It was still dark. The alarm clock had not yet let out its monotonous monotone call. I awoke as a sudden explosion of thought cut across my mind; “The Ephesians 6 armour of God is all about Jesus. It is a representation of who Jesus is!”
“Wow. Where did that come from?” I whispered, though I knew it came from the Holy Spirit.
I opened my eyes with sudden excitement of this fascinating theological idea and the more I thought about it the more I could see Jesus being reflected in the armour of God.
As Christians, whether we know it or not, we are in a war. But our war is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). Our war is against the schemes of the evil one. How we approach spiritual warfare is important. Often we take our focus off Jesus and place it onto ourselves or even onto what satan is up to.
Let me give some examples: “I am under attack.” “The devil is attacking me.” “Sin has got the better of me.” Here the focus is never on Jesus but upon oneself or satan. Suddenly, in the midst of a spiritual battle, our eyes are no longer on Jesus! Maybe that is some of the problem with our spiritual warfare; it all becomes about satan.
But spiritual warfare should be conducted through the paradigm of Jesus, with our eyes fixed on Him. Spiritual warfare should be conducted out of a place of victory, praying in the will of God and glorifying Jesus.
This is where the Ephesians 6 passage on the armour of God comes in, because the armour is all about Jesus and being clothed in Him.
Put on the full armour 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 armour 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. (Eph 6:11-17)
I have heard a vast number of different sermons and interpretations on the Ephesians 6 passage, ranging from actions you do when you get out of bed in the morning to a lifestyle that one lives. However, I want to put a different spin on it.
It’s a spin that says the armour of God isn’t actually about you or even the devil’s schemes about you; it is focused on Jesus. The armour is a representation of Jesus and who He is. Let me explain further; the belt, the breastplate, the shoes, shield, helmet and sword all points symbolically to Jesus.
- The Belt of Truth: Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6).
- The Breastplate of Righteousness: Jesus is the Righteousness One (1 John 2:1).
- Feet fitted with the Gospel of Peace: Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
- Shield of Faith: Jesus is the Faithful One who is True (Revelation 19:11).
- Helmet of Salvation: Jesus is the Saviour (Luke 2:30).
- Sword of the Spirit: Jesus is the Sword (Deuteronomy 33:29).
If you are in spiritual warfare or your church is facing a spiritual attack and it is time for you to really ‘dig-in’ and pray, then take encouragement that it is Jesus who is the one that goes before you into battle (Deut 31:8).
It is Jesus who leads the armies of God into war on your behalf and brings the Justice of God into your life (Rev 19:11-16).
He is the Might Warrior (Zep 3:17) and–like the Israelites crossing over into the Promise Land–the Captain of the Lord’s army goes ahead of you with flaming sword (Josh 5:13-14).
Spiritual warfare should never have its focus on you or the devil, but on Jesus. He is the One that will deliver you.
Jesus carries the sword of the Spirit for He is the Sword. The Sword is the Word of God and Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), the living Word of God, the active double-edge sword of the Word that comes from the mouth of God and the Word of His sword pierces the enemy.
Did you know that, as Christians, we are clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27)? In fact, Romans 13:14 instructs us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we literally ‘put on’ Jesus. We are clothed in Jesus and who He is. This is one of the reasons we are more than conquerors (Rom 8.37) because we are covered in Jesus, covered in His blood and have His mark resting on us. We are clothed in the armour of the Lord Jesus.
He fights for you and He is the armour that you put on and carry. Spiritual warfare should always have its focus on Jesus and be conducted through Him.
Let me encourage you that you are clothed in Christ Jesus, that you wear Him and that you carry His amour upon you. He fights for you.
Mark Gamblin is the founder and leader of Doxa Encounters Ministries. Mark is an ordained minister of the Gospel and has a focus on the prophetic, healing and revival. Equipping and engaging the church is those areas. He is also published world-wide Christian author. To join the Doxa Encounters Ministries online community, visit .
