DEFEND YOUR FAITH
ARMOR OF GOD
When Jesus was born, the Romans were in charge of the land. The Roman soldiers were equipped with armor that they used to fight and protect themselves. Their armor included a helmet, belt, breastplate, shoes, a shield, and a sword.
The sword was the piece of armor that was used to fight the enemy. The sword was their weapon and the rest of the armor was for protection.
These soldiers received large amounts of training on how to use their sword. They knew that just having a sword on their belt was useless unless they knew how to use it properly.
Ephesians 6 tells us about the armor of God. God gives us the same armor that He uses, and He doesn’t just give us a part of it. The Bible says,
“Put on all of God’s armor. Then you can remain strong against the devil’s evil plans”
(Eph. 6:11 NIrV).
Notice the Bible doesn’t say put on God’s armor so He can fight the devil for you. It says put on all of His armor so you can fight. God has given you the power and weapons to stand against Satan. And since it belongs to God, we know that nothing can overpower it (Rom. 8:31).
Belt of Truth
Truth is found in God's Word. To put on the belt of truth you must know what the Bible says and put God's Word into your heart. The belt means you are arming yourself with protection by taking the truth of God's Word and applying it to your life. It should be the basis for every decision you make, every word you say, and every thought you think. And you can't let Satan steal the truth from you by believing his lies and focusing on other things take your focus away from God. You must arm yourself with the truth so you can recognize Satan's lies.
Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate protects the heart and vital organs. As a soldier, your breastplate is the most important piece of protection and is connected to the belt. Righteousness does not come from you or what you do. It is a gift from God that we receive when we believe in Jesus. Protect your heart by being careful of what you hear, see and do. Read more about protecting your heart.
Feet Prepared for the Gospel of Peace
Make your feet prepared for the gospel of peace by being ready to share the message of Jesus and the peace there is between God and His people (see Romans 5:1). We can only receive true peace when we understand that God has saved us by grace through faith. We are not saved by being a good person.
Helmet of Salvation
Put on the helmet of salvation by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was sent to die on the cross for your sins and was raised back to life. We must remember that the helmet alone does not provide protection. There is more than just receiving salvation. God told us to put on His whole armor, not just His helmet.
Shield of Faith
We have faith in Jesus by believing, trusting, and relying on Him. Faith protects you from temptation of sin and believing Satan's evil schemes. It also allows you to receive the promises of God.
Sword of the Spirit
The sword of the spirit is the Word of God and it is your weapon. Read more about the sword below.
A LOOK AT OUR WEAPON
There is a battle going on for your heart and mind.
It is very important to know why you believe and be able to defend your faith. In 1 Peter 3:15, it says, "...be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you..." (NKJV). Not being equipped to give a reason why you believe can lead to frustration, doubt, and even abandoning your faith. (Read more about this here.) In today's culture, this is more important than ever before. However, we can't forget what Paul says: We are not in a battle "against flesh and blood" (Eph. 6:12).
Christians are not in a battle against atheists, evolutionists, or people of other religions. We have an enemy that has come to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10).
Are we spending too much time wrestling with human adversaries instead of using God's armor to battle the real enemy?
While apologetics is vitally important in today's world, preparing the next generation should not be solely based on being able to give a defense for why you believe. First and foremost, being prepared starts with having a personal relationship with God. We also can't avoid teaching youth about their real enemy who is prowling around like a roaring lion waiting for someone to swallow up (1 Peter 5:8). We are in a battle "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12 NIV).
While aspects of apologetics are vitally important, the next generation must also know how to use the armor of God to be able to defend their faith. When they are properly armed and trained to use it, Satan doesn't stand a chance. There is no better weapon or defense for your faith!
Hear a more detailed audio description for each piece of armor by clicking here.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.
The Bible tells us exactly what God’s sword is. It says, “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” (Eph. 6:17 NKJV). So how can we use the Word of God like a sword?
WE USE GOD'S SWORD BY SPEAKING HIS WORD.
If you are a follower of Jesus, did you know that you have already used God’s sword? You heard God’s Word (that Jesus died on the cross to save you from sin), you believed it, and then you spoke it (or prayed) to be saved from your sin. The Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9 NIV). When you asked Jesus into your heart, you used God's sword.
In Luke 4 it says when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He also used the sword of the Spirit. Satan spoke to Jesus and tried to get Him to sin. Jesus used the sword by speaking words from the book of Deuteronomy. Out of all the things Jesus could have done, He used the sword against Satan. We are told of four times that Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Each time, Jesus used the sword by speaking words found in the Bible. After the fourth time, the Bible says Satan “left Jesus until a better time” (Luke 4:13 NIrV). Satan realized he could not do anything to Jesus because Jesus was swinging His sword. If we resist Satan, he has to flee (James 4:7). God has given us His sword so we can do the same!
Satan's way of attacking you is in your mind. He can put thoughts into your mind or work through other people or ways (such as television, books, social media, etc.) to try to change your way of thinking. Let's look at a couple of examples of how to use God's sword against Satan.
In Philippians 4:19 it says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (NKJV)
If Satan tries to make you worry about money, clothing, food, or other needs you can say, "Satan, I rebuke you in Jesus' name. My God will supply all of my needs!"
WORRY
CONFIDENCE
In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (NIV)
If Satan tries to make you think you are not good enough or you are a bad person, say to him, "Satan, get away from me. I am the righteousness of God!"
FEAR
Fear does not come from God. Hebrews 13:6 says, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear." (NKJV)
If you find yourself feeling afraid, say, "God is my helper, I will not fear!"
Just as the Roman soldiers had to learn how to use their sword, it may take some practice to become comfortable with using yours. It is important to have verses from the Bible in your heart so you have them ready to use when you need them. Take time memorizing verses and be ready to use them with faith. Put God's Word into your heart, believe it, and then speak it. Satan has no choice but to flee from you. Remember, as a child of God you have the same power in you that raised Jesus from the dead! Satan is a created being and does not have anywhere near the power that God has.
PROTECTING YOUR HEART
In order to protect your faith and heart it is very important that you understanding the parable of the sower (found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:1-15). The key to protection is getting God's Word into your heart. Satan knows how important that is and the parable says he comes immediately to try to steal God's Word from you. Satan uses things like trouble, worry, distractions, fear, doubt....anything he can do to take your attention away from God and destroy the faith that you received from His Word. Faith can move mountains and Satan knows it. You must protect God's Word by protecting your heart.
Above everything else, guard your heart.
Everything you do comes from it.
Don’t speak with twisted words.
Keep evil talk away from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead.
Keep looking right in front of you.
Think carefully about the paths that your feet walk on.
Always choose the right ways.
Don’t turn to the right or left.
Keep your feet from the path of evil.
Proverbs 4:23-27 NIRV
Your eyes, mouth, feet, and ears have a huge impact on your life. Everything you do comes from your heart.
To put it simply- if you could see Jesus sitting right next to you, would He approve of what you are watching, saying, doing, and listening to?
We have an enemy who is looking for every way possible to lie to you and steal you away from God. The Bible says he has come to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). But here is an important point: If you are being deceived (or tricked) by Satan, you are not going to realize it is happening. Otherwise, you would say, Oh, that's just Satan and ignore him. Satan can put thoughts into your mind and make you think they are your own. He wants to put fear and worry and doubt in you. He tries to make sin look fun and harmless. He wants you to care what others think of you so you'll try to fit in and do what they are doing.
Satan battles with you in your mind. You have to learn how to defend your faith and stop him. The Bible says take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Take every thought that doesn't match up with the Bible and shoo it away immediately. Don't meditate on it (or think about for a while). If you do, it will get into your heart.
Every time you let something ungodly enter your heart, you are opening the door a little wider for Satan and nudging God out. Then all those things you let enter your heart will come back out of you in bad decisions that will result in bad consequences. Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy you.
Movies, television, video games, internet, books, magazines, music, places you go, things you think about, people you listen to - They all enter your heart and affect your whole life. They can keep you from hearing God's voice, receiving His promises, and prevent your prayers from being answered. If you think watching a rated R movie or listening to ungodly music does not affect your life, then you are being deceived by Satan without even realizing it.
If you want to defend your faith, it is essential that you renew your mind every day (Rom. 12:2). Read God's Word and focus on Him more than you do other things in this world. God has so many amazing things planned for your life. More amazing than you could ever plan for yourself. He wants to give you things that you didn't even realize you wanted. He will give you joy and peace and complete satisfaction. But you will not experience any of it if you do not guard your heart.
This will require you to be different than the rest of the world. It is good do be different and it is well worth it! This does not mean you must stop having fun. God made all the variety and beautiful things in this world for you to enjoy. But no matter how much "stuff" you do or buy, you will never be truly happy without having a personal relationship with our Creator. And this cannot happen if you are not guarding your heart and are filling it with worldly things instead.
If you want to read more about the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit, check out the Hidden Treasure Quest book series.
For FREE printable armor of God worksheets, click here.
We also have podcast episodes about God's armor. Click here.