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Bible Study Lesson's - Page 5
Spiritual Warfare
(Armor of God – part #2)
The Defensive Pieces
Eph 6:14 – 20; “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.” (Ref. - Is 52:7; 1 Jn 5:4; Lk 18:1; Col 4:3)
Girdle of Truth: This is not just the truth of the gospel, but living our lives in truthfulness. Jesus said in John 3:21: “But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Jesus said in Jn 14:6 says, “I Am the truth.” Not only must we speak the truth, we must Live the truth. We must use Jesus as our example as the living truth (Jn 18:37). Only by living in truth, Put on the girdle of truth will you be able to stand on the word against evil powers. If not, we leave an open door or gap, which will open us up to attacks from the enemy.
In Paul's day, having the loins girded up meant the Roman soldiers were ready for battle, or on active duty. So in today's evil age, it is an absolute necessity to Put on the Truth so we will be ready for active duty in spiritual battle.
Breastplate of Righteousness: This is the second piece in God's armor to help us stand. The breastplate was metal used to protect the front of the soldier and its sole purpose was to protect the heart. It was like a bullet proof vest used in this day and time.
The putting on of righteousness is not what was given to us at salvation because we already have this, as in Rom 3:22. This is something the believers DO, It is Putting on or Taking up, and it is how the believers Live (Titus 2:12). This is the righteousness that a Christian Pursues.
1 Tim 6:11 tells us,”But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”
Having the breastplate or righteousness is obeying God's requirements (Rom 6:12,13). Therefore, it's important that you don't let sin reign in your mortal body, but let the word of God reign in your body. Then you can stand against evil powers.
Shoes of Peace: This is the foothold of standing. This is a defensive stance, like the stance a martial artist takes before he defends or strikes.
The peace the believer has with God through justification at salvation (Rom 5:1), and the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds in Jesus (Php 4:7). It's also the assurance that “He that is within you Jesus is greater than he that is in the world Satan (1Jn 4:4). It is the incredible peace that comes from knowing our ruler, Jesus is victorious – and that we can have complete confidence in the ability to STAND in Him!!!
Christians need to realize that we can't expect to run around barefooted and expect not to have our feet protected from stones and stickers. This is why we must put on the shoes of peace and stand for Christ.
