Christians are commanded to put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-17. There are six pieces of armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
The belt of truth
Like a belt, having a love of the truth holds everything else together. If we respect the truth, it means we’re open to hearing from God and receiving from Him. Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Repentance leads to a knowledge of the truth. When we repent, we reject the lies of this world. We admit we’re not God and acknowledge that the Lord is God. Satan, the “god” of this world, blinds the minds of those who refuse to believe. Like he did with Adam and Eve, he deludes people into thinking they can be God. This is the spirit of antichrist. When the Antichrist is revealed, he will publicly claim to be God. Simply put, those who don’t have a love of the truth can’t be saved. They will believe the lie that the Antichrist is God and they will be condemned. On the other hand, by receiving Christ and remaining in Him by faith, we know the truth and the truth sets us free.
Confession: Go through the motion of putting on a belt and state the following: “I put on the belt of truth. I respect the truth, I seek it, I freely receive it even if it’s uncomfortable and even if it means I must admit I was wrong. I worship Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. I hear His voice clearly and I obey immediately.”
Verses to meditate on: John 8:31-32, 14:6; 18:37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4-12
The breastplate of righteousness
Think of the breastplate of righteousness as a bulletproof vest. By being sober-minded, we’re better equipped to absorb demonic attacks and respond appropriately. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 exhorts us to be self-controlled and to wear “the breastplate of faith and love.” In other words, we “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” We reject the lusts of the flesh, because sinning lets our guard down. Letting our guard down exposes us to enemy fire. Since we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, we activate the fruit of the Spirit. We rebuke any lust of the flesh in the name of Jesus and we replace it with a godly desire. In this way, we “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 6 declares who we are: we died with Christ, our old self was buried with Him and we rose with Him new creations. Romans 7 describes how Satan tries to resurrect who we were. He lures us, often by planting thoughts in our mind. He seeks to devour us, but we remain clearheaded and alert in Jesus’ name.
Confession: Go through the motion of putting on a bulletproof vest or something similar and state the following: “I put on the breastplate of righteousness. I don’t let my guard down by seeking to please the lusts of the flesh. I activate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in the name of Jesus. I remain alert, focused and clearheaded.”
Verses to meditate on: Luke 12:35; Romans 13:12-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:7-9
The shoes of readiness
Before most people go out in public, they usually prepare by putting on shoes. Likewise, by putting on the shoes of readiness, we’re preparing ourselves to minister. We’re ambassadors of Christ; we’re peacemakers who tell the world about how to have peace with God through faith in Jesus. We’re always ready to explain our faith and defend it, by demonstrating it. Signs and wonders confirm the message of reconciliation we preach. We heal the sick, we cast out demons and we raise the dead, among other things. God gives us the words beforehand; we don’t need to practice an approach or prepare a defense. We receive words of knowledge and words of wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we minister to the person appropriately and we tell them that they’ve experienced a bit of heaven on earth. To see the reality of heaven manifested in their lives daily, we explain that they need to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Confession: Go through the motion of putting on a pair of shoes and state the following: “I put on the shoes of readiness. I share God’s message of reconciliation in exactly the way He leads me to communicate it. He tells me what to say and what to do because I’m one of His ambassadors. I’m always prepared to minister.”
Verses to meditate on: Romans 10:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 3:15-16
The shield of faith
Faith is the reality of things hoped for and the proof of what is not perceived by the five senses. We live by faith and not by what we see. The shield of faith defends us from believing the lies of this world. Current situations or present circumstances tend to determine what people believe and how they act. The devil attacks us with situations, circumstances and popular opinions which appear contrary to the Word of God. He tries to overwhelm us into accepting his lies. Our faith, our certainty that everything God says is true, blocks these attacks. We believe the reality of heaven, what God says, no matter what the world says. Just like God spoke the world into existence, our faith is voice-activated. In the name of Jesus, we rebuke any thought or feeling that doesn’t line up with what God’s Word says. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says we take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Confession: Go through the motion of picking up a shield and state the following: “I pick up the shield of faith. I believe the reality of heaven, everything God says, no matter what I see or feel. I rebuke any thought or feeling that doesn’t line up with what God says in Jesus’ name.”
Verses to meditate on: 2 Corinthians 5:7; 10:4-5; Hebrews 11:1
The helmet of salvation
A blow to the head can be fatal, just like a blow to our identity in Christ. The helmet of salvation protects our mind from demonic attacks which question our relationship with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 exhorts us to put on “as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” We must remind ourselves of our salvation and who we are in Christ. For example, we’re no longer condemned in Him. In fact, we’re seated at the right hand of the Father in Christ, we’re partakers of the divine nature and He has given us all authority over the power of the enemy. If we sin, Jesus is our Advocate against our accuser, Satan. We confess our sin, asking for forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. In this way, we don’t give the devil an opportunity to accuse us before God and attack us.
Confession: Go through the motion of putting on a helmet and state the following: “I put on the helmet of salvation. I’m saved, healed and delivered by the blood of Jesus.”
Verses to meditate on: Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:3; 2:6; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Revelation 12:10-11
The sword of the Spirit
The only offensive part of the armor is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. After taking a demonic attack captive to the obedience of Christ, we go on offense by speaking the Word of God in faith. We’ve been healed by the wounds of Jesus, we’re blessed with every material blessing because we follow Him and we’re completely set free in Him. The reality of heaven is established in our lives when we speak it out in faith.
Confession: Go through the motion of picking up a sword and state the following: “I pick up the sword of the Spirit. Having defended myself from demonic attack, I go on offense. I revoke any and all ungodly thoughts or feelings. I replace them by declaring the promises of God that are relevant to the situation or circumstance.”
Verses to meditate on: Hebrews 4:12; Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:4-8; 2 Peter 1:5-7
Full confession
Remember to physically make the motion while you confess. Fasten the belt, put on the breastplate, slip on the shoes, lift the shield, strap on the helmet and pick up the sword.
“I put on the belt of truth. I respect the truth, I seek it, I freely receive it even if it’s uncomfortable and even if it means I must admit I was wrong. I worship Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. I hear His voice clearly and I obey immediately. I put on the breastplate of righteousness. I don’t let my guard down by seeking to please the lusts of the flesh. I activate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in the name of Jesus. I remain alert, focused and clearheaded. I put on the shoes of readiness. I share God’s message of reconciliation in exactly the way He leads me to communicate it. He tells me what to say and what to do because I’m one of His ambassadors. I’m always prepared to minister. I pick up the shield of faith. I believe the reality of heaven, everything God says, no matter what I see or feel. I rebuke any thought or feeling that doesn’t line up with what God says in Jesus’ name. I put on the helmet of salvation. I’m saved, healed and delivered by the blood of Jesus. I pick up the sword of the Spirit. Having defended myself from demonic attack, I go on offense. I revoke any and all ungodly thoughts or feelings. I replace them by declaring the promises of God that are relevant to the situation or circumstance. I remain alert, fully submitted to my Commanding Officer. I hold fast to the Word and I stand ready to do battle.”