What Are the 7 Pieces of Armor of God? & Their Significance
The everyday pressures of life can feel like a lot to deal with sometimes. Isn’t it great that we don’t have to handle any of it on our own?
God is not only with us to help us, He has given us His armor. This armor is made up of 7 pieces. Some are to be used as defensive weapons. And others are given as weapons for offense.
What are the 7 pieces of armor of God?
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Gospel of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
- Prayer
And to help you remember them and their significance, I’ve included a fun Free resource. Be sure to read to the end so you don’t miss it!
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Armor of God Bible Verses
We find the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:10-18
What Are the 7 Pieces of Armor of God?
We have been given an arsenal to help us fight against our enemy. We are in a fight because the devil’s goal is to deceive. We are told in John 10:10 that his mission is “…to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”
We have been given the Armor of God to help us fight against the devil’s wiles. We don’t have to live as timid, defeated Christians. We have God’s armor to engage in the battle and win!
We can have the victory over temptation and discouragement! If we will learn how to use the armor that God has provided for us.
The Belt of Truth
In Ephesians 6:14, we are told how to apply the belt of truth. This truth, as explained in John 4:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
No matter how much we desire to know God and live by His Word, we cannot do this without having a personal relationship with Jesus. He is the Truth…the first piece of the armor of God.
Think about what a belt does. A belt pretty much holds us together, keeping our clothes where we want them to be, allowing us to carry things with us that we might need. In some situations, we would be a complete mess without a belt.
Imagine wearing clothes that are too loose and going through your day without a belt to hold them up. You would be exhausted by the end of the day because too much energy would have been spent on doing the job a belt easily could have done for you.
When we don’t acknowledge Jesus as our Truth, we are attempting to take on a responsibility that was never meant to be ours. Putting on the Belt of Truth allows us to keep the rest of our armor in place because Jesus, the Truth, is the most important piece of our armor.
Putting on the Belt of Truth allows us to keep the rest of our armor in place because Jesus, the Truth, is the most important piece of our armor.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
In Ephesians 6:14 we are instructed to wear the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness means right living, an element of goodness that we are simply not capable of on our own.
A breastplate covers our heart, the very source of our happiness and our pain. When our emotions rule us, we tend to lack peace because we are looking for outside sources to give us what they cannot.
Wearing that breastplate protects us, keeping our heart focused on Jesus, the only source of goodness we can experience. And thereby keeps us walking in God’s will, living out His righteousness.
The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:15 tells us about an important piece of our armor, our shoes. These coverings for our feet are being prepared with the Gospel, our source of peace.
Without shoes, we wouldn’t get very far, especially if the ground we walk on is anything less than perfect. And, since ground is subject to the elements, there will always be something to potentially harm us or trip us.
Shoes protect our feet. They also allow us to go places that otherwise would be too dangerous for us to travel.
The Word of God, the shoes that will protect us from the devil while also giving us what we need to share Jesus with others, will keep us from going to the wrong places and protect us from pain that may come our way when we tread where we shouldn’t go.
By spending time in God’s Word, we hide in our heart what we need to help us to not sin against Him, as we are told to do in Psalm 119:11.
By wearing the shoes of the armor of God, we also open ourselves up to follow the perfect map of God’s Word, letting us know exactly where we need to go to help others.
The Shield of Faith
In Ephesians 6:16 God shares with us the shield of faith. We carry a shield in our hand. It is a defense weapon, one we need to protect us from the weapons thrust toward us from others. It can be moved, allowing protection to every part of our bodies.
We are told that the devil will send fiery darts our way. By simply having faith, we can fight the evil of these arrows.
We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “…without faith it is impossible to please…” God. We have the ability to exercise our faith which helps us to raise the shield to protect us from every temptation the devil throws our way.
The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 reminds us of our helmet of salvation.
Our mind needs protection. Our thoughts can take us places we don’t need to go. Our mind also can, when saturated in the Word of God, remind us of the truth, protect us from lies hurled at us.
The helmet of salvation is a gift we are given when we put our trust in Jesus, accepting everything He did to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
For more help growing in your walk with God, you’ll want to be sure to check out all these Practical Ways to Get Closer to God Today!
The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:17 tells us about the sword of the spirit which is God’s Word.
When you are in any kind of battle, you need a weapon. Without one, it isn’t possible to fight someone who does have one.
And the devil definitely has weapons. Yet, his weapons cannot even come close to the sword we Christians are given when we are born again.
However, it’s a weapon we have to choose to pick up, though; it’s no good to us if it isn’t used.
Prayer
The final piece of the armor of God mentioned in Ephesians 6:18 is prayer. It is a weapon we can pull out at any time.
It is a weapon that Jesus Himself used. We are told throughout the Gospels how Jesus went away to pray to the Father, setting an example for us to follow.
The Bible tells us there will be times when we don’t know what to pray. God took care of that for us by giving us His Holy Spirit who can pray for us. In Romans 8:26, we learn that “…the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Through fervent prayer, we not only get the protection we need, but we also gain strength to fight the devil’s fiery darts and live for our Saviour.
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Are you wearing your armor? All of it?
With the weapons we have been given we can protect ourselves while moving forward to fulfill God’s plans for our lives. But we need to use all 7 pieces of armor of God, as they were all designed to work together.
Ephesians 6 reminds us that our warfare is real and these battles will be won only by gaining our strength from the Lord. Without Him, we are marching completely unprepared into life’s battles!
Be sure to put on the whole armor of God each and every morning!
About the Author – Sandy Brannan
Sandy Brannan is a freelance writer and author. Sandy’s work has been featured at Calla Press, Titus-Two, For Every Mom, The Real of Parenting, and more.
My Sunday school classes are enjoying the Bible lesson about the seven pieces of Gods amour.We are now going through them one at a time so they will get a better understanding of what it really mean to but on the whole amor of God.
Hi, Dorothy!
The armor of God is a great study! So much to learn about each piece, too!
Blessings! 💗
Thank you for modernizing the Full Armor of God
Jenny
Thank you !
You are so welcome, Bethany!
I love reading the Bible it helps me learn alot and I pray for all people that you pick up the Bible read the word of God. It’s amazing things you find out as you read the Bible take time out for the lord Jesus peace Jesus loves you
Hi, Valerie!
I love reading the Bible, too! It’s wonderful how God speaks to our hearts each time we seek Him in it!
Blessings! 💗
Thank you so much for such an amazing study. I love how you put everything into perspective. I am blessed. God bless.
Thank you for sharing. 💞🙌
Thank you for the information.
Thanks so much Sandy for your write up on ” What are the 7 pieces of the armor of God & their significance.
I am really encouraged and blessed.
Thanks once again.
We need to put on the full armor of God every night and morning. The Devil works at night too.
So true, Marjorie! We must be vigilant always and never let down our guard.
Blessings! 💗
I would love to know more, learn more so that I would be fully aware and equipped
I will be using your Armor of God lesson for our VBS. How you explained each piece has been so helpful during my study time.
God Bless!!
Hi, Brenda!
That is wonderful! We just finished our church’s VBS last week. Praise the Lord for 8 new brothers and sisters in Christ! I pray you have a great VBS with souls saved and discipled as you and others teach the lessons! All for God’s glory!
Blessings! 💗