There is an element to this life that is more real than what we see. As Christians, we are spiritually alive beings and much of the battle we fight is not visible to human eyes. That is why we need prayer, specifically an armor of God prayer.
Our spirits are eternal, our spirits will prosper in heaven, and our spirits should be prospering on earth. God’s will is for earth to look like heaven (Matthew 6:10), and it is part of our job as Christians to see God’s will be done.
This can be easier said than done. Sometimes, we are in a fight that we don’t fully understand ourselves. We feel the burden of the fight because it weighs on us emotionally, but we may not have words to describe it. This is part of spiritual warfare and while that may sound intimating, God has crafted us armor to fight in.
We are knights and warrior princesses in His army and if we go to battle without putting on our armor, we run the risk of receiving spiritually fatal blows.
Write your own Armor of God prayer! Download this free guide to help you along!
First, I suggest you open your Bible to Ephesians 6:10-18. Read it, ponder it, what do you think all of this means?
Why do we need an Armor of God prayer? Verse 11 and 13 tell us that it will help us to stand against the attacks of the enemy. It goes on to tell us we need this spiritual armor because we are fighting a spiritual battle.
We have been made alive spiritually as Christians, we were dead before, and we have this new realm to learn about (Ephesians 2:4).
The principles of God’s kingdom are very different from the earthly rules we’ve played by our whole lives and while we live on earth, we will encounter resistance from those that oppose God’s way of doing things. We need to put on our battle armor to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12)!
Now that you are aware you are in the midst of a spiritual battle (many Christians have no idea), let’s talk about what each of these items from the Armor of God prayer does for us.
1. The Belt of Truth:
Think about the uses of a belt, what does a belt do? In modern terms, a belt keeps your pants up and the idea hasn’t changed much over the last 2,000 years.
Belts help you keep all things together. Truth helps you hold all things together.
Our culture very strongly shouts that the truth is subjective, feeding us the message that “You have to do what right for you, what feels good in the moment.” If gossiping about a friend makes you look better, lying at work gives you a leg up or doing anything short of breaking the law because, “No one will know.”
The Bible tells us the opposite, truth is truth and God determines it, not you. Just the fact that you can know truth and it doesn’t change based on circumstance is huge. It will hold all things together when your situation looks dire. You’ll face times where you’ll need to stand on God’s Word instead of believing what your eyes are telling you.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness:
This piece of gear is to protect all your vital organs. If you think about what righteousness means (that you are completely right with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus), then no evil thoughts the enemy can throw your way can penetrate your heart of hearts.
If you are right with God, it doesn’t matter that you screwed up big time 15 years ago or yesterday, God has forgiven you.
When you wear this, you know that no matter what lies the enemy tries to plant in your mind, he is wrong because Jesus’ sacrifice paid for it all. Jesus is enough.
3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace:
This one used to confuse me. I thought it had to do with taking the gospel places, like being a missionary. In a way, that isn’t wrong, but there is so much more to it!
As a solider, your shoes support all that you do. In the ESV, the verse says, “As shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Think about the word “readiness”.
The readiness of the gospel is your cause, it is WHY you are fighting. If you think of your shoes as a symbol of “readiness”, then like shoes support you physically when you fight, they will support you spiritually as you fight. When you take blow after blow and you want to give up, your shoes or “readiness” reminds you why you are fighting and revives your strength.
You are fighting because Jesus already won, He overcame the world and the enemy is trying to convince people otherwise (John 16:33). He is illegally treading on spiritual land that belongs to God and you’re here to give him the smack down.
You’re here to declare that Jesus came to set the captives free! To see people come out of darkness! In God, all people can be overcomers (Roman 8:37).
4. Shield of Faith:
This one is so very important. Your shield will defend you when you can’t see what is on the other side. When you aren’t sure what’s coming your way and you need to hold steady.
Life throws things at us that we don’t understand. We are tempted to think, “Where are you God?” In those moments, it is so important to cling to our shields.
Our shield enables us to remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Even though we may not understand why our journey brought us to a dark place, we can trust in God and His promises.
Faith is a matter of believing God’s promises over the enemy’s lies. That can seem downright unrealistic sometimes but it is still a choice. There are things I’ve gone through that I still do not understand but do I doubt God? HELL NO, and I mean that.
5. Helmet of Salvation:
I’ve talked a lot about renewing your mind by reading God’s Word in other posts, and that is why we need our Helmet of Salvation! Every day we need to be reminding ourselves of our salvation: What God’s Word says about who we are and what we’ve received, why we have it, who gave it to us, and that we no matter what blows received in battle, nothing can shake our gift of salvation.
When the enemy would deliver that fatal blow to our walk of faith, the helmet protects our minds from being spiritually cut off from God.
6. Sword of the Spirit:
Ladies, do you see that this is our ONLY weapon? All other items of our battle armor are for defensive purposes and the sword is our one weapon.
It’s God’s weapon of choice and it is sharper than any two edge sword you will ever hold. It can divide the joints from the marrow and discern the intents of people’s heart, THAT is how sharp it is (Hebrews 4:12).
This sword will be the most powerful thing you will ever wield and it probably sits on your shelf, gathering dust. PLEASE TELL ME THAT IS NOT THE CASE!
You should be immersing yourself in it daily so that it can be inscribed on you and in you so that it can come out of you! It is one of the most amazing gifts God has given us. Let me tell you, He has blessed us beyond what we can measure, and the Bible is part of that.
Take up your sword warrior princess! It is the most valuable possession you will ever own!
Make it personal
Now that we have covered what the armor of God is for, I want to help you create a personal armor of God prayer that you can speak over yourself that is relevant to the season you are in.
You will need a paper and a pen to write your answers. Or to make it easier, you can download the guide I have created.
Journaling your response to this questions is paramount, it will help you make your desired walk of faith a reality.
Your Armor of God prayer:
- Believe in your mind and heart that truth is only what God says. If something doesn’t line up with God’s word, then it cannot possibly be true. This means it is a nasty lie from the enemy. Write a sentence that says something like, “I choose to believe God’s Word and promises over believing the enemy’s lies.”
- Think about where you have messed up in life and confidently declare that despite those situations, you are right with God. God has forgiven because you accepted the sacrifice of Jesus and He is enough. Write Psalm 103:12.
- Write down your why. What is it about the gospel that will keep you fighting in the darkest of times?
- Be resolute in trusting God, even though you may not understand what is happening in your situation. Have more faith in God’s promises than in the lies of the enemy. Write down specific promises you will cling to in this season.
- Remember that no matter what is thrown your way, your life is hid with Christ (Colossians 3:3) and that nothing can shake your salvation. Choose and write a couple of verses about your salvation.
- Read your sword every single day, renew your mind to it. Begin to think the way it thinks, no matter what your life situation looks like. Apply it to your life by asking, “What can I take from this Scripture and change in my life so that I reflect God more?” And make an action plan to be in His Word daily.
Here is an example of my own Armor of God prayer:
Belt of Truth: I will walk, talk, and breath the God’s truth at all times. It will bind my life together and be written on the tablet of my heart.
Breastplate of Righteousness: I know that I am right with God and that He is pleased with me because of everything that Jesus did for me.
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: No matter what the enemy throws at me, I will remember my why, which is: Jesus changes people’s lives and sets them free. Jesus is a force that cannot be reckoned with.
Shield of Faith: Each day I choose to guard myself with the Shield of Faith and trust in God’s promises instead of believing the lies from the enemy. I trust that God is good and He works all things together for my good (Psalm 100:5, Romans 8:28).
Helmet of Salvation: I am always with God and He is always in me because I have accepted His gift of salvation. I have been saved by grace and I am a royal priest in His kingdom (Ephesians 2:8, 1 Peter 2:9)!
Sword of the Spirit: I will immerse myself in God’s word everyday, even if it means only reading one verse and thinking about it throughout the day. The Bible is my one weapon against the enemy, and he hates the life it gives. I will inscribe God’s word on me and in me, so that it always comes out of me. I will read it every morning when I wake.
Thank you God for the wonderful gift of your Word and your armor. I put it on in hopes of honoring You. Amen.”
Be fearless
I pray that creating your own Armor of God prayer will strengthen your spirit and enlighten the eyes of your understanding.
There are seasons you will need to consciously put on your armor every single day, and some seasons you won’t. Above all, you should be in God’s word every day.
Be fearless! You wear God’s great armor, and it will protect you on your journey through this life.
Please download the Armor of God prayer guide to help you create your own pray to speak over yourself!
Thank you for your most thorough teaching on our spiritual armour. I trust your readers will take note. Bless you.
You are so welcome! God’s Word is so good!
Do you have a bible study in the area?
Hi Candice,
I don’t have a local Bible study in the Portland area. My church, New Creation Church in Hillsboro, Oregon has an amazing women’s Bible study twice a month. I do host informal Bible journaling meet ups now and then. I have one coming later this month. You can read more about it on the Bible Journaling Association’s website! http://biblejournalingassociation.com/calendar/#event=14306269
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Blessings,
Amanda