"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. " (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)

Let us take a look at each part of the armor:

• Belt of truth:
  A belt holds up your pants. Without it, your pants fall down. This belt holds up the truth and what is right. It upholds you and your beliefs if you have built on the truth. (See Matthew 7:24, 25)
  
• Breastplate of righteousness:
  A breastplate protects your vital organs, including your heart. This breastplate protects your heart from others who try to persecute you. (See Psalm 37:16, 17)
  
• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace:
  Your feet give you a sure foundation to stand on when fighting. Your feet allow you to stand strong in the faith in Jesus Christ and be ready for whatever God gives you to handle. (See II Timothy 2:19)
  
• Shield of faith:
  A shield protects you from blows from the enemy. This shield, once we use it, can defend against all the schemes of the Devil. (See I Timothy 1:18, 19)
  
• Helmet of salvation:
  A helmet protects your head. This helmet protects our thoughts that we have. It keeps bad thoughts out and keeps the truth in. You should know that you have salvation and never doubt it. (See II Corinthians 10:5)
  
• Sword of the Spirit:
  A sword protects and defends you. It also allows you to cut down things that want to bring you down. This sword defends against the schemes of the Devil and against those who persecute us. We have to keep the sword sharp by studying the Word and applying it in our lives. (See Luke 6:47,48)
  

Paul, the author of Ephesians, viewed the Christian life as a kind of warfare, and he wanted his readers to prepare for combat with a dangerous opponent. There are two points that are stressed about this passage.

1. The "sword of the Spirit" is the only offensive weapon; all the rest were used for defense.


2. No armor protects the back and rear; Paul made no provision for running away from a spiritual battle. Do not look at the past but move on towards the goal.

   "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. " (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV)

Breastplate of righteousness:
"Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. " (Psalm 37:16, 17 NIV)

Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace:
"Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his, " and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. " (II Timothy 2:19 NIV)

Shield of faith:
"I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. " (I Timothy 1:18, 19 NIV)

Helmet of salvation:
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. " (II Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

Sword of the Spirit:
"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. " (Luke 6:47,48 NIV)