Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

If you have much experience in the church at all, today’s passage may be familiar to you. Often whenever you hear talk of “spiritual warfare” or subjects of the like, emphasis on putting on the full armor of Christ comes about. While I won’t attempt to make an expansive delve into the topic of spiritual warfare today, I do want to emphasize from today’s reading the fact that it is a reality. We do have an enemy, so we must take heed of this passage.

I love that Paul begins by telling us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” What a good (and oftentimes needed) reminder to us that our strength lies not in ourselves or what we can bring to the table but rather in the One we call Lord who calls us His own.

Next, I think it’s so important that Paul says we are to put on the whole armor of God. Not part of it. Not just a couple of pieces. But all of it. The reason for this, he states, is so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Paul emphasizes that our true enemy is not one that we can see face to face but rather that of a spiritual nature. Because of that, the armor he charges us to put on is also spiritual.

Paul lists five articles of spiritual defensive armor: truth, righteousness, readiness with the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation. The only offensive article Paul mentions is the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word.

While I’m no scholar on ancient armor, with my spiritual imagination, I can understand that a belt’s job (truth) is to hold everything together. Without an understanding of truth and an ability to discern truth from lies, things will more easily fall apart and we will be more swayed into sin.

As a breastplate protects the heart physically, righteousness protects our heart spiritually. By loving what is right and good, we will grow to be more like Christ.

Shoes grant the ability to travel across various landscapes in the same way that a readiness to share the gospel of peace enables you to go and share the good news of Christ in all circumstances of life.

As a shield protects you from the enemy’s weapons, faith protects you from being destroyed in times of hardship. A shield doesn’t mean that the enemy won’t strike just as faith doesn’t mean hardship won’t come, but it gives you the tools and confidence to trust that hardship will not destroy you. In life, we may not always understand why certain things are happening, but if we stand firm in faith in who God is—that He is good, sovereign, righteous, holy, and loving—then we can survive any hardship.

As a helmet protects the head, salvation is marked in our lives by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).

And lastly, as a sword gives us a way to fight our enemy, the sword of the Spirit—God’s Word; Scripture—gives us a way to fight spiritually. This means we must partake of God’s Word consistently. Read it. Study it. Learn it. Ask questions. Dig deep. Memorize it.

As we do these things, we will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take a moment to pray through each article of the armor of God as you “put it on” spiritually.
• What practices can you implement in this new year to take in God’s Word more so that you may be ready in times of hardship?

Family Devo: Ephesians 6:10-20

By: Amy Stampley

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.   

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset  

Head

Scripture tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. How can you keep your sword of the Spirit sharp and ready for battle?

Heart

Which part of the armor makes you feel protected from the devil’s evil schemes?

Hands

When you have friends who face difficult moments, how can you encourage them to use their spiritual armor to get through the hard times and to make the right choices?

Prayer: Dear God, we are so thankful that You have given us all the pieces for a complete armor to protect us from all evil. Help us to remember to use that armor when we face hard times. Because we have this armor, we can depend on Your protection and not have to rely on our own strength. We love You. Amen