Putting on the Armor of God Daily

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” — Ephesians 6:11 (KJV)

We often hear Christians say, “Make sure you put on the armor of God every morning.”

And that is good advice.

But what does that actually mean?

Do we wake up, quote Ephesians 6, mentally picture ourselves putting on a helmet, breastplate, belt, shoes, shield, and sword—and then consider ourselves protected for the rest of the day?

I believe there is something much deeper happening in this passage.

Putting on the armor of God isn't simply something we say every morning.

It is something we live every day.

And we put it on by continually seeking Him.

The Armor Comes From God

Paul tells us:

“Put on the whole armour of God…” — Ephesians 6:11

Notice whose armor it is.

It isn't ours.

It's God's armor.

That means our strength isn't found in trying harder to protect ourselves. Our strength comes from remaining close to the One who provides the armor.

Paul continues:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” — Ephesians 6:12

There is a spiritual battle happening around us.

And if we are going to stand in that battle, we cannot depend upon yesterday's prayer, yesterday's revelation, yesterday's worship, or yesterday's encounter with God.

We need Him today.

And then we need Him tomorrow.

And the next day.

This is why seeking God cannot simply be something we do when we're struggling.

Seeking Him is how we live.

Look at What the Armor Actually Is

Think about each piece Paul describes.

The Belt of Truth

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…” — Ephesians 6:14

How do we put on truth?

By knowing Him.

Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life…” — John 14:6

Truth isn't merely information we memorize.

Truth is found in Christ.

The more time we spend seeking Jesus through prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, and surrender, the more His truth begins exposing the lies we have believed.

The enemy says you're abandoned.

Truth says God will never leave you nor forsake you.

The enemy says you're hopeless.

Truth says Christ is still working.

The enemy says you have to control everything.

Truth says you can trust God.

But if we aren't seeking truth, lies become easier to believe.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Our righteousness isn't something we manufacture.

It comes through Christ.

But walking in righteousness requires continually surrendering our lives to Him.

Seeking God exposes the places in our hearts where compromise has begun creeping in.

Sometimes the greatest danger isn't suddenly running away from God.

It's slowly drifting away from Him.

Prayer keeps us close.

Scripture corrects us.

The Holy Spirit convicts us.

Seeking keeps our hearts tender.

Feet Prepared With the Gospel of Peace

Paul says our feet should be:

“…shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” — Ephesians 6:15

Wherever we walk, we should carry Jesus with us.

Not only inside church.

At work.

At home.

At the grocery store.

During conflict.

When someone frustrates us.

When nobody is watching.

Following Jesus isn't something we turn on for a church service.

It becomes the way we walk.

The Shield of Faith

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” — Ephesians 6:16

Faith is incredibly important because the enemy's attacks often begin with a question:

Can you really trust God?

Fear attacks.

Doubt attacks.

Temptation attacks.

Accusation attacks.

Discouragement attacks.

And faith responds:

I still trust Him.

That doesn't mean we understand everything happening around us.

It means we trust the One who does.

And faith grows as we continually seek Him.

The more we know God, the more we learn His character.

And the more we know His character, the easier it becomes to trust Him when we cannot understand His plan.

The Helmet of Salvation

The enemy loves attacking the mind.

He reminds us of failures.

He accuses us.

He creates fear about tomorrow.

He tries convincing us that God has abandoned us.

This is why our minds must continually return to what Christ has done.

We remember who saved us.

We remember who we belong to.

We remember where our identity comes from.

Your mind will listen to something today.

The question is:

What voice are you feeding?

The Sword of the Spirit

Paul identifies the sword directly:

“…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” — Ephesians 6:17

A Bible sitting unopened on a shelf may be physically close to us, but we aren't allowing its truth to shape us.

We have to know the Word.

Read it.

Meditate on it.

Pray through it.

Live it.

Jesus demonstrated this when He was tempted in the wilderness.

Again and again His response was:

“It is written…”

He answered deception with truth.

We need to know what God has said so we can recognize what He didn't say.

Don't Stop Before Verse 18

Sometimes we stop teaching the armor of God at the sword.

But look at what Paul says immediately afterward:

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance…” — Ephesians 6:18

Praying always.

That's continual relationship.

That's seeking.

That's remaining aware of God throughout the day.

Prayer isn't only the five minutes before we leave the house.

It's living in communion with Him.

“Lord, guide me.”

“Lord, correct me.”

“Lord, help me respond correctly.”

“Lord, show me what I'm not seeing.”

“Lord, keep my heart surrendered.”

That is a life of seeking.

You Can't Live Today's Battle on Yesterday's Seeking

One of the greatest mistakes we can make is thinking yesterday's encounter with God is enough for today's battle.

Imagine a soldier saying:

“I wore my armor yesterday, so I should be fine today.”

That wouldn't make much sense.

Yet spiritually, we sometimes live exactly like that.

We prayed Sunday.

We worshiped Saturday night.

We read our Bible three days ago.

We had a powerful encounter with God last month.

But God isn't calling us to survive on memories of previous encounters.

He's calling us into relationship today.

Jesus said:

“Abide in me, and I in you.” — John 15:4

Abide means remain.

Stay.

Continue.

Live there.

Christianity isn't supposed to be occasional encounters with Jesus followed by long periods of trying to survive without Him.

We're invited to remain in Him.

Putting on the Armor Is a Lifestyle

Maybe putting on the armor of God isn't primarily about saying:

“Today I put on the helmet. Today I put on the breastplate. Today I pick up my shield.”

There's nothing wrong with praying through those things.

But don't stop there.

Live them.

Seek truth.

Walk in righteousness.

Carry the Gospel.

Choose faith.

Remember your salvation.

Know His Word.

Pray continually.

Seek Jesus.

Because ultimately, our protection isn't found in performing a morning ritual correctly.

Our strength is found in remaining close to Christ.

The armor of God isn't an excuse to seek Him less because we believe we're protected.

The armor teaches us why we desperately need to seek Him more.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning, don't simply ask:

“Did I put on my armor?”

Ask:

“Am I seeking Jesus today?”

And don't stop seeking Him when your morning prayer ends.

Seek Him while driving.

Seek Him while working.

Seek Him when you're frustrated.

Seek Him when you're afraid.

Seek Him when temptation comes.

Seek Him when everything is going wonderfully.

Seek Him when nothing makes sense.

Because the Christian life isn't about occasionally visiting the presence of God.

It's about learning to live there.

Put on the whole armor of God.

And then walk through your day continually seeking the One who gave it to you.

Pastor Scott