“What is the full armour of God?”……The phrase "full armor of God" comes from:

Ephesians 6:13-17…13 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.( Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.

16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (Greek the evil one.)17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. …Scripture clearly indicates that the conflict with Satan is spiritual, and therefore no tangible weapons can be effectively employed against him and his minions. We are not given a list of specific tactics that Satan will use.

Ephesians 6:12

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

However, the passage is quite clear that when we follow all the instructions faithfully, we will be able to stand, and we will have victory regardless of Satan's strategy. In this passage we are told that our primary battles are of a spiritual nature and that we need spiritual armour to be able to stand firm in the midst of these battles.

What do these pieces of spiritual armor represent in spiritual warfare? ……The First item in our arsenal is mentioned in verse 14.…The Belt of truth:…Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth

This is easy to understand. One of Satan’s greatest offensive tactics is to deceive us; since Satan is said to be the "father of lies"…John 8:44

44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Proverbs 6:16-17…16 There are six things the Lord hates- no, seven things he detests:…17 haughty eyes (proud), a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,…Colossians 3:9 says:…"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."…Lying is listed in 1Timothey 1:9-11 as something practiced by the lawless. …9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders…10 The law is for people are liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our bless…Jesus called Himself the way, the truth, and the life…John 14:6…6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.…and He expects those who follow Him to be people of truth. …The truth is to be expressed in love…Ephesians 4:15…15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church., offering hope to those seeking redemption from the lies of the world.…Deception is high on the list of things God considers to be an abomination. …A "lying tongue" is one of the things He describes as "detestable to Him" We are therefore encouraged to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, as well as for the benefit of those to whom we witness. …A belt holds the other pieces of clothing and armour together. It secures the outfit and allows a soldier to move freely. Truth both secures us and gives us freedom…John 8:32…32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.".…With the belt of truth around our waists, we are prepared to defend against the temptation to tell a lie no matter how small it may be.…This truth also applies to the way we live our lives.…When we live with honesty and integrity, the other pieces of our armour ├ö├ç├┤ what could be considered our spiritual selves ├ö├ç├┤ stay intact.

A life of integrity is not easily torn apart; integrity keeps your life together.

The Second element of our armour that we are told to put on, we also find in verse 14, The breastplate of righteousness: This armour covers our hearts and other vital organs. …In a sense, the breastplate covers the most vulnerable areas of a warrior. God urges us to protect our hearts…Proverbs 4:23…23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.The righteousness that guards a believer’s heart we find in: …2Corinthians 5:21…21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, (Or to become sin itself) so that we could be made right with God through Christ.…Jesus made us righteous in God's eyes, that means in His eye we are now – good, virtuous, blameless, innocent, spotless, clean, without blemish, pure and we should know that, we are righteousness because of JesusChrist .…A breastplate shielded a warrior's vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal. This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, given to us by God and received by faith, guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.……The Thirdelement of our armour that we are told to put onare shoes – verse 15 tells us …about the Footwear of the readiness of the gospel: 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.(Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God)…Our feet are to be “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” …Because we know the good news of Christ and by that knowledge we experience peace in Him …John 14:27…27 "I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. …Knowing that we have this peace our feet are willing to move. …In obedience to Christ, the shoes will help us to flee, run from temptations …1 Corinthians 10:14…14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.…1 Timothy 6:11…11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.…2 Timothy 2:22…22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

This verse reminds us that in life we may wander into dangerous areas and that we should prepare our feet for spiritual conflict.

In warfare, sometimes an enemy places dangerous obstacles in the path of an advancing soldier. The idea of the preparation of the gospel of peace as footwear suggests what we need to advance into Satan’s territory, with the awareness that there will be traps, when carrying the message of grace that is so essential to winning souls for Christ. Satan has many obstacles placed in the path to halt the spreading of the gospel.…But with these shoes on we must also be prepared to walk His ways, in other words into places that He might call us to go to, the way that He might direct us to go…Psalm 86:11…11 Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!…Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honour you.…Isaiah 30:21…21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,…"This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left.…John 15:10…10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

The Fourthelement of our armour that we are told to put on is in verse 16…16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (Greek the evil one.)…The Shield of faith: is used to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”. …Faith is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and substantial.…Faith is probably the most important thing in a believers life, Faith is taking God at His word.…And His word defines it in :

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.…And we are reminded in:…Romans 1:17…"The just shall live by faith" and …

1 John 5:4… "This is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith."…God has given each one of us as a gift a measure of faith.…Romans 12:3b…Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.(Or by the faith God has given you; or by the standard of our God-given faith.)……When Satan attacks us, our faith in Christ softens the blow. We are able to withstand the attack because we know whom we believe in and that we place our trust in Him…2 Timothy 1:12…12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him (Or what has been entrusted to me.) until the day of his return.…We should effectively use the shield of faith to protect us against Satan’s sowing of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word and of our faith ├ö├ç├┤ in Christ the author and perfecter of that faith …Hebrews 12:2…2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.…Proverbs 3:5-6…5 Trust (have faith) in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.…6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ……The Christian’s faith is the confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.…A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us.……The Fifthelement of our armour is in verse 17…17 Put on salvation as your helmet…Helmet of salvation: A helmet protects the brain, the head, basically our mindsa critical part of the body. It is because of salvation that our minds can be sound and it is because of our minds that we can be sure of our salvation. We could say that our way of thinking needs protection. The head is the seat of the mind and when someone or something gets hold of it, it could cloud our thoughts, but with the helmet of salvation on our heads we are assured of the hope that live within us, it protects us against false doctrine or give way to Satan's temptations. Being sure of our salvation is what it is all about asbeliever, and that assurance and understanding is the reason and purpose for believing in Jesus Christ and this includes understanding the deity of Christ, the meaning of the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Lord, and it was the mind that convinced us to cross the line of faith the day when we received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.…The unsaved person has no hope of warding off the blows of false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation and his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth and spiritual deception. …We are assured of our eternity, and we are now righteous receivers of peace, we walk in faith, because we know the truth. Our minds are protected because of Jesus’ work on the cross; we have been given the mind of Christ…1 Corinthians 2:12-16…12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.…13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.[a]14 But people who aren't spiritual[] can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.16 For, "Who can know the Lord's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

A helmet can also serve as a signifier. When the enemy looks at us, he sees that we belong to Christ. We carry with us the seal of the Holy Spirit.…Ephesians 1:13-14…13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[a] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

…The Sixthelement of our armour that we are told to put on we find in verse 17 as well…Sword of the Spirit:This sword is the last piece of armor Paul describes, while all the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive in nature, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. There is no greater spiritual weapon. In Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing is it not, that the same Word is available to us!…The sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. But what exactly is the word of God, and why is it an effective sword?…The word of God includes …His written Word (the Bible)…God’s incarnate Word (Jesus as Logos), and God’s spoken Word (the Holy Spirit within us). …We are told,that the word of God is living and active. …Hebrews 4:12…12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.…Scripture is mentioned as being “God-breathed.…2Timothy 3:16…16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.…” When God spoke creation came into existence. He breathed life into man. There is power in the Word of God; this is why it is our best offense.…In order to use a sword to its fullest effect, a soldier must be trained with it. We, too, should be trained in the word of God. This is why memorizing Scripture and cultivating sensitivity toward the Holy Spirit is important. If we do not know how to handle our sword, it will not do us much good in battle.…Last but not least…In verse 18, we are told to pray in the Spirit (that is, with the mind of Christ, with His heart and His priorities) in addition to wearing the full armor of God. …We should not neglect prayer, as it is the means by which we draw spiritual strength from God. …Without prayer and without reliance upon God, our efforts at spiritual warfare are empty and futile. …Let's recap what the full armour of God represents:

truth

righteousness…readiness of the gospel

faith

salvation

Word of God

Prayer…These are the tools God has given us, through which we can be spiritually victorious, overcoming Satan's attacks and temptations.…

We are to speak the truth against Satan's lies.…We are to rest in the fact that we are declared righteous because of Christ's sacrifice for us.…We are to proclaim the gospel no matter how much resistance we receive. …We are not to waver in our faith, no matter how strongly we are attacked.

Our ultimate defense is the assurance we have of our salvation, this assurance is that no spiritual force can ever it take away. …Our offensive weapon is the Word of God, not our own opinions and feelings, and if we are to attack Satan with the word then we are to be soldiers that know the word, be trained in using it at all times .

We are to follow Jesus' example in recognizing that some spiritual victories are only possible through prayer.…We should remember that while we wage spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons, not every sin or problem is a demon that needs to be rebuked.

The Whole Armor of God…By Tim Greenwood

My reason for presenting this subject is this. When I was so desperately ill and was told that there was no hope for me, I didn’t know any of this. I mean, I knew as head knowledge, what the scripture said and what the parts of the armor were, but I didn’t know in my heart what it all was supposed to mean to me. I didn’t know what was included in salvation, or how to use the sword and shield. I did not know that I was made the righteousness of God and what all that that meant for me, in fact I was taught how unworthy I was and how I should think of myself as a lowly worm. And my concept of the gospel other than that the 'Greek' meant 'good news' — was totally off.

The lack of this knowledge very nearly cost me my life. And, I don’t want it to cost you yours. So here we go.

The Whole Armor of God

Paul the Apostle wrote the book of Ephesians during a time when he was in Rome under an unusual type of arrest. This arrest allowed him to reside in his own house, and come and go, but required him to be continually chained to a Roman soldier. For this reason, Paul became very knowledgeable about the armor and implements of warfare belonging to the man to which he was chained.

Paul refers to the whole armor (panoplia, pan-op-lee’-ah) as being one word as opposed to two, and seems to imply that the armor was an all or nothing proposition. Then he tells us what the armor is for. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So the armor is for us to take a stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood.So it is not to be used against mankind. Unfortunately, the first thing some new believers do is to put on the armor and begin to do battle with unbelievers. Just as bad are the believers that do battle with other believers. But this is not what the armor of God is for.

He speaks of the wiles (methodeia) of the devil. Methodeia is a Greek word that denotes a path or roadway that is traveled over. This is because the devil continuously attempts to secure a foothold so that he may begin construction of a roadway to your mind.

Next we are briefed on who the enemy is.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (chiefs) against powers (authorities) against the (world) rulers of the darkness (obscurity) of this world (age or time) against spiritual (supernatural) wickedness (malicious hurtfulness) in high places(above the sky).

This is the hierarchy of the devil and all his lower level devils and demons. From his perspective, he is the god of this world and has a pecking order of intelligent princes and mindless grunts to do his works of oppression (influence, depression, oppression, obsession and possession).

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand (resist) in the evil day, and having done all, to stand, stand therefore

So here again we see that we are to take a stand of resistance against the devil and all of his cohorts. And by extension, we are to stand in resistance against all the works of the devil. James 4:7 says resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

I want to point out that this is the armor of an intercessor, and that intercession is much more than prayer! This is Jesus' armor!

Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

Now let’s examine each piece of the armor that Paul is describing.

The Belt (Girt) of Truth

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.

Paul called this the belt of 'Truth'. What could he have been referring to?

In John 17:17 Jesus says, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth."

The written Word (or logos) of God, the Bible is that 'Truth.' Does this mean the New Testament and the Old Testament? The first chapter of John also reveals that Jesus was (and is) the living Word of God, and that He, Jesus, was the God (Eloiem) of the Old Testament as well as the Incarnate Word of the New Testament.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

2 Cor 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

Just as the belt is central to the armor of God, the written Word of God (the Bible) is central to all that pertains to spiritual warfare. Knowing by the written Word that we have been made and are the righteousness of God, will tightly secure our breastplate of righteousness. Faith (the shield) comes by hearing the Word of God. Also, we are to fill our hearts with the Word of God. In this case, the scabbard, which holds the sword, could represent the heart filled by the Word of God. And "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." When our heart is full of the written Word, we can unsheathe the sword of the spoken Word of God. When we hear the Word of the Spirit speak to our spirit, we can always test what was said by comparing it to the written Word. We can be confident that we are in the will of God by knowing, living by and walking in the promises of the written record of the Word of God.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:

Hold up your Bible and repeat this confession:

This is my bible.

It is the Incorruptible,

the Indestructible,

Ever-living seed,

of the Word of God.

I am what it says I am.

I have what it says I have.

I can do what it says I can do.

In Jesus’ name.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Stand therefore,  having on the breastplate of righteousness;

2 Cor 5:21 Forhe hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus, who was righteous, took on and bore every form of sin and darkness that belonged to us, and in exchange, placed on us His righteousness, making us (you and me) the righteousness of God!

What is righteousness? It simply means, "Right standing before God." Or in legal terms it means being found innocent. Just as Justification is the act of being acquitted.

In 2 Cor 6:7 Paul first refers to righteousness as 'armor,' which most likely came from the book of Isaiah.

Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate.

All too many Christians do not know that they have been made righteous. The majority of all Christians are right now walking in constant guilt and condemnation, feeling like failures and not 'worthy' to serve God or receive anything from Him. The devil is constantly bombarding man with missiles of lies and accusations and reminders of past sin. Without the breastplate of righteousness, these missiles will penetrate your heart.

Also, the devil will try to talk you out of your breastplate. He will ‘tell’ you that you are not righteous, not worthy. He will throw the sins of your past right into your face. The very sins that you have been acquitted of, the very sins that God has removed as if never existing.

Here are just a few scriptures on righteousness:

Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

This is saying that the righteous will always be able to outlast the wicked.

Prov 10:30 The righteous shall never be removed:

Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe

Rom 5:17 For if by one man’s (Adam’s) offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ

Man was an eternal criminal before God and could not approach His throne. But now, because Jesus graciously gave the believer His righteousness, then all the believer has to do is to receive it by faith, and it changes him! He has been found innocent of all charges and is righteous in the eyes of God. He can now boldly approach the throne of God.

God has freely imparted righteousness to you and that righteousness serves you as a beautiful and effective breastplate.

It is a God-given righteousness. It will give a boldness and confidence you never thought possible.

When you know you wear the breastplate of righteousness, you will pray in power and authority.

See yourself as God sees you!

Say it! I am the righteousness of God!

I have on the breastplate of righteousness!

The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

Stand therefore, having  your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Before you go somewhere, you have to make preparation to dress and equip yourself for the occasion, climate and terrain. If you are going downtown, are you going to put on your mountain climbing boots, leather shorts, backpack and climbing gear? If you are going into the jungle swamps, do you wear your arctic parka, insulated long underwear and snowshoes? The same kind of preparation is required concerning the gospel. Which shoes do I need? How should I prepare them?

Where are we to go? What are we to do when we get there?

The resurrected Jesus said for us to, "Go into all the world." And do what? "Go into all the world and preach." Preach what? Preach the gospel.

That brings up a good question. What is the gospel? One organization seems to teach one thing and another teaches something else.

The Bible speaks of:

The Gospel of The Kingdom

The Gospel of God

The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Peace

The Gospel of your salvation

Confusing? It shouldn’t be. The "Gospel" simply means "Good News."

Jesus preached the "Good News!" He didn’t preach that God was a harsh judge and if you do wrong He is going to kill you and send you to hell! Would that be "Good News?" He didn’t preach that God killed your loved one to get you closer to Him. No, that’s not "Good News" either.

This is the gospel that Jesus preached:

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the gospel (good news) to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance (release) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to [set at liberty] (send out as delivered) those who are oppressed (bruised, trampled and stepped on, crushed and broken down by calamity) to preach (proclaim) the acceptable, (and accepted) year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Isa 61:1-2)]. Then He said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled, here and now!"

The 'Good News' that He preached was that God Himself, has come to earth, as a man called Jesus to remit our sins by becoming our sacrificial atonement, thereby providing our whole and complete salvation, if we become citizens of His Kingdom by making Him our personal Lord and King. In doing so, even more good news was introduced to us. We were introduced to God the Father. We were introduced to the Holy Spirit. It was revealed that Jesus was the God (Elohiym) of the Old Testament, which walked with Adam in the garden, and taught Moses and the prophets. We were shown by example, that complete salvation was more than spiritual, but also physical, mental, emotional, financial, educational, etc. That the God-given dominion and authority of mankind in the earth, lost by Adam, has been reclaimed by Jesus, and has been delegated to the subjects of His Kingdom through power of attorney to use His mighty Name. Oh and so much more!

Yes the Gospel IS the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! But is SO MUCH MORE!

Are you prepared? Are you prepared to save the lost? Are you ready to cast out demons? Are you ready to lay hands on the sick, and SEE them healed? Are you ready to take a stand against the oppression of the Devil? Because STANDING is what you are called to do. We are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to 'stand' as a 'Peace Keeping Force.'

The devil (Satan) is an outlaw and even though he and his group of renegades have been defeated and disarmed by Jesus, they still come to steal, kill and destroy in the world. Therefor we are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to 'STAND' against them. Plus the word “shoes” in the Greek means something that you “put under your feet”. Aren’t we supposed to put Satan under our feet?

If I told you that your assignment was to take a stand directly in the path of the attacking enemy, you would want to be equipped and prepared. You would also want an army of like equipped and prepared soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder with you! Because that IS your assignment! Strap on your spiked armored boots with the metal greaves, so that once you balance yourself and plant your long spikes deeply into the ground you cannot be moved!

The Shield of Faith

Above all, we are to take (violently seize) the shield of faith, with which we shall be able (have the power) to extinguish all (every) flaming darts (arrows, spears, missiles) of the wicked (rotten, worthless Devil).

But what is faith?

Heb 11:1 Says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We not only have to have and 'seize' the shield of faith, we have to know how to use it. When God began revealing the things of faith to me, He started with Mark 11:23-24.

Jesus speaking beginning in vs. 22:

Have faith in God.

Mark 11:23 Now listen, I telling you the absolute truth here, That whoever shall say directly to this mountain, (problem, situation, disease, etc.) "Mountain, Get out of my way, and go jump in the lake!"; and will not doubt in his heart, but will have faith that what he said will happen; he will have whatever he said.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

The Greek literally says:

Therefore, say what soever you suppose to ask. Pray, have faith, receive and you shall have (or, it shall come to pass).

Now this is the framework of how faith works! And we are talking about how to use the shield of faith!

Rom 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the (rhema, or spoken) Word of God.

This is how faith comes! This is how to take or seize the shield of faith, by hearing the spoken Word of God. So, the Word of God is what faith should be based upon. Now, back to how to use it. Jesus told us to speak aloud directly to the situation based upon what the Word says. He said that if we do, and have faith in what the Word said, and do not doubt, that we will have whatever we said! Now how do we express to God, that we have faith and do not doubt, during the time we are waiting for the manifestation of what we said to arrive? We praise God and give thanks for it as though it had already manifested! This is not particularly easy when what you are wielding your shield of faith against is a sickness or disease that is causing severe pain or discomfort, but without the shield of faith you are an open target to the enemy. So what I am saying is that the shield of faith in application is praise and thanksgiving.

Why does it say 'above all' take the shield of faith? Simply for the reason that salvation (the helmet) righteousness (the breastplate) the gospel (the shoes) and both the written Word of God (the belt of truth) and spoken Word of God (the sword) must all be received by faith. Healing, deliverance and forgiveness must also be received by faith.

The shield of faith is movable to deflect attacks no mater from which direction they come. For if the devil cannot get to you directly (from the front) he will attack from another direction. If all personal attacks on you fail because of the strength of your faith, he will often attack you through another person to attempt to provoke fear or offense to allow him a foothold. Refusal to fear or be offended will foil even these attacks.

Individuals can even combine their shields of faith together by joining their faith with that of other believers, creating a wall and or a roof of protection during a mass attack.

The Helmet of Salvation

And take the helmet of salvation…

We are to take (receive) the helmet of salvation, (wholeness, deliverance, health). Without the helmet of salvation, we would spiritually, loose our head. The helmet of salvation protects the mind. If your salvation is not tightly strapped around your head, all the benefits, (Psa 103:2) and manifold blessings are vulnerable to being surgically removed from your theology. The enemy will come and knock your helmet sideways by telling you that healing, deliverance and wholeness (spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.) is not really included in the redemptive work of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus on the cross. All the enemy will allow you to retain of salvation is heaven, and will then proceed to send you there as quickly as he can first steal and destroy everything you have.

[Don't get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it's still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they may be sending you into battle with a beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked! With nothing to protect you from the fiery darts of the enemy, you are wide open to every attack of the devil.]

The Devil knows that to control you he needs to control areas of the mind. The old saying is that if you give the Devil a ride, he will end up driving the car. If you allow him access to your mind (even just a tiny foothold) he will attempt to begin construction on a four-lane freeway into it. Don't get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact, I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it's still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they are sending you into battle with your beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked!

The Sword of the Spirit (The Word [Rhema] of God)

And take ├ö├ç┬¬ the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

We are to take (receive) the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word (rhema, or spoken) of God. This is another instrument of spiritual warfare that we need to learn how to use.

The rhema Word, in the context of the sword, is you, the soldier, speaking (or quoting) aloud the logos (written Word) or the rhema (spoken Word) that was sown into your heart.

Remember the parable of the sower?

Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Mark 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Mark 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

Mark 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Mark 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

Mark 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Then Jesus explained the parable, adding, "If you don’t understand THIS parable, you won't understand anything I say."

Mark 4:14 Thesowersoweth the word.

Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Mark 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold (3000%) some sixty (6000%) and some an hundred, (10,000%).

So the Word is sown into the heart.

Remember that the scabbard that held the sword hung on the belt of truth, the logos, the Bible, the written Word of God. The Bible is the source of the Word that needs to fill your heart, (the scabbard). Then when needed, the sword (the rhema Word) can be smoothly extracted from the scabbard (heart) and wielded effectively.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure, (deposit) of his heart produces that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure (deposit) of his heart produces that which is evil: for (out) of the superabundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

We are to use the very same sword of the spirit that Jesus used on the Mount of Temptation! Now, the devil has been tempting, Jesus for forty days while Jesus was fasting.

Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. (i.e., "Do what I say do!")

Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God, [Deu 8:3]. (i.e., I do what GOD says to do, not you devil!") The sword was so sharp that I don’t think the devil felt the cut.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Again Jesus slices the devil!

Now, the Devil has already been sliced left and then right with the sword of the Spirit cutting a big "X" on his chest which he now feels then sees. So now Satan pulls his own sword and tries to copy and twist what Jesus is doing!

Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

Luke 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus deflects the attack and plunges His sword of the Spirit deep into the Devil's heart of hearts, leaving him seriously wounded.

Luke 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

After this the Devil retreated to lick his wounds for a while.

So then, to properly wield the sword, you must be knowledgeable of what the Bible says (particularly the promises and statements of fact) and receive that word into your heart. Keep receiving to the point that your heart begins to overflow out of your mouth, in the power of the Holy Spirit and authority of the Name of Jesus. So when the devil comes and gets close enough to attack your mind, pull the sword and perforate his stony heart.

The Lances of Prayer

By analogy the lances fit nicely as Paul continues by says:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.

Paul is referring to prayer of all types. For instance, the prayer of intercession, the prayer of faith, the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of supplication, the prayer of agreement, the prayer of petition, corporate prayer and of course praying in the Spirit, (or tongues). It is important to understand and keep in mind that prayer, all prayer, is about relationship and not ritual. In the Old Testament, prayer was often compared to sweet incense, showing that our prayer is a personally pleasant experience to God.

1 Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands.

The Hebrew word 'towdah' is used throughout the Old Testament translated as thanksgiving, praise and confession. The word itself refers to the extending or lifting of hands.

The New Testament word 'aiteo' is translated "I ask or demand." At first glance these concepts of demanding my seem offensive to some, but consider what John 15:7 has to say, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask (aiteo, demand or require) what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." The concept is one of a covenant, conditional to the first half of the verse.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

What is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? Let’s go back a few verses.

1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

The 'record' he is referring to here is the written Word of God, the Bible! So, what is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? The will of God is simply what God has already SAID in the Bible through promises and statements of fact! If we know what God said his will was and what he promised us, we can have confidence and boldness to 'aiteo,' ask or demand these things.

The problem is on many levels. Most Christians do not know what God has promised in his word, therefore they do not know God's will and have no confidence to receive what God has for them. Religious tradition has taught all too many that they are unworthy worms lower than snail spit, and as a result, people are actually afraid to ask for anything, let alone know how to receive from God. And then we have the ever popular "Suffering doctrine," which is a 'doctrine of devils' designed to keep mankind in sickness, disease, poverty and ignorance, (to the "glory" of Jesus!)

Conclusion

Now it's time for you to put on the whole armour of God.

As you repeat after me, envision that you take each piece of the armor and put it on.

I put on:

the belt of truth,

the breastplate of righteousness;

shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, I take the shield of faith, wherewith I will have the power to quench every fiery darts the devil fires my way.

I take the helmet of salvation

I take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I take the lances of Prayer which is all types of prayer and supplication in the Spirit,

Now I have the power to withstand evil, and take my stand as a solider in the army of the Almighty God.

My duty and assignment is to stand in the gap shoulder to shoulder with the other soldiers of the Lord as He places me. Resisting every attack of the devil.Holding the ground, refusing to be moved, healing the oppressed and destroying every work of the devil.

Remember to put this armor on each and every day, and like the credit card commercial says, "Don't leave home without it!"