Soldiers in an army have to put on their armours in order to protect themselves in their effort to complete their mission successfully. The armour that God has designed for every Christian has a similar purpose: to protect Christians from the spiritual attacks of the devil. God has prescribed the armour specifically to fit each Christian’s spiritual needs and battles as he grows spiritually in Christ. Hence, the armour will always be a perfect fit for each and every Christian, and each piece of the armour must be put on to ensure victory, i.e. believers will continue to hold on to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, stand firm on the truth and not succumb to the temptations of this world. Believers may still fall at times, but they will quickly repent and walk right with God again.

The first piece of the armour is the girdle of truth (Eph 6:14), which is the Word of God. The devil is the father of lies, and we as Christians must always speak the truth. Half-truths are not truths but lies. We must be truthful and keep our words in all that we do and say, whether in small or big matters. We must not compromise the truth even if the truth will cause us to suffer loss or pain, remembering that Jesus was willing to suffer and die on the cross to save us from our sins. The Truth of God is priceless. The object of our truth is the Word of God which is the milk and meat that we need to nourish our souls. The Word of God, as a girdle, will hold all the pieces of the armour of God together in place. Thus, we must keep on studying God’s Word and be anchored in it so that all the other armour pieces will be held in place and we will be protected from the attacks of the devil.

The second piece of the armour is the “breastplate of righteousness” (Eph 6:14), which will guard our heart. We must obey the scriptures so that our actions will be righteous and we will not practise situational ethics. We must never manipulate the present situation in order to obtain an intended outcome which is for personal benefit or gain without regard for God’s Word. Rather, we must obey the Word of God and do that which He has commanded in His Word. We must not worry about the outcome but trust that God will take care of us in every situation when we do that which is according to His Word.

The third piece of the armour is the shoe of the “gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). We must always be prepared and ready to preach the gospel of peace. Our lives must be holy testimonies of righteousness so that the world can see Christ in us when we share the gospel with them.