Without wearing the whole armor of God, we are not able to withstand in the evil day, to sustain in faith life or to remain unhindered by their persistent attacks by the evil ones. It is essential that consistently we walk in the protection and power of all pieces of the spiritual armor of God. The combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary human beings but against a subtle enemy of evil forces operational in all our circumstances.

In chapter six of his epistle to Ephesians, St. Paul exhorts and direct Christians, how to behave themselves in the spiritual warfare with the enemies of their souls in order to preserve and defend them in the conflict. Every believer has a constant battle to fight with the evil adversary in his/her Christian course. Without wearing the whole armor of God, we are not able to withstand in the evil day, to sustain in faith life or to remain unhindered by their persistent attacks by the evil ones. It is essential that consistently we walk in the protection and power of all pieces of the spiritual armor of God.

St. Paul makes it very clear to us that the combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary human beings compounded of flesh and blood, but against a subtle enemy of evil forces operational in all our circumstances. These evil forces are continuously engaged in ways of beguiling our souls to do wickedness. It is in vain that we fight against our own relatives, friends, church or colleagues for materialistic gains and they are not our enemies to fight against.

It is noteworthy that St. Paul wrote this while in the custody of Roman soldiers; it was easy for him to look at the several pieces of armor of his Roman guards and the order in which they would put them on. In the same way as a soldier wears several parts of armor that has different functions to protect his body; Christians should wear the spiritual armor of God to combat the evil forces that attack us everyday.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” [Ephesians 6:13-17].

It is requisite that a soldier be stout-hearted, well armed and with a great deal of courage. Each aspect of the symbolic spiritual armor of God answers to a specific dynamic within the Christian life that enables us to stand repelling the temptations, wiles and stratagems of the evils:

1. Belt of Truth: Belt gathers up our garments and holds them together tightly and helps hanging many hand weapons from it. It ensures strength of our loins as it is worn around the waist. St. Paul exhorts us to keep truth, integrity and faithfulness in the inward parts as girdle of our loins. Truth is stranger than it used to be and holding onto truth is a big challenge of today. The very fabric of our contemporary society is to gain and survive with lies. The endemic corruption, fraud transactions, unholy alliance etc. are quiet common in this commercial world of libertinism and licentiousness. Even our holy places are defiled with the absence of truthfulness and honesty.

2. Breastplates of Righteousness: The breastplate secures the vitals, shelters the heart, liver, lungs etc. and act as a bulletproof vest. It is tightly worn part of the armor ensuring essential protection without which a soldier cannot fight effectively. The righteousness of Christ imputed to us is our breastplate to fortify against the arrows of divine wrath and many potential dangers.

3. Shoes of Preparation for the Gospel: Shoes is the finishing item we wear ensuring our preparedness to commence our activities. Our readiness to preach Gospel at all times is an essential part of our commission. Our failure to recognize the inherent necessity of proclamation of the Gospel of “the crucified Christ” is the most profound weakness of present day Christians. Christians must always be ready to preach the Good News to all people, all time, notwithstanding the difficulties and discomforts associated with it due to misconceived and excessive secularism.

4. Shield of Faith: Shield protects the soldier from dangers flying towards him and enables him to ward off the fiery darts from evil forces. Faith is a state of mind which you may develop at will and accumulate riches and strength to resist evil forces. In this world of temptation, immorality, unfaithful dealings and business-minded approach we face many exigencies on our spiritual journey. With strong faith in our Lord we get delivered from all our troubles and run not be weary or faint while wrestling with the evils out of our own strength. The assurance that our Lord is with us is the basis of our faith and that gives us the confidence that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

5. Helmet of Salvation: The helmet secures the head from severe attack of enemy. Our self assurance that we are protected by our Lord is the state of salvation. Our Lord has given us this salvation with the Precious Blood of Christ. No one can take that away from us or stand against it. We are urged to wear our helmet of salvation continually and unceasingly as we are constantly being troubled and tormented by evil forces. It is not a mere feeling that we are endorsed under His mighty arms, but it is a real life experience and a great reality. Good hope keeps us trusting in Jesus Christ as our savior and keeps us away from all our worries.

6. Word of God the Sword of Spirit: Sword is the only efficacious and powerful offensive instrument of the armor with which we assault the assailants and destroy the enemy. Our Lord taught us to resist and fight ceaselessly against the enemy using the Word of God and never turn our back to the foe. Christ Himself had drawn us our pattern to repel the temptations of Satan and to wield against him with most powerful Scripture-arguments. As a Christian, proper knowledge of the Word of God is essential in order to his maintaining the spiritual warfare and to win over the enemy and to enforce victory in our spiritual life. During our times of despair, sorrow, anger, emotional outbursts of various kinds, and urge for worldly pleasures, authority, power, and so on, we can win over all of them using the Word of God. The Holy Spirit of God guides us in learning the Word of God. Those who are tuned to the word of the world get easily yielded to the devil’s allurements and assaults.

Our children should wear these armors from their childhood days so that they will grow strong in faith and become shining stars in the faith community and bear witness to the love of God.