Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6: 13-18

What does this scripture mean exactly?  So often we look at life solely through the lens of the physical here and now.  

I recently began a personal journey in an area that I am hoping to see great results.  Anytime you embark on something that is Godly, I believe there is spiritual warfare that ensues that is very real.  And so, when I began the journey, I asked God to help me put on what I’m affectionately calling my “victory clothes” each and every day.  

We all have battles that we fight daily with ourselves and sometimes with others.   But do you realize that there is a spiritual component to these battles as well?  Paul certainly did, and wrote extensively about it in Ephesians.  Ephesians was likely written during the time of Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome around 60 AD.  Similar to his other New Testament letters, Paul spends an enormous amount of time writing to the church of Ephesus – a place where he had previously spent three years ministering.  His desire was to offer them hope and a true understanding of the fullness of life in God by encouraging them in their faith walk and offering guidance on spiritual matters.

Throughout Ephesians, Paul stresses the idea that once believers are made new in Christ, they possess all of the spiritual armor needed to do life.  They lack nothing. And, when it comes to defending against the devil and his schemes, we are to take up our spiritual armor with prayer and supplication as our defense.  

In Ephesians 6, Paul lists each piece of armor that we’ve been given for times of warfare. 

BELT OF TRUTH

Just as a belt is drawn close to our body, so should we hold onto God’s truth each and every moment.  When we remain in His truth we have the discernment necessary to lead a noble life.

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Just as a physical breastplate protects our heart and vital organs, putting on a spiritual breastplate is essential to protecting our soul.  This spiritual breastplate acts as a shield against attacks from the enemy and keeps us in right standing with God.

SHOES OF PEACE

Shoes of peace provide a foundation for our walk with God.  Maintaining peace is essential to completing our job here on this earth.  It helps us stand firmly in Christ being not easily angered and ready at all times to share the Gospel with others. 

SHIELD OF FAITH

A shield of faith offers protection from the heavy blows of the enemy and life in general.  We must deliberately hold it up in all circumstances.  Faith and hope help us persevere through the stages of doubt and uncertainty that all believers encounter at some point in their journey.

HELMET OF SALVATION

Salvation is the price Jesus paid for us so that we may have eternal life if we believe in Him.  The helmet of salvation serves as a critical piece of armor, one that offers protection around one of the greatest battlefields we encounter as humans…the mind.  Knowing who you are in Christ gives you the confidence needed to defeat those mental battles.

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

A sword is an offensive weapon that is used to fight off an enemy.  Likewise, when we allow God’s Word to penetrate every aspect of our lives, it becomes an effective tool for us to withstand enemy attacks. 

God’s word remains timeless. Still to this day, as believers, we too have access to the same spiritual armor that Paul writes about in Ephesians.  

I’ll be the first to admit that my natural demeanor leans toward quickly losing hope in situations where I cannot see a positive end result.  And so, learning to put on my victory clothes and stay mentally focused on winning the battle has taken me many years to get the hang of!  Each day I have to be intentional about putting victory clothes on.  It’s an act of doing on my part.  My flesh would naturally try to walk it alone.  I’ve learned the hard way that is not a wise choice.   If I could see my victory clothes in the physical, I’m hopeful they’d be cute and made uniquely for me!  Maybe a little J.Crew, LLBean or Ann Taylor thrown in there! 🙂   

These days, my hope remains in Christ alone and the belief that he has equipped me with victory clothes to handle anything that comes my way.  How about you?  Are you putting on your victory clothes each day?