Armor of God: Stand your ground and put it on

In battle, we can do one of two things: be the first to charge toward our enemy with great vigor and a readiness to fight or we can let our enemy come to us before we do. Whenever I’ve read about the armor of God [ref. Ephesians 6:10-17] I always read how I’ve been taught about it: with a focus on the armor. The day I started this study, I wasn’t really searching for information about it. This all started in a place that, to some, wouldn’t make sense for where it ended.

I was reading in the book of Judges because I just felt the urge to. It’s a book that I’d never read, but was intrigued by because of the story of Jael. That book has some pretty crazy stories in it, and it’s still a shock that those things happened and were written in the Bible. I got to a point in the book where the Israelites disobeyed the Lord and He told them that He would leave the people who originally lived there as thorns in their side for not doing what they were commanded to do. I paused in that moment and remembered the thorn that Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 12:9. From there, I wrote down each “thorn” and studied their meanings literally and spiritually. Although not an extremely in depth study, and definitely far from complete, I landed on the Armor of God.

That study was my introduction into spiritual warfare, and now we’ve landed here.

For a while, I struggled with writing this study because I just wasn’t sure exactly what to say and where to start. Everything I wrote in my notes was already written, and there was so much more there that needed to be uncovered. On a day I woke up early and had a lot of time on my hands before I needed to leave for work, I decided to sit down and focus on writing by opening my Bible to Ephesians 6:10-17. While reading this passage again, the start of verse 14 struck me.

“Stand your ground and put it on…”

Obviously, not what the word says verbatim but what was put on my heart. I was immediately brought back to the battle between David and Goliath, which I’d just got done reading and was totally amazed by. We know all of the important parts of the story, of course. David was a shepherd boy who wasn’t expected to be a king but who God anointed to become one. He killed a bear and a lion prior to fighting Goliath. He went into battle with only a slingshot and a few pebbles, and God gave him victory that day. Those are all key points, but the one that was brought to mind here is one that’s so easily overlooked:

David didn’t charge into battle with Goliath. Instead, he stood his ground until Goliath began moving in to attack. [ref. 1 Samuel 17: 1-51]

Standing on the battle field can sound crazy when your enemy is closing in to attack you, especially when you can see it with your own eyes. You might think, “I’ve got to charge now or I will lose my life.” Those are completely valid thoughts and feelings because nobody wants to be under direct attack and told to stand their ground. Nobody does, and God certainly knows that. Yet, we are reminded to stand three times before the purpose of each piece of armor is shared.

Verse 11: put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against the strategies of the devil.

Verse 13b: Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Verse 14: stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

This instruction reminds me of the first line of Psalm 46:10: “be still and know that I am God!” Also, Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The reason why David was so confident and bold was because He understood whose He was, who God is, and what that meant for him and the people of Israel — even when the soldiers of the people did not. He stood and spoke boldly against Goliath and wearing the spiritual armor of God, he was able to defeat the enemy that taunted God’s people. [ref. 1 Samuel 17: 45-51].

The study of the parts of the Armor of God does start at the belt, but the study actually starts at the part of the passage that can be so easily overlooked. So, before we begin, it’s imperative to know that we do not war against flesh, but we fight in the spirit against wickedness. It’s important to know that our weapons and protection are not earthly, but are of God of the Highest Heaven. It’s also vital to know that although it won’t always be easy, we are encouraged, emboldened, and empowered to stand, be still, and trust that God is who He says He is, will do what He says He will do, and that we are safe because of who we are to Him. When we fight our spiritual battles and experience warfare and attacks in the spirit, we are encouraged not to just put on the full armor but to stand our ground in doing so.