Self-Defense Body Armor for Spiritual Warfare

For the Christian, self-defense is not limited to warding off physical threats only; it includes the tactical necessity for acute and discerning situational awareness to thwart personal temptations and spiritual attacks.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Free Online Educational Resources to Grow Your Spiritual Knowledge ]

The pastor of Ada Bible Church, in Grand Rapids, MI, Aaron Buer, preached the 4-part sermon series titled The Armor of God, which examines each element of the Roman armor and weapon that the Apostle Paul used as a metaphor for the defensive and offensive tools Christians require when battling against spiritual forces. (An earlier series explained the reality and nature of spiritual warfare in our daily lives; attacks to our soul coming from three directions: the devil, the world, and our own nature.)

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Watch each of the videos below to more completely understand the protective biblical body armor God tells us to put on every day.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense In Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemies ]

Armor of God: Spiritual War

Ephesians 6:10–20
Every follower of Jesus faces the spiritual battle that isn’t against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil that attack through lies and disordered desires. God himself is the true warrior who fights for us, and through Jesus’s victory on the cross, we fight from a position of triumph rather than uncertainty. All Christians are in a spiritual battle, but few are intentionally wearing the armor of God. We must recognize our enemy’s tactics, put on the full armor of God, and battle from the confidence of Christ’s completed victory.

Or watch it here.

• The Enemy the Devil: 1 Peter 5:8; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14
• Don’t confuse your mission field with your battlefield.
• “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” C.S. Lewis
• Are there lies that have taken root in your heart?
• The Battleground: Ephesians 2:2–3
• The world, the flesh, and the devil (see Self-Defense In Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemies).
• The world: secular society redefining good and evil and calling it normal. Romans 12:2
• “We either love the wrong things or the right things in the wrong order.” Augustine of Hippo
• With the world, passivity means conformity.
• The Armor: Isaiah 59:17
• Do not bring your own armor to this battle.
• My armor: my goodness, as in the good things that I do, my determination, my smarts, my charm, my resources, my ingenuity, my grit, my network, my strength.
• God’s armor: All the benefits of the gospel actively put on. Ephesians 1–3
• The Victory: Isaiah 59:16
• God put on his armor to save his people from their sin. Isaiah 11:1, 5; Colossians 2:13–15

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: Spiritual Self-Defense ]

Armor of God: Belt & Breastplate

Ephesians 6:13–15 and Proverbs 4:23
The first two pieces of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6 are the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Truth serves as our foundation, holding everything together like a Roman soldier’s belt, while righteousness protects our hearts from the enemy’s accusations. Knowing God’s truth isn’t enough—we must intentionally put on the armor through obedient living. We must ground ourselves in Scripture, rest in Christ’s righteousness, and move from treating Jesus as merely a good advisor to recognizing him as true authority.

Or watch it here.

• “Satan doesn’t leave fang marks in your flesh. He leaves lies in your heart.” Tim Keller
• The Belt of Truth
• The more you know God’s truth, the more effectively you can wear God’s armor.
• Are you growing in your understanding of God’s truth? Because the more you’re growing, the more you’re going to be to be able to use this armor.
• You’re like a soldier. Think of Jesus as your commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3–4
• Is there anywhere in your life that you are treating God’s truth as advice instead of authority?
• The Breastplate of Righteousness: is meant to protect that deep place within us—our hearts.
• Possible battles of the heart: shame, insecurity, fear.
• The Christian’s justification is a double transfer: when Jesus died for your sin, he took your guilt and put it on himself (the first transfer); then Jesus put his righteousness (goodness, rightness, perfection) on believers (the second transfer). 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 5:3

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

Armor of God: Shoes, Shield, & Helmet

Ephesians 6:15–17
In exploring the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, the message is clear that the gospel provides sure footing in uncertain circumstances, faith extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows, and our salvation protects our minds from the enemy’s lies. Spiritual warfare isn’t meant to be fought alone but in formation with other believers who shield one another. We must stand firm in gospel truth, trust God’s faithfulness rather than our own strength, and commit to growing alongside fellow believers.

Or watch it here.

• Gospel Cleats: the gospel is what gives the sure footing to stand firm.
• In Christ through the cross, we are infinitely loved, infinitely valued, and infinitely secure.
• Life keeps knocking you over because you’re wearing the wrong cleats. Your feet need to be fitted with readiness; with the gospel of peace.
• The Devil’s battle plan is to use lies and deception. You need the shield of faith to protect you.
• The shield of faith is less about how big your faith is and more about what your faith is in. Psalm 28:7
• Faith is putting your trust in Jesus. It’s choosing to trust God. It’s a decision. It’s obedience. Faith is not a feeling. Faith is choosing to trust God despite your feelings.
• The shield of faith is something that we do together.
• What made the Roman military so strong was not the individual soldier. It was the group of soldiers fighting in unison. So, who is shielding you?
• Get in formation before the Devil’s arrows start flying.
• The Helmet of Salvation
• Justified: Jesus has saved me from the penalty of sin.
• Sanctified: Jesus is saving me from the power of sin.
• Glorified: Jesus will save me from the presence of sin.
• We should be at war with sin; killing sin in our lives, because the goal of the cross is that we would be becoming more and more like Jesus.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness Self-Defense: Seeing Temptation as a Threat ]

Armor of God: The Sword & Prayer

Ephesians 6:17–20 and Hebrews 4:12
The Armor of God sermon series concludes by examining the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—and the vital role of prayer in Ephesians 6. Unlike the defensive pieces of armor described earlier, God’s Word is the Christian’s offensive weapon, made powerful by the Holy Spirit for Close Spiritual Combat (CSC). Prayer isn’t separate from the armor but activates and sustains every piece, enabling us to stand firm together in battle. We must memorize Scripture so the Spirit has the truth ready when temptation strikes, and become prayer warriors who fight for others’ faith, as Jesus fought for Peter.

Or watch it here.

• The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God: our weapon in spiritual warfare.
• Paul uses the Greek word rhema, which means the spoken word. Take God’s Word and speak it in spiritual battle to counter the Devil’s lies. Luke 4:3–12
• What lies is the Devil attacking you with? What Scripture counters those lies?
• The second weapon we have available to us is prayer. Romans 8:26–27
• Be a prayer warrior: someone who goes into spiritual battle for other believers through prayer.
• Share the Gospel. Ephesians 6:18–20
• God has you right where you are so that you can share the message of Jesus with people around you. You are his ambassador.
• Paul said, “Pray for me that I can fearlessly share the gospel message.” Can you say that?

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Pray the Prayers of the Apostle Paul ]

Also see the Bible Gateway Blog article, Prepare for Spiritual Warfare: Put On the Armor of God

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