The armor of God, found in Ephesians 6: 10-17, is the center of daily prayer for many Christ-followers. Several years ago I learned some interesting background to this passage. (Read the passage in your Bible first before you read the rest of this blog).

The Belt of Truth. In the Roman/Mid-Eastern thinking at the time the “loins” or stomach were the seat of emotions. If you’re nervous your get butterflies in your stomach, if you’ve done something wrong you get that sinking feeling in your gut. Truth protects against our wildly swinging emotions. If we guard ourselves with what is true and unwavering it will protect us from our actions being guided by our extremely unreliable emotions. (Have your ever really gotten worked up about something, only to find out later that it was predicated on something that wasn't true?)

The Breastplate of Righteousness. In the author’s place and time the heart was the seat of decision making. If we protect ourselves by right living, it will prevent us from making poor decisions. They will be based on God’s righteousness, and then be in line with God’s will.

The Shoes of Peace. There is a connection in the Bible between your feet and the Gospel. It probably has to do with “going” to spread the Good News (“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” Mark 16:15 NIV). An interesting verse in the Old Testament is Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” (NLT)

Helmet of Salvation. A helmet protects your head. In the thinking of those days, the head was the seat of rational thought. The realization of our status in Christ protects our thoughts and helps us in the area of right-thinking. If we stray from this fundamental we can wander down all kinds of strange teachings and philosophies. I like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (NIV). Paul and John warned many of the early believers against getting caught up in unproductive mental endeavors, such as genealogies, Gnosticism, gossip, etc.

Shield of Faith. A shield is for general protection of the whole body. Our faith helps us to press on when under attack, because we know who we belong to, and know who will ultimately win this battle.

The Sword of the Spirit. This is our only offensive weapon. Any good soldier knows everything about his weapon, its parts, how to take care of it, and how to use it in any situation. We, too, should know our offensive weapon from front to back. But not just know it, but apply it to our lives, and use it on a daily basis.

Pastor Randy proposed the following prayer points in a message some time ago:

Pray on the:

Belt of Truth — I want to be a truth-teller

Body Armor of Righteousness — I want to be clean in God’s eyes

Shoes of Peace — I want to be a man/woman of peace

Shield of Faith — I don’t want to be distracted by Satan’s lies

Helmet of Salvation — I want to hope in heaven

Sword of the Spirit — I want to want Your word, God