Ephesians 6:13-18
For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. Stand, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals. At all times, hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. Also, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. At every opportunity, pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and petition. Stay alert for the same reason, always persevering in your intercession for all the saints.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for providing us with the full armor we need to be protected from the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. You know how vulnerable we are against these attacks that will come our way.
You give us your truth as a belt, which holds everything to us. The world questions these truths: creation, Jesus, salvation, and resurrection. Your buckle will never fail!
We put on righteousness as a breastplate to protect our hearts. We are made right with you through faith. It is the faith your Holy Spirit created in us that guards our hearts.
The gospel of peace is tied to our feet so that we can be swift. We hold to the peace you gave us through Jesus; this is the peace that moves us through the day. The world claims to want peace but only delivers division and divisiveness. It can never bring the lasting peace you have already won for us. The forgiveness of sins is the only peace, and it comes through the gospel that lifts us up.
You give us the shield of faith, trusting in what you have done through Jesus. We take cover behind this shield, knowing that you loved us so much you sent your Son to take all our sins into himself. Through faith in Jesus, the devil’s flaming arrows of sin and guilt are extinguished. Jesus has put them out.
Knowing we have salvation, our thoughts are protected, we make choices out of love for you. Because we are saved, you have declared us not guilty; we are sanctified to live holy lives dedicated to you.
Finally, you have equipped us with the sword of your word for both defense and offense. We need to defend ourselves when we are battling in close hand-to-hand attacks from our sinful flesh. We also use this sword to penetrate even the hardest of unbelieving hearts.
Lord, you give us all this protection, and you don’t stop there. You encourage us to all pray through the Spirit. We pray that you would provide all saints still in the fight the skill to use their weapons and the alertness to defend against the evil attacks. Today sustain all the saints in the battle. Grant us opportunities to wield the sword of your word, to plant new seeds of faith in those who have not yet put on the full armor. Thank you for protecting and sustaining us and all saints. Amen.
Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s armor is the only actual protection. Anything else we might come up with would be like putting on a child’s paper costume.