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Use every piece of God’s armour to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. – Ephesians 6:13-14, NLT

In our walk with God, there always comes a time of confrontation with evil as the Bible puts it in our main text. These are times when the enemy puts our faith to the test. The evil day is a period of trials just as Job had and confessed, “We are all adrift in the same boat: too few days, too many troubles” (Job 14:1). King Solomon in his counsel to young men also spoke about the evil days, saying, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). As we know, Satan is the main architect of evil, little wonder, included in the model prayer is, “…And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:4).Since Satan by nature is evil personified, we also have a role to play, and that role is to resist him. 

Since Satan by nature is evil personified, we also have a role to play, and that role is to resist him. 

To resist means to fight back, counterattack or repel. This, we do in the place of prayer. The devil keeps hurling his darts at us as we choose to walk the way of the Lord, and to survive this aggression from him, we are commanded to ‘use every piece of God’s armour to resist him’. We must always be on the offensive and defensive to win this war against the evil one. Resisting the enemy is not based on our eloquence, fluency or affluence, but on our knees. Are you going through an evil day in your life right now? Are you experiencing a season of spiritual difficulties presently? God’s counsel to you is, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

In resisting the enemy in the fight and staying victorious, the Bible urges us to put on every piece of God’s armour. Below are some of the armour we are required to put on.

In resisting the enemy in the fight and staying victorious, the Bible urges us to put on every piece of God’s armour.

The Belt of Truth: A belt is used to hold one’s clothes in position and provide the needed fitting.  The first armour we are asked to put on here is the belt of truth. Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6a).  We are also commanded to ‘put on the Lord Jesus, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts’ – Romans 13:14. As part of our spiritual armour, we need the Truth to find balance in the battlefield. A beltless soldier will suddenly become a victim as a result of divided attention to hold his clothes in position with one hand and bear his ammunition with the other. The belt also provides accommodation for other weapons such as the sword in its sheath. 

Christ is the Truth, and this Truth is established in our lives when we accept Him and live by His word. His word provides the needed stability in the field of battle to combat and bombard the enemy. Just as Christ told the multitudes, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Our freedom is guaranteed when we know Him as the Truth, and we model our lives after this Truth. This Truth is the testimony upon which we stand to assault our adversary. If your life is not established on the Truth, the word of God, you cannot face the enemy. God, therefore, desires that we be grounded in the Truth (which is Christ), so that our victory can be assured. As you put on the belt of truth today, may your life not contradict the Truth (Christ) in Jesus’ Name.

The Breastplate of Righteousness: A breastplate is a protective covering that shields the body against the enemy’s weapon. It can also be termed a bulletproof vest in the modern day. For us as soldiers in God’s army, our bulletproof vest is not physical, but spiritual. The breastplate of righteousness signifies a life in right standing with God. It is a life in which Satan has nothing against just like our Master: “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me]” (John 14:30, AMP).

Look at the progression in the scripture above. How about you, does Satan still have something in common with you? Is there something in you that belongs to him? It is the answers to these questions that will determine if he will have power over you in this warfare. Righteousness is a weapon. That was why Job, even when he lost everything, resolved to retain his righteousness saying, “I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live” (Job 27:6). 

Are you losing hold of righteousness because of that battle for compromise in your workplace? That is the war we are talking about! Are you under some form of pressure to give in to sin? No matter what you lose in life, never lose righteousness, because men who retain their righteousness amid adversity will eventually recover all and even more.

Are you losing hold of righteousness because of that battle for compromise in your workplace? That is the war we are talking about! Are you under some form of pressure to give in to sin? No matter what you lose in life, never lose righteousness, because men who retain their righteousness amid adversity will eventually recover all and even more. Job was a practical example. Declare like Job, “My righteousness will I hold fast, and will not let it go” (NKJV). Righteousness imparts strength and progress: “The righteous will move onward and forward, and those with pure hearts will become stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9).As you choose the life of righteousness today, may you be protected from all the fiery darts of the enemy, and wax stronger and stronger in the fight in Jesus’ Name.

To be continued…