February 03 2026

Tuesday February 03

“The Whole Armor of God”

Ephesians 6:13-15

13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Over the past few days, we have been learning about our enemy, the devil. Today, we turn our attention to the equipment God has provided for us, and we begin to learn how to stand against him by putting on the whole armor of God that has been made available to every believer. The fact that the Apostle Paul uses the word “wrestle” reminds us that this is a hand-to-hand battle. We are not mere spectators watching a game from the sidelines. We are engaged in real spiritual conflict. Satan seeks to use our external enemy—the world—and our internal enemy—the flesh—to defeat us.

Ephesians 6:13-17 describes the equipment that God has made available to us. Because our enemies operate in the spiritual realm, we need spiritual equipment, both for defense and for offense. God has provided the whole armor, and we dare not omit any part of it. Satan is always looking for an unguarded area in our lives where he can gain a foothold, or as Paul warns, “giving place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). This gives Satan a “beachhead” or a “stronghold” (2 Corinthians 10:4), for him to operate from in our lives.

Paul commands believers to put on the armor, take up the weapons, and stand firm against Satan. All of this is done by faith. Knowing that Christ has already conquered Satan, and knowing that the armor and weapons are available to us, we accept by faith what God has given and then go out to meet the enemy. The day is evil, and the enemy is evil, but we take comfort in the truth of Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The first piece of armor that Paul mentions is the “Girdle of Truth” (Ephesians 6:14a). Satan is a liar (John 8:44), but the believer whose life is controlled by truth can defeat him. The girdle, or belt, held the other pieces of armor together, and in the same way, truth is the integrating force in the life of a victorious Christian. A person of integrity, with a clear conscience, can face the enemy without fear. The girdle also held the sword. If we do not practice the truth, we cannot properly use the Word of truth. Once a lie enters the life of a believer, everything begins to fall apart.

We see a sobering example of this in the life of King David. For over a year, David concealed his sin with Bathsheba, and nothing in his life went right. Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 describe the heavy price he paid until he returned to truth and confession.

Next is the “Breastplate of Righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14b). The breastplate, made of metal plates or chains, covered the body from the neck to the waist, both front and back. It symbolizes the believer’s righteousness in Christ. Remember in 2 Corinthians 5:21 we are told that “we are made the righteousness of God in Christ”. It also symbolizes the believer’s righteous life we are to live in Christ. This happens when we “Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.  (Ephesians 4:24).

Satan is the accuser, but he cannot successfully accuse a believer who is living a godly life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The life we live either strengthens us against Satan’s attacks or makes it easier for him to defeat us Read Paul’s testimony as a minister of the Gospel in 2 Corinthians 6:1–10, and especial verse 7: “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.” Notice all the tribulations and trials that Paul faced were overcome in with armor of truth and righteousness!

When Satan accuses the Christian, it is the righteousness of Christ that assures us of our salvation. However, positional righteousness in Christ without practical righteousness in daily living gives Satan an opportunity to attack.

May the Lord help us today to make sure each day we are putting on the “whole armor of God”.

God bless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.