It’s not a far stretch of the imagination to conclude that we are in spiritual warfare. The apostle Paul said that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places; we are to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11-17)
The Armor:
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Shoes of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (verse. 13).
We should never take any piece of God’s armor off, not that anyone would knowingly. But, if we aren’t paying attention, Satan has ways of slithering in like a laser removing pieces that we’re unaware are missing until we’re in a battle. For example, the shoes of peace are the easiest for him to remove by setting us up against one another.
I learned something new about the armor the other day when Satan attacked me. From my outer appearance, I looked like a fierce warrior on the battlefield; for every lie he told, I held up the shield (faith) and cut him with the sword (the Word). This back and forth went on for almost an hour; I never caved in, but when it was over, I felt defeated. So, I asked the Holy Spirit, “Did I do something wrong?”
The Holy Spirit whispered in my spirit: You didn’t have the helmet on—that’s why you thought—you were defeated.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (verse 17)
Never take the helmet off.
Now I’m beginning to see, in my opinion, the helmet of salvation, walking in the confidence of Christ, is the glue that holds the armor together because it protects the mind where wrong thinking starts. Continually reminding ourselves who we are in Him is one way to stay victorious (see 2 Corthinains 5:17). When our thinking is defective, it leaves portals for the enemy to insert fears, doubts, and other mind-controlling emotions, like him telling me I was defeated when I really wasn’t.
Therefore, when we start each day, we should ask the Holy Spirit if we are dressed adequately for battle—are we leaving any pieces behind?
© 2022
See you next time on Paulette Talks Faith.