Ephesians 6:10-17 and The Divine Panoply (Adaptation of a Talk)

All of Jehovah's people are engaged in a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:11-12). How can we win the fight against Satan and his demons? It is only by wearing the complete suit of armor from God.

Read Ephesians 6:11-13

We're locked in a struggle with "wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places." The apostle Paul describes our fight as one that involves hand-to-hand combat. Our fight is also spiritual rather than literal, but our enemies are no less real and deadly.

Young Christians have a difficult time in this battle because they seem vulnerable or may lack experience. However, the only way that any of us can win the struggle is by putting on the complete suit of armor from God (the divine panoply).

Part of this armor is mentioned in Ephesians 6:14-15 (Read)

Some essential components of our spiritual armor are truth, righteousness, and the good news of peace.

The truths we learn from God’s Word are compared to a belt that protects us from false teachings; God's righteous standards are like a breastplate that guards our figurative hearts (Proverbs 4:23). Moreover, as we acquire a clear understanding of the truths in God’s Word, we're able to defend those truths when we encounter opposers.​ Finally, preaching the good news of peace safeguards our feet as we courageously witness to others like Jesus and the apostles did.

Ephesians 6:16-17 discusses two other parts of our spiritual armor (Read)

What are the wicked one's burning arrows? They could include lies told by Satan that are meant to discourage us or make us slow down in our ministry: Satan tries to make Jehovah's people feel worthless. However, our faith can be like a protective shield if we do personal Bible study, prepare for the meetings, and heartily participate in them. Jehovah will then become real to us, not merely an abstract force.

In addition to the shield of faith, we need hope, our figurative helmet of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Hope keeps us focused on God’s promises and helps us see problems in the right perspective. But if we want our “helmet” to be effective, we must wear it on our head, not carry it in our hands.

Our final part of spiritual armor is the sword of God's spirit. Our ultimate goal is to become skilled at using God's word: some Christians have developed a list of verses to remember and share with others. Familiarity with the Bible helps us become adept at using it to defend truth and expose false teachings.

Can you identify each part of the armor from God?

Meditation question: Is my suit of armor complete?