Okay you're saved. Now What? How can your salvation help you fight your daily battles? & how can you arm yourself with peace? Check out this 3 part study on the armor of God & fighting well!

Hey guys! Todays post is part of an ongoing and somewhat spontaneous series that started a few weeks ago with this post on Verses for Spiritual Warfare which was a post packed with scripture and encouragement for anyone who may feel like they’re losing battles left and right. From there we began to really look at each piece of the armor of God two pieces at a time. You can check out the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness in part one here and you can read about the Shoes of Peace and the Sword of the Spirit in part two here. 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 Helmet of Salvation

Helmets are a pretty common thing. You don’t go play tackle football without a helmet. You don't walk onto a construction site without a hard hat. You shouldn't right a bike or a motorcycle without a helmet and you diffidently should not go into battle without a helmet! Your head is obviously very important! Therefore your helmet is essential! That is why Paul reminds us that we need to put on our helmet of salvation.

For those of us who are born again, we have salvation so that’s not really what it is referring to. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 calls refers to the helmet as “the hope of salvation.” The helmet is your assurance of salvation and a constant source of encouragement. When you take the helmet of salvation you are standing on what you know God did for you and what you received at salvation. It is your assurance. When the enemy attacks and points at flaws or tempts you to question your identity, your helmet is your confidence in that fact that you belong to God and you are redeemed. Because of your helmet, you have a peace and a confidence in God and your position with Him regardless of your circumstances.

Your helmet protects your mind from fear because you are at rest with the Truth that you are saved. As you grow and mature in your Christian walk your assurance or confidence in what God has done for you, will grow. You know that you have been made new. You are not who you used to be. You are being transformed into the image of God more and more each day. You know that God will always finish that which He started. You know that God has declared your value and worth. You have been justified. You have been acquitted and your debt canceled. You know the Spirit is at work in you and your life.

Your assurance of salvation reminds you that you have nothing to fear. You belong to God! What can man possibly do to you? It reminds you that God has come through for you in every obstacle you have ever faced. (Psalms 118:5-6)

Pray this over yourself:

Thank You, God, that I have right standing with You! Thank You for choosing me! Thank You for keeping Your promises! Thank You for making me new. Thank You that I am now Your child. Thank You that I am accepted by You. Thank You that I am the righteousness of Christ. Today I take my Helmet of Salvation and I cover my mind with the Truth that I am saved, healed and delivered through the sacrifice of Christ.

The Sword Of The Spirit Which Is The Word Of God

I have spent a lot of time researching swords for this post. A lot of time. I could talk your ears off about ninja’s but since it is irrelevant I will abstain. What I will tell you is that it is imperative that you arm yourself with the Word of God. I know we hear this all of the time especially if you grew up in the church. You are always being reminded of how important it is to read your Bible. Probably so much so, that the words begin to lose their urgency. I want to give you a shake right now to wake you up and loudly proclaim to your soul that IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ YOUR BIBLE!

The Bible sustains us and it protects us. I love Matthew 4. We see in the beginning of this chapter that Jesus has just fasted for a long time. I struggle to fast through breakfast or lunch but Jesus has just fasted for weeks. He is then in the wilderness when Satan comes to tempt Him.

The first thing you should notice is that every time satan throws out and accusation or an offer, Jesus combats it with the Truth from the scripture and each time the enemy moves on to something else. The Word of God is protection because it is Truth and Truth is the antidote for the enemy’s only weapon, deception. The Word of God will help you to dissolve the lies that come at you. It’s more than just a spiritual discipline or a coffee table accessory. It’s powerful. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The Bible will help you to hold onto all the other pieces of your armor. Some days the scripture will be the motivation you need just to put on the other pieces.

Another thing I think you should notice from Matthew 4 is Jesus’ response in verse 4. He said “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” The Bible also sustains us. It feeds a part of us that we usually forget needs fed. It fills us up. It's like bread. It's like nourishment to our hungry souls. Don't go to battle today without your sword.

Pray this over yourself:

Father thank You for Your Word. Thank You for this weapon that You have armed me with. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit within me who is always leading me back to You and Your Word. Today I take up my sword. Today I will look to You and Your Word instead of to my own strength and resources.

I hope somebody out there loves this stuff as much as I do. It makes me feel recharged and ready for my day ahead. Please know the regardless of what you are facing right now in your life 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 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 prayer cards PDF here!!(:

Today's printable will have the two pieces we covered today. If you want the printable for the first two pieces of armor which we covered two weeks ago then make sure you head over to part one of the series here and you can find last week's printable in part two 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.

If you have missed the intro post or want to read more of this study you can head over to The Good Fight page to see the whole series as they become available.

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.