The Apostle Paul, while sitting in his jail cell took a long, hard look at his jailers (Roman soldiers) and noticed very closely how they were dressed. They were just mere prison guards, but yet they were dressed with their full armor and weaponry. They were prepared, and ready at all times for any situation or attack that might come up. He noticed too that they were not just ready in their physical dress, but were mentally ready and prepared as well. To these soldiers, this was a way of life. They woke up each morning a soldier. They trained during the day to be the best soldier that they could be. They lived, and breathed the life of a soldier. They went to bed at night still thinking about being a soldier. Paul took notice of their dedication and their willingness to commit themselves to their cause, and their willingness to defend themselves and their Emperor from the enemies of Rome. As he was seeing this, and thinking about the soldiers, he started to compare these soldiers and their dedication to the lives of Christians. He was thinking that Christians needed to be prepared against the wiles (trickery and deceit) of Satan just as much as these soldiers were prepared against the wiles of their enemies. In his letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul instructed the faithful there to “Put On The WHOLE Armor of God” so that they might be able to defend against the wiles (trickery and deceit) of Satan. 2000 years later, this instruction to the faithful is more important than ever. Satan is alive and well on planet earth, and his trickery and deceit tactics have improved greatly. We must be ever vigilant, ever prepared to do battle with Satan. Ephesians 6:11-13 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Now lets look at each piece of the WHOLE Armor Of God and the importance that each piece plays in our battles with Satan.  I. Waistband Of Truth – We can also call this a “back support”. The TRUTH helps us to walk upright, and stay that way. When we walk (or work) without our “back support” on, we get sore, and sometimes we wind up bent over for a while. We must then tend to our sore back before we are able to stand upright again. The “back support” is a necessary support for us. It keeps our backs strong, and in shape to support our burdens. Jesus told us very plainly that HE is the Truth. He also told the Jews who believed the words He spoke that “You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free”. He told the non-believing Jews that they were of Satan because He told the Truth, but they did not believe. Jesus is our Truth, and our support. We initially receive the Truth when we receive Jesus. We also receive Truth when we read His Word, the Bible. At least we read the truth. Only the Holy Spirit, if we let Him, can cause that truth to sink in and become the Truth that abides in us. That is how we focus on Jesus, who is Truth. When the Truth is in us through the Word and the Spirit, then our habits begin to line up with the Truth, and our words and actions also begin to express truth. He reveals His truth to us in three ways: 1. The Bible 2. Through the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts; and... 3. Through relationships in the Body of Christ. The Bible, of course, is the most sure way. As the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we can know that it's truly Him, because it lines up with God's Word. In that way, the belt of truth protects us from error from the wrong spirit. II John 1:2 2because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: John 14:6 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 8:31 – 32 31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:42 – 45 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.                                                  II. Breastplate Of Righteousness – A breastplate is designed to protect your vital organs – most importantly your heart. If you walk in righteousness, not just talk righteousness, then your heart is where it needs to be. Your heart should be focused on Jesus Christ, and His ways. When you are actually walking in His ways, your heart is protected from Satan’s attacks. With your heart protected, Satan has a very difficult time turning your heart from Him. When the Truth is in us through the Word and the Spirit, then our habits begin to line up with the Truth, and our words and actions also begin to express truth. This is where and when we start developing a Righteous Heart. There's really only one point to cover - that's Jesus. Who is Jesus to you? How important is He to you? Just making Him the focus of everything covers all the other points! That's why so much of Satan's activity is centered around trying to get our eyes off of Jesus. When he can get your eyes and your attention off of Jesus, your heart becomes weakened, and a prime target of attack. The heart is an easy thing to sway, and Satan will try very hard to turn our hearts against Jesus. It's only then that he can truly destroy us. There are so many ways Satan uses to take our focus off of Him, that practically the whole New Testament is taken up just telling us more about Jesus so we are able to keep our focus on Him. It's focusing on Him that changes us into His image.  III. Shoes Of The Gospel Of Peace– The feet carry the body. The feet need protection just as much as the rest of the body. The “Shoes of The Gospel Of Peace” represent protection that will keep us walking on the path of righteousness. The path of righteousness is narrow, steep, and rough terrain. Without protection for our feet, we would undoubtedly stumble, and perhaps fall – especially if we are carrying a heavy load (burden). Remember that Paul was looking at a Roman soldier when he wrote about the Whole Armor of God. The shoes, or boots that the Romans wore were specifically designed to enable a soldier to march long distances each day (up to 25 miles a day over rough terrain) while carrying a heavy backpack (up to 90 pounds). In order for a soldier to be able to do this day in and day out, he needed shoes or boots that were designed to carry this weight, and still be able to keep his feet protected. He needed to be sure footed, and able to move about quickly when necessary. Jesus said to follow Him. Again we come back to it all being about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we earnestly seek to follow Him, and earnestly seek to follow His ways, and if we seek the help of the Holy Spirit in our daily travels, then we can more easily stay on the path of righteousness. He is the Gospel Of Peace, and it is all about Him.  IV. Shield Of Faith – Faith can be described as unquestioning belief; or as complete trust, confidence, or reliance. Our faith in Jesus Christ should be unquestioning, with complete confidence that no matter what happens to us (physically or spiritually), He is still the King of Kings, and that we believe fully in His purpose, His death and His resurrection. We must believe, with all of our hearts, that He is the Truth, the Way, and the Light. When He comes first, nothing of our selves matters. Faith is knowing that He is who He is, and that we are here to serve Him in all things. We take the “I” and the “we” out of the equation, and we start to understand that we do not matter in the scope of things. The Roman shield was a very large shield that provided a great deal of protection. It could be used in close quarter fighting, as well as protection against attacks from a great distance (such as arrows, hurling stones, etc…). The Roman soldier could literally hide his entire body underneath, or behind the shield to offer maximum protection. Paul looked at our faith in Jesus Christ as a shield of protection. We can blanket ourselves in Jesus, knowing with all of our hearts that He is who He is. This absolute belief in Jesus Christ, along with our commitment to walk in His ways daily will offer a great amount of protection against the attacks of Satan. How can Satan turn us away from our Savior if we truly know and believe that He is who He is? Romans 4:18 – 21 18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Hebrews 11:1 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. I Peter 1:6 – 9 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Ephesians 6:16 16above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Psalm 3:3 3But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I John 5:4 – 5 4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Proverbs 30:5 5Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Psalms 18:30 30As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.  V. Helmet Of Salvation – The human mind is a very easy target. It is easily swayed, and is full of doubt. Satan can bring about great moments of doubt with ease. Our salvation – our belief and knowledge of Jesus Christ, is strong protection for Satan’s attacks on our minds. We know who He is, and we earnestly follow His ways. With the knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is, and our firm belief in Him, Satan has a very difficult time convincing us to turn ourselves away from him. The Roman helmet was heavy, and was designed to protect the head from heavy blows. In most cases, the blows wound up being glances instead of direct hits. Our salvation in Jesus Christ works much the same way. It protects us against direct, hard blows to our thoughts, our beliefs, and our conscience. Salesmen are trained, and experienced in selling us a bill of goods. Most salesmen will tell you whatever you need to hear in order to get you to agree to buy their stuff. Satan is the Granddaddy of all salesmen. How much easier could it be for him to sell you a bill of goods? He cannot sell lies or deceit to Truth. Keep Jesus Christ first and foremost in your life, and follow Him daily. Doing this will keep Satan from selling us his rotten goods. I Thes 5:8 8But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. Romans 12:1   1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  VI. Sword Of The Spirit – The sword referred to here is the Word of God (Bible). The Word of God is Truth. Satan will not tell you the Truth, nor does he want you to know it. The more we read, study, and understand God’s Word (Truth), the more powerful we become against Satan’s attacks. Satan can present his deceit and lies to us, but we stand firm knowing what the Truth really is. The Truth cuts through all the garbage, and brings us to the reality of who God is, what He has in store for us, and the ways in which we are to live our lives. Satan does not like this one bit. Remember, he has one goal – separate you from God any way he can. He has a really tough time against the Truth, and the more we rely on the Truth in our daily living, the more able we become to ward off the attacks of Satan. Also, the sword is not a defensive weapon. It can be used effectively in defense, but it is a weapon of attack. God’s Word is a most effective weapon of attack against Satan. Satan stands for lies and deceit – he cannot handle the Truth. Hebrews 4:12 12For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  VII. Prayer – The most effective weapon against Satan is prayer. Period. Prayer is our direct communication with God, and Satan wants to keep you from God. Daily communication with God strengthens our relationship with Him, and brings us closer to Him. Our personal prayer life will bring much more intimacy into our relationship with God. The more intimate we are with Him, the more we will understand His will, His purpose for us, our strength in Him, and our devotion to Him. Satan cannot battle this. He will try everything he can to keep you FROM praying, and a daily prayer life, but he has no power against your prayers. Praying alone is a wonderful experience, and brings us closer to God, but praying in groups, or intercessory prayer is a very, very powerful tool in our arsenal. We are instructed to pray all prayers and supplication (asking humbly and earnestly) in the Spirit.