Each day is a spiritual battle which can only be won by relying on the strength of the Lord and the armor he has provided for every Christian.
Read Ephesians 6:16-17
God has provided the armor of God for our defense against the devil’s attacks. In our last lesson, we looked at the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Boots of the Gospel of Peace. Today, we will study three more pieces of the armor of God. The Shield of Faith. During Roman times, archers were trained to shoot arrows at the opposing army. It must have been scary to see arrows flying through the air toward you. But even worse, would be flaming arrows that could hurt and burn you. These arrows represent the cruel attacks of the devil against believers. How can you be ready to withstand his attack? God gives us the shield of faith. The shield mentioned here is a large rectangular shield which a soldier could completely hide behind. Faith in God’s power and protection is what will shield us from the attacks of the devil. Trust in the Lord to protect you today. The Helmet of Salvation. As you can well imagine, no soldier can fight without a head! Every soldier wore a helmet on his head made either of thick leather or steel to protect him in the battle. If his head was injured he would have a hard time continuing to fight against his enemy. The same is true for every Christian. Every believer’s head and mind are guarded by the fact that he has been saved from the consequences of his sin. One of the attacks of Satan is to cause Christians to doubt their salvation. Wondering about that will make any person unsure of himself and his relationship with God. Once you have received God’s gift of salvation, continue trusting God’s promise of salvation through Jesus. It will guard you against doubt. The Sword of the Spirit. Any soldier needs armor to protect himself, but he also needs a weapon to fight back and make the enemy leave. God provides the Bible as our spiritual sword. The author of Hebrews describes it as “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). By knowing, memorizing, and quoting portions of God’s Word, we may tell the devil and his temptations that they are wrong. And when we do, the Holy Spirit uses those words with great power to win the battle. Remember how Jesus fought against the temptations of the devil in the wilderness? He quoted Scripture to him and won the battle. Be sure to study and memorize key verses in the Bible so that you can fight back against the devil’s temptations.
- Describe the three pieces of armor below:
a. The Shield of Faith
b. The Helmet of Salvation
c. The Sword of the Spirit
- Which piece of the armor do you think is most helpful to you today?
