I feel like this is a seriously lacking topic in todays age apart from 2 sections of Christianity that gets the most attention. The Catholic Churches section of deliverance, and the protestant push of deliverance ministries that usually fall into the charismatic movement. I think this topic is insanely misunderstood. I've seen people claim that just because they're going through a hard time, it's automatically the enemy. But people seem to ignore accountability, or human free will, and everything bad or negative is just blamed on the Devil like a scapegoat.
Could it be the enemy? Of course. We see an example of what Satan can do when he goes after Job. But I think automatically just attributing it to the enemy just ends up muddying the waters to the point that this entire topic just gets convoluted.
For instance, why is there such a push for "deliverance" ministries anyway? Christ warned that if you continue to sin after a demon is cast out, you are worse off than you were before as 7 more evil will return (Matthew 12:43-45). So why is it the churches go-to answer to just start casting demons out all over the place when Jesus didn't even do that? Instead of teaching what the Armor of God is, and how to use it, we just teach to use the bible like it's some magical spell, "just say this verse and demons flee!!" or "call on the name of Christ and they'll be gone!" And the world wonders why there is so many problems in the church today. No one seems to understand how brilliant Paul was when he gave us the concept of the Armor of God. So, I'd like to go over it quickly.
Belt of Truth - The enemy loves to play the "what if" games. Loves to confuse you, "Did God say that? Did God mean that? Was it God?" Putting on the belt of truth is as simple as going to the Word and putting that truth into practice. "What if" games don't stand a chance when you can read verses like,
Lamentations 3:22–23: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness". because you can know that no matter what you're stressing about, "What if you don't get paid, what if this person falsely accuses you..." that God's faithfulness will always see you through. No matter the issue, going to Him, your faith and trust in Him, can remove the anxiety, or stress you're dealing with and scripture proves Gods character and it is something you can put your faith and trust into.
Shoes of Peace- Symbolically, shoes are about readiness. Putting on your shoes is the last thing you do before you go walk something out. Scripture teaches that practicing and walking out Gods teachings, will give you peace. Knowing, is different than experience. Experience is so crucial because it shows you without a shadow of a doubt just how Faithful God truly is because its easy to dismiss opinions, or change view points but having proof before your eyes, will give you a sense of peace that no one can debate away.
Shield of Faith- This one is so interesting because it deflects the enemies attacks. No matter the attack, no matter what the enemy puts in your head (and trust me, they will do this... even Jesus was tempted), Faith (trust) in God will deflect those attacks easily. Because what can you be scared of when your complete trust is in the creator? If there is a point of your life you don't have trust in God with, then pray that the hole in the armor gets filled and your shield is 100% ready to deflect anything the enemy comes at you with.
Helmet of Salvation - A helmet protects the mind and most people think of possessions like they inhabit your chest. That's not true at all. The brain controls the function of your body, your speech and your memory. Everything is controlled by the mind. Possession is literally taking control OF your mind. Possession victims can have memory problems, do or say things that they didn't have any control in doing and most people think of possessions where someone is crawling up walls, or being held down on a bed, but the majority of possessions are subtle. Did something come out of your mouth that was polar opposite to what you thought or wanted to say? Does it happen regularly? Is what you said something that isn't righteous? Did it increase a problem instead of solve it? Do you find that you have a specific memory of things, that are proven to be false? And not just little things here and there, but big things that there is no way you could possibly misremember? Salvation protects you against possession. I know a lot of Christians like to argue against this, but that is absolutely false considering Paul was very specific about this... what protects your mind, protects you against possession, which is salvation. So if someone can be possessed, they are not saved. Hearing a voice in your head is not the same thing as possession too. I want to dispel that notion. Harassment and Possession are not the same thing. Any and every Christian can be harassed. But no truly saved person can be possessed.
Which brings me to the next piece: the Breastplate of Righteousness. Deuteronomy 6:25 tells us that obedience to God's commandments is righteousness: "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments..." Paul is speaking to believers about how to stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11), so the context is our daily walk, not how we first become saved. Imputed righteousness through Christ concerns our justification before God, whereas the breastplate concerns living righteously as protection against sin and the enemy's attacks. If Paul were referring only to our positional righteousness in Christ, it would overlap significantly with the Helmet of Salvation, which already addresses our standing as those who have been saved. Instead, Paul distinguishes salvation from righteous living. A person may outwardly keep God's law yet reject Christ and therefore lack salvation. On the other hand, they may believe in Jesus, but fail to walk in righteousness through disobedience (sin). This section is addressing someone's conduct and the protection that comes from walking in righteousness. I'm trying to make that distinguishment so this doesn't turn into a salvation argument of what constitutes as salvation. So in this section, Paul is saying that sin, keeps you open to the enemy. But why the breastplate? Because righteousness protects your heart. Luke 6:45- "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." So righteousness protects your heart from turning evil, and you are more likely to reject evil the more you walk in righteousness.
Lastly, the Sword of the Spirit - While this can be used offensively (going after false doctrine, bringing people to faith, exposing the enemy), it can also be used defensively. When false doctrine attacks you, or when deception or temptation come your way. Using not just scripture, but knowing the shepherds voice which can actively help you in real time. God's voice is a two edged sword (Revelation 1:16, 19:15), and that can be used to parry an attack, not just to attack. This merges into the spiritual gifts, how God's spirit can be used and in this instance, Paul is linking it symbolically as a sword.
I hope that as the world becomes darker, as we grow ever closer to the Lord's return, that this can help someone in their daily life. Growing closer to God, walking with God, putting your 100% faith and trust in Him as you walk out the way He says we ought to live and using each piece of this fabulous armor, can help give you peace and protection no matter what the enemy throws at you.
Could it be the enemy? Of course. We see an example of what Satan can do when he goes after Job. But I think automatically just attributing it to the enemy just ends up muddying the waters to the point that this entire topic just gets convoluted.
For instance, why is there such a push for "deliverance" ministries anyway? Christ warned that if you continue to sin after a demon is cast out, you are worse off than you were before as 7 more evil will return (Matthew 12:43-45). So why is it the churches go-to answer to just start casting demons out all over the place when Jesus didn't even do that? Instead of teaching what the Armor of God is, and how to use it, we just teach to use the bible like it's some magical spell, "just say this verse and demons flee!!" or "call on the name of Christ and they'll be gone!" And the world wonders why there is so many problems in the church today. No one seems to understand how brilliant Paul was when he gave us the concept of the Armor of God. So, I'd like to go over it quickly.
Belt of Truth - The enemy loves to play the "what if" games. Loves to confuse you, "Did God say that? Did God mean that? Was it God?" Putting on the belt of truth is as simple as going to the Word and putting that truth into practice. "What if" games don't stand a chance when you can read verses like,
Lamentations 3:22–23: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness". because you can know that no matter what you're stressing about, "What if you don't get paid, what if this person falsely accuses you..." that God's faithfulness will always see you through. No matter the issue, going to Him, your faith and trust in Him, can remove the anxiety, or stress you're dealing with and scripture proves Gods character and it is something you can put your faith and trust into.
Shoes of Peace- Symbolically, shoes are about readiness. Putting on your shoes is the last thing you do before you go walk something out. Scripture teaches that practicing and walking out Gods teachings, will give you peace. Knowing, is different than experience. Experience is so crucial because it shows you without a shadow of a doubt just how Faithful God truly is because its easy to dismiss opinions, or change view points but having proof before your eyes, will give you a sense of peace that no one can debate away.
Shield of Faith- This one is so interesting because it deflects the enemies attacks. No matter the attack, no matter what the enemy puts in your head (and trust me, they will do this... even Jesus was tempted), Faith (trust) in God will deflect those attacks easily. Because what can you be scared of when your complete trust is in the creator? If there is a point of your life you don't have trust in God with, then pray that the hole in the armor gets filled and your shield is 100% ready to deflect anything the enemy comes at you with.
Helmet of Salvation - A helmet protects the mind and most people think of possessions like they inhabit your chest. That's not true at all. The brain controls the function of your body, your speech and your memory. Everything is controlled by the mind. Possession is literally taking control OF your mind. Possession victims can have memory problems, do or say things that they didn't have any control in doing and most people think of possessions where someone is crawling up walls, or being held down on a bed, but the majority of possessions are subtle. Did something come out of your mouth that was polar opposite to what you thought or wanted to say? Does it happen regularly? Is what you said something that isn't righteous? Did it increase a problem instead of solve it? Do you find that you have a specific memory of things, that are proven to be false? And not just little things here and there, but big things that there is no way you could possibly misremember? Salvation protects you against possession. I know a lot of Christians like to argue against this, but that is absolutely false considering Paul was very specific about this... what protects your mind, protects you against possession, which is salvation. So if someone can be possessed, they are not saved. Hearing a voice in your head is not the same thing as possession too. I want to dispel that notion. Harassment and Possession are not the same thing. Any and every Christian can be harassed. But no truly saved person can be possessed.
Which brings me to the next piece: the Breastplate of Righteousness. Deuteronomy 6:25 tells us that obedience to God's commandments is righteousness: "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments..." Paul is speaking to believers about how to stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11), so the context is our daily walk, not how we first become saved. Imputed righteousness through Christ concerns our justification before God, whereas the breastplate concerns living righteously as protection against sin and the enemy's attacks. If Paul were referring only to our positional righteousness in Christ, it would overlap significantly with the Helmet of Salvation, which already addresses our standing as those who have been saved. Instead, Paul distinguishes salvation from righteous living. A person may outwardly keep God's law yet reject Christ and therefore lack salvation. On the other hand, they may believe in Jesus, but fail to walk in righteousness through disobedience (sin). This section is addressing someone's conduct and the protection that comes from walking in righteousness. I'm trying to make that distinguishment so this doesn't turn into a salvation argument of what constitutes as salvation. So in this section, Paul is saying that sin, keeps you open to the enemy. But why the breastplate? Because righteousness protects your heart. Luke 6:45- "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." So righteousness protects your heart from turning evil, and you are more likely to reject evil the more you walk in righteousness.
Lastly, the Sword of the Spirit - While this can be used offensively (going after false doctrine, bringing people to faith, exposing the enemy), it can also be used defensively. When false doctrine attacks you, or when deception or temptation come your way. Using not just scripture, but knowing the shepherds voice which can actively help you in real time. God's voice is a two edged sword (Revelation 1:16, 19:15), and that can be used to parry an attack, not just to attack. This merges into the spiritual gifts, how God's spirit can be used and in this instance, Paul is linking it symbolically as a sword.
I hope that as the world becomes darker, as we grow ever closer to the Lord's return, that this can help someone in their daily life. Growing closer to God, walking with God, putting your 100% faith and trust in Him as you walk out the way He says we ought to live and using each piece of this fabulous armor, can help give you peace and protection no matter what the enemy throws at you.
