The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:13-17   

Therefore put on the full armor of God, -- Don't leave anything out, make sure I have all the parts.

So that when the day of evil comes, -- whenever the enemy mounts an attack.

You may be able to stand your ground, -- Stand to fight, to resist and not fall down.

And after you have done everything, -- Everything I am able to do, not shirking any responsibility.

To stand. -- To remain standing, not knocked down or out, not cowering or hiding. Victorious.

Stand firm, then, -- A good, solid stance, ready for anything.

With the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, -- referring to the "skirt" the Roman soldiers wore, with metal greaves covering the hips and upper thighs; to protect our purity.

With the breastplate of Righteousness in place, -- To protect our heart, and everything that includes.

And with your feet fitted with the Readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. -- The tall boots, for marching, travelling, to tell others the Good News.

In addition to all this, -- We surely don't want to forget the rest of our equipment.

Take up the shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. -- Our Faith, our Trusting in God, will be able to answer any argument, defend any attack, no matter from what direction it comes.

Take the helmet of salvation -- To protect my head, my brain, my mind, to guard my thinking processes from deceit and wrong paths and attitudes.

And the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. -- Our only weapon, that double-edged sword that King Jesus the Conquerer will use to "strike down the nations" (Revelation 19:15), all written down for us in a book we call the Bible.