraq. Haunting images of men and women in camouflage walking through debris-laden streets stained with faded crimson spots of humanity and litered with bombed vehicles twisted into sculptures of terror, scream of man’s ruthlessness and testify to his diseased rational and odious heart! These sights demonstrate the need for our armed forces to be fully dressed in ready combat gear; gear aimed at self-protection and survival. The troops must be ever alert to the constant perils; ever ready to defend!

Although most of us will never tread the explosive streets of Baghdad, scout the caves of Afghanistan, or witness the destruction and devastation of a physical battle, each born-again believer is fiercely locked into an ongoing and powerful spiritual battle commanded by the prince and power of the air … Satan! (Ephesians 2:2) This is a battle so unrelenting that, just as a military combatant is issued protective clothing, God has equipped each believer (Christian soldiers) with the Armor of God!

Drawing examples from the Roman soldiers, Apostle Paul penned the crucial elements of God's Armor (Ephesians 6:11-17) All six components which constitute this armor are absolutely essential in accomplishing victory over the “wiles of the devil”; each item imperative for our spiritual triumph.

The Armor of God:

The belt is the truth that encompasses our very being. We must gird ourselves with the truthfulness of God’s word, making it the anchor in our campaign against Satan.

Righteousness or holiness is the breastplate that guards our heart and protects us from Satan’s damning arrows of deceit (Philippians 3:9).

The gospel of peace is the boots that allow us to stand steady for Christ. Just as the Roman soldiers wore boots with nails to firmly grip, Christians when shod with the gospel of peace, will march sure-footed for the cause of Christ, while maintaining their balance as they stomp the enemy underfoot! “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20)

The shield of faith (trust in Jesus Christ) will fortify our ability to resist Satan’s fiery darts of lust, wicked thoughts and various temptations (I John 5:4).

Salvation is the helmet that protects our head, thus our mind. Satan will repeatedly assault our thinking, creating a nagging uneasiness to cloud our personal knowledge of salvation. A secure ‘helmet’ of unassailable certainty rooted in the knowledge that Jesus’s death and resurrection purchased our eternal salvation will deflect the enemy’s harsh blows of doubt. (Isaiah 59:17)

The Word of God is the sword of the spirit. The warriors of Paul’s day had but one type of weapon … the sword. In our spiritual battle, we, too, need but one weapon – God’s WORD! Scripture tells us that “the sword of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword”. (Hebrews 4:12). Just as the Romans used two-edged swords to rip asunder their enemies, the Word of God can render lethal wounds to the deceitfulness of Satan!

In order to wage a winning military operation, continuous communication must be maintained with command headquarters. Prayer is the channel through which we believers maintain communications with our commander-in-chief. As we daily pray for guidance and spiritual strength, our heavenly leader will provide the divine power required to fight our adversary! Although not a piece of God’s armor, prayer is a vital weapon in our holy arsenal. (Ephesians 6:18)

Indeed, a Christian’s life is a battlefield of sneak attacks and frontal assaults. When Satan lobs grenades of doubt and conflict, fires missiles of false teachings, and ignites bombs of temptation in his ceaseless campaign to render Christ’s followers ineffective, Christians must be alert and quick to defend! The believer, therefore, ust always be combat ready by being fully clothed in God’s armor; being armed with God’s ammunition; and being obedient to His divinely written communique – His Holy WORD! “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds…” (II Corinthians 10:4)

Fully surrender to God and become a soldier in God’s army, bolding marching against Satan as the Cross of Jesus proudly proclaims our stand as we march onward and upward, claiming victory in Jesus! “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

Nancy Hamilton