In case you have not yet realized it, you are a soldier in a war. You need all the armor God has provided for you.

The items of your equipment are listed in Ephesians 6:13-18, as follows:

• The girdle [belt] of truth
• The breastplate of righteousness
• The shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith
• The helmet of salvation
• The sword of the Spirit–the word[Greek rhema] of God
• All prayer

We will go through these items of armor in order.

The Girdle [Belt] of Truth

In Biblical times men usually wore loose clothing that hung down below their knees. Before undertaking any strenuous activity, they would gather up their loose garment above their knees and fasten it with a belt around the waist. Hence the phrase that occurs several times in the Bible: Gird up your loins.

Likewise you must gather up and fasten out of the way anything that would impede your freedom to follow Jesus. The “belt” that enables you to do this is God’s Word, applied in a very plain and practical way. You must become totally sincere and open and put aside every form of dishonesty or hypocrisy. You must love the truth.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate protects your most critical and vulnerable area: your heart. This righteousness is not mere intellectual assent to a doctrine: “With the heart” –not with the head–“one believes to righteousness” (Romans 10:10). Saving faith in the heart transforms a life of sin into a life of righteousness–not a righteousness that comes from following a set of religious rules, but from Christ dwelling in our hearts and living out his life through us.

“The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). This kind of righteousness transforms timidity into boldness, doubt into confidence.

The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

Your shoes make you mobile. You must be available to God at any time or place to share the Gospel with those God puts in your way. In a world of strife and tension, you must be a vessel of God’s peace.

The Shield of Faith

The shield alluded to in Ephesians 6 was big enough to give protection to a soldier’s whole body, but it was effective only when he had learned how to use it.

You, too, must learn to use your faith as a shield to protect your whole person–spirit, soul and body–from Satan’s fiery darts. Remember, the shield will not merely ward off the flaming darts; it will extinguish them!

The Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protects the head–that is, the mind. Satan will direct more attacks against our mind than against any other area of your personality. The helmet is also called “the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8)–not mere wishful thinking, but an attitude of steady, continuing optimism based firmly on the truth of God’s Word…..

The Sword of the Spirit–the Word [Greek rhema] of God

Rhema means primarily a spoken word. The Bible on your bookshelf will not protect you. God’s Word becomes a sword when you speak it through your mouth in faith. Remember how Jesus used that sword against Satan, answering every temptation by quoting Scripture: “It is written….” You must learn to do the same.

The sword is provided by the Holy Spirit, but it is your responsibility to take it. When you do, the Spirit provides supernatural power with which to wild it.

(Derek Prince, They Shall Expel Demons, pgs. 225-227)

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can receive Him into your heart and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”