We are engaged in a spiritual battle—all believers find themselves subject to the devil’s attacks because they are no longer on the devil’s side. Thus, Paul tells us to use every piece of God’s armor to resist the devil’s attacks and to stand true to God in the midst of those attacks.
Use: Truth
Application: The devil fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God’s truth, which can defeat the devil’s lies.
Use: Righteousness
Application: The devil often attacks our heart—the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God’s righteousness is the breastplate that protects our heart and ensures his approval. He approves of us because he loves us and sent his Son to die for us.
Use: The Gospel of Peace
Application: The devil wants us to think that telling others the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task—the size of the task is too big and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the shoes God gives us are the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in God—news everyone needs to hear.
Use: Faith
Application: What we see are the devil’s attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from the devil’s fiery arrows. With God’s perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.
Use: Salvation
Application: The devil wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our mind from doubting God’s saving work for us.
Use: Word of God
Application: The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor. There are times when we need to take the offensive against the devil. When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God’s Word.