Put on the Full Armor of God (Free Printable)

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Put on the whole armor of God to be victorious in spiritual warfare. (Free PDF)

Truth is truth, whether we like the facts, agree with them, or acknowledge them as being true in our own estimation.

There’s an unseen spiritual war raging.

Good vs. evil. 

Angels vs. demons. 

This battle is not fiction or sci-fi.

The battle is intense, and the stakes are high.

We’re not only surrounded by the battle, but we’re involved – and affected by it daily.

Being affected by it is one thing, being a victim to it is quite another.

Followers of Jesus never need to adopt a victim mindset or posture when it comes to spiritual warfare.

We’ve been equipped with all we need to stand firm, resist the devil, and know he will flee from us. 

We’ve been equipped for victory. 

Not just most of the time – EVERY single time.

We must, however, follow the Lord’s battle blueprint; victory is guaranteed as we do. 

Who are our spiritual enemies?

All too often we have a case of mistaken identity when it comes to identifying our enemy. 

In order to effectively engage in combat, we need to correctly identify our opposition!

Let’s begin by taking a close look at who our enemy is NOT according to Ephesians 6:12:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood..”

Our enemy is not a person or group of people. 

Let’s not casually gloss over this truth.

Take a minute to let the gravity of this reality sink in.

Your enemy is NOT:

• Your mother-in-law
• Your government leaders 
• That one coworker who drives you crazy
• The person who insults and mocks you for your faith
• Your spouse
• A rebellious child

Our immediate reaction is often to lash out and designate individuals as our enemy.

Which results in all manner of strife and discord, including (but not limited to):

• Animosity.
• Distension.
• Division.
• Anger.
• Bitterness.
• Unforgiveness.

Before you know it, we’re creating our own battle plan aimed at the incorrect recipient – other people!

Meanwhile, Satan and his minions take well-calculated aim and shoot their fiery darts as they wreak havoc with people and watch as misplaced blame is cast and people start attacking each other. 

Which was a part of their plan all along. 

The powers of darkness delight when their evil agendas are mistakenly attributed to others.

We must expose the devil’s schemes and ensure our battle blueprint comes from Scripture and not one we’ve devised on our own. 

Now that we know who our enemy is NOT, let’s continue in Ephesians chapter 6:

“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.”

Our war is against Satan and demons. 

They are an evil, well-orchestrated army of darkness that opposes God, His Word, and His people. 

Our position in Christ allows us to triumph over evil

God’s power allows us to overcome evil – not our own. 

Our entire premise for victory relies on our position in Christ; however, that doesn’t minimize or take away from the fact that we play a role in warfare, and Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. 

In Spiritual Warfare Prayer Points, I identified and described every piece of our spiritual armor in-depth: including parallels from the protective gear worn by the Roman soldiers during the time when Paul wrote this descriptive comparison.

Here’s a brief description of each vital item in our spiritual protective gear.

Put on every piece of God’s armor for spiritual battle

The apostle Paul provides a key component for us to walk in victory.

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT).

Notice this command begins with a verb, “Put on!” 

Our ears should perk up at this instruction!

You need to deliberately choose to PUT. IT. ON.

Belt of Truth

We can confidently take our stand in battle armed with the truth of Scripture. We need to know the truth and align our thoughts and actions to it. 

Our enemy’s native tongue is lying. 

Satan tries to deceive us regarding: 

• Who God is
• Our identity in Christ and our position and possessions that are ours in Him
• What we can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit
• The truth, accuracy, and power of the Word of God. 

I once heard the best way to spot a counterfeit dollar bill is to closely study every intricate detail of an authentic dollar bill. Knowing every detail of the authentic dollar enabled individuals to easily spot a counterfeit. 

The same principle can be applied to our study of Scripture. 

Through a careful study of the details of truth, we will easily discern lies, deception, and counterfeits to truth. 

Shield of Faith

We raise our shield from the various arrows the enemy fires at our hearts.

His lies are varied and while this is not an exhaustive list, here are a few:

• Doubt
• Deception
• Shame
• Sexual perversions and temptations
• Guilt
• Confusion

We walk in faith as we put one foot in front of the other while lifting our faith to shield us from the darts being thrown at us.

Helmet of Salvation

Our mind is a battlefield. 

We need to be very intentional to take our thoughts captive to Christ and ensure they line up with what God’s Word says. 

Failure to tear down a belief system that does not align with Scripture allows a stronghold to form, and the enemy has a field day as he taunts, deceives, and tempts us away from Truth.

A few examples include:

• Fear
• Anxiety
• Pride
• Jealousy
• Anger
• Insecurity
• Unforgiveness

Satan has no authority to keep a believer in Christ in a place of spiritual captivity, but he will do his best to lure us into a place of bondage and will try his best to keep us there.

The good news is he has zero authority to keep you there. 

You can also read more about the process to break free from a spiritual stronghold in this post.

Breastplate of righteousness

Satan loves to attack the heart of our faith and try us to doubt that we’re in right standing with the Lord. 

Satan shoots his arrows at our hearts, attacking:

• Our worth
• Security
• Value

Shoes of the gospel of peace

Our steps are firm and we rest in peace regarding our relationship with the Lord when we’re in right standing with Him.

Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God

Our weapon may not be detected by human eyes, but make no mistake, its power can dismantle the forces of evil.

It’s the equivalent of spiritual dynamite, and we can wield our sword with precision, power, and effectiveness. 

A Soldier’s frame of mind

Many parallels can be made between a soldier in physical and in spiritual battle.

Consider the frame of mind of a soldier at war.

• Dedicated. 
• Committed. 
• Focused.

Soldiers have a job to do, and executing their mission excellently and obeying their authority is essential.

Imagine if during boot camp a soldier decided to stay in bed and said, “Please tell our superior I don’t feel like training until later today. I’ll be in after I sleep a while longer – if I feel like it.” 

Or if during combat a soldier decided the battle was becoming too fierce, so he or she ran off the battlefield declaring they’ve had enough and are calling it a day. 

A soldier remains committed, even when he or she doesn’t feel like being a soldier. 

A soldier presses on, despite physical and/or mental exhaustion. 

A soldier doesn’t decide they aren’t in the mood to fight, are too afraid, or don’t want to participate anymore. 

These attributes are required in spiritual battles as well. 

A soldier mindset can become ingrained more in your thought process as a part of who you are, interwoven in your mindset, mission, and identity in Christ as you engage in battle. 

Apathy is not an effective frame of mind for a soldier, yet our enemy will do all he can to lure us toward apathy. 

He wants to tempt us to accept certain things as being unable to change and adopt a defeatist attitude to keep us bound in spiritual captivity and accept it as inescapable.

Do any of the following mindsets resonate with you?

• I’m too old to change, I’m set in my ways.
• My family has always been this way, and I’m no different. It’s who we are.
• I’m powerless to change __________ about myself. (a habit, addiction, sin)
• I’m not really that bad when compared to other people. 
• No one’s perfect! My guilty pleasure isn’t too bad!
• I’m not hurting anyone else when I ___________, so I’ll keep it a secret.
• I know how far I can take my sin. I can manage the effects of ______________.
• I’ll never measure up.
• Reading the Bible is boring. I already know all the stories in it.

Ask the Lord to open your eyes to any areas of apathy you’ve accepted and pray about increasing your tenacity and dedication moving forward.

I want to encourage you to start thinking of yourself as a soldier who needs to be engaged in battle – while seeing yourself as the guaranteed victor!

Equipped with the indwelling Holy Spirit, all of the pieces of armor, and the Sword of the Spirit you approach battle from a place of authority, and your victory is not left to chance… you have complete assurance that you will be victorious in the name of Jesus Christ!

You can appropriate the freedom that is rightfully yours!

Free download: Armor of God PDF

Grab this free download and put a copy of it in your Bible, journal, or even hang in a prominent location in your home to remind yourself of the importance and protection that is ours in the full armor of God.

Lord God, there is none like you. You alone are holy and worthy of our praise. We bow before you, thankful that you equip your people to be victorious in spiritual battle. We’re so thankful for the armor you provided which protects us sufficiently, and for your Word that demolishes strongholds. Help us to take our stand as you’ve commanded and to have the mindset of a warrior – for we are Ambassadors in Christ. You are are victor forevermore, and we can appropriate our victory because of who we are in you. We love and praise you, and it is in the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Put on the whole armor of God: Free Download to equip you for victory in spiritual battle!

Related Posts to Put on the Full Armor of God:

Spiritual Warfare Prayer Points

Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds

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