Life is a real battle sometimes. God says we have a set of armor but how does one put on peace or faith? Join us for this 3 part bible study on the armor of God, spiritual warfare and fighting well.

A few weeks ago I shared some of my favorite verses for spiritual warfare and for fighting a good fight and last week we looked at the first two pieces of the armor of God. Today we are going to look at the next two pieces of that armor!

I think it is so important that we know what God has armed us with and how it enables us to withstand the things life throws at us and to resist the enemy. God tells us to take up our armor piece by piece so that we can stand firm. We’re going to read Ephesians 6:10-17 and then we’re going to break down the armor of God piece by piece.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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, Ephesians 6:10-17

The Gospel of Peace Shoes

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Shoes are important y’all. Try just walking around barefoot for a day. Unless you are a total country bumpkin it ain’t easy to do. I just love flip flops. I wear them all the time. I drive my husband crazy because they are soooo bad for your feet when you are walking long distances. You could not go to war in flip flops. Especially back then. Feet are too important. Break a toe and see how ready for war you are. A broken toe can hinder even the strongest of men.

An army fitted with sub-par shoes is a recipe for defeat. In ancient times troops would throw sharp things all over the ground to weaken their unprepared enemies. Roman soldiers were known to have great shoes! Their feet were equipped for the rough landscapes they’d have to tread.

Your feet are also equipped for the rough terrains you will tread. Peace tends to bring images of tranquility to mind when we hear the word. Having peace does not mean that all is calm around you. Having peace means that you are not touched by the chaos around you. Having peace means that even though the storm rages, you can rest just like Jesus did (Matthew 8:24) knowing you are safe in the Lord. You have peace because you know He is for you. Peace protects your poor feet from the shards the enemy has scattered in your path.

A friend texted me as I was writing this post and reminded me that I am seated in the heavenlys with Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6) My sweet friend then told me that back in the days of kings and kingdoms, when a war was raging or had just been won, a seated king was a huge political statement and a source of peace for a people. If your king was seated he was confident in his victory. A seated king is a reminder that they have everything under control and that the threat is over. Jesus came and is now seated and it says we are seated with Him. That is peace. You may be facing battles but you and your King are seated and you have peace in knowing that the war has been won.

The verse says we have the “preparation of the Gospel of peace.” The word preparation is likened to a foundation. The passage tells us to do all we can to stand and this is possible because we are on a firm foundation that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings peace. One of my favorite songs by Twila Paris says “how beautiful the feet that bring the sound of Good News and the love of a King.” Everywhere life may take you, you are walking in peace. No matter how shaky things may seem, your foundation is secure and you have peace.

Pray this over yourself:

Thank You, Jesus, for Your Gospel. Thank You for that solid place to stand. Thank you for Your peace. Thank You that the peace you’ve given us surpasses all understanding. Thank you that I am secure even though everything around me is shaken. Today I claim that peace in faith. Everywhere my feet shall travel today I will rest in the fact that I am armed and prepared with the Gospel and I shall be at peace. I will release peace everywhere the soles of my feet shall tread. Today I am at peace because I know that I am Yours.

The Shield of Faith

These shields weren’t those small round ones that may come to mind. Romans had large, door like shields. These were necessary because flaming arrows are no joke y’all. These arrows were dipped in tar and sent flaming through the air. Even if you were able to block one by catching it in your shield it would still be on fire…now your huge shield is on fire and confusion and chaos ensue.

Our shield not only protects and blocks, scripture says it also extinguishes. It put out those flaming arrows the enemy fires our way. This is what our faith does. The enemy comes with his flaming lies, pelting us with doubts, distractions, and fear. When you start to forget who God says you are and instead start to identify yourself based on your weaknesses. When you start to really doubt that God can come through for you in time and worry and anxiety begin to fill your discouraged soul. When fear becomes your anthem and you begin to plan and live your life by that tune rather than the one the Lord sings over you.

Faith extinguishes all that mess. Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Faith steps in with the facts that we talked about with the belt of Truth last week begin to get really loud and distracting. We need faith in order to choose to believe and cling to Truth when the facts are contrary. Faith enables you to stand and believe that God is for you when everything seems to be falling apart. Faith protects you from the arrow that says maybe God won’t take care of this and it goes a step further to extinguish that arrow by also reminding you that He has never not come through for you because He is faithful to His core. (2 Thes 3:3)

Pray this of yourself:

Father thank You for faith. Thank you that I have the faith of Jesus Christ. Thank You that a fruit of your Spirit is faith. Thank You that I am equipped for anything I may face. Thank You that You have prepared me and armed me. Thank You that in You I am victorious. Today I take up my shield of faith. Today I declare that every flaming arrow that may come my way today will be blocked and extinguished in Jesus name.

I just really love this stuff you guys. It calms and soothes my soul. It makes me feel recharged and ready for my day ahead. It is refreshing to remember that you are not alone in the fight. God is with you and He fights for you. He is victorious and our fight now is just clinging to that truth when things may seem contrary. To help you guys and myself I have created this Armor of God prayer card printables. It’s totally free and you can have it without even giving me your email. (Though you should still totally give me your email because I have other wonderful freebies and lots of exciting things coming up you won't want to miss!)

You can grab the free printable card pdf here!

The printable will have the third and fourth pieces of armor on it. Next week when I release part three it will have the next two so I hope you will come back! If you want the printable for the first two pieces of armor which we covered last week then make sure you head over to part one of the series here. I would also love it if you would share this out with your friends and followers so that we can rally more believers to stand confident and to fight.

Also, make sure you are a member of our growing online community! I send out weekly doses of encouragement as well as recaps of all the new posts that go live each week on the blog. Members also get instant free access to our eBook Overcome which is packed full of help and hope for life tough times.