Bible Discussion Thread

I am looking for the best way to learn haw to put on the whole armor of God without going through the whole Bible.what pieces of armor and what do they signify shield helmet and the rest

William, "the whole armor of God without going through the whole Bible" Whole, means just that, the whole word of God. Wouldn't you be unprepared if what you needed was what you overlooked? Armor requires maintenance, whether cleaning mud from the feet, adjusting the grips of the shield or chin strap of the helmet, or sharpening the sword. The prepared soldiers are those seeing to the details of their gear, and in doing so, develop a confidence in the effectiveness of that gear. The battle will come to you, what's your hurry,or, are you already being thrashed? I will pray for you, that is, as shoulder to shoulder on the battle front.

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d. shield of Faith: when the enemy's arrows of fear & doubt come at us, our faith fully established in the One Who is altogether Faithful & True, will be our shield to bounce those arrows off.

e. helmet (for the head) of salvation: a direct hit here would kill us in an instant - but Christ's salvation has saved us & will continue to save us in our battle for our hearts & minds.

f. sword of the Spirit: our only offensive weapon which we use adeptly sending out our thrusts of God's Word against the enemy (as Jesus did & withstood Satan saying, "It is written").

g. praying always in the Spirit: unlike the warrior who hopes he will come out alive from the battle, our victory is always certain as we always seek the Lord when the conflict rages, engaging Heaven's host when the going gets a little tough. The Spirit of God is never far away & comes when we call for help, in faith.

Those are just some of my thoughts to guide you William. Remember, if the enemy does get through your armour that means that you've not put it on or you have left yourself exposed in some way to his attack. If you're fully dressed, nothing of Satan can harm you. You may stumble - you may squirm at an arrow of temptation hitting you, but you cast it off & march on. To this advance, Satan trembles. But don't relax - he's lurking in the darkness awaiting another opportunity.

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Reading & understanding the whole Bible may help you to better understand the ways of God & the Devil & learn from it, but to use the armour of God as given in Ephesians 6:10-18 is your outline for full spiritual combat & defence that the Spirit of God equips every soldier engaged in Christian warfare.

The Apostle Paul, had a good look at a Roman soldier's outfit as they probably often marched through public places. Paul being the astute man that he was, saw the clear similarities of the soldier's armour so prepared to engage a visible enemy, to what the Christian should also wear as he battles the invisible enemy. And indeed, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (man-made) but mighty through God (God-given) to the pulling down of strong holds" ( 2 Corinthians 10:4).

So Paul tells us to put on the WHOLE armour of God - any piece missing gives an opportunity to the enemy to score a strike. This armour suggests a close combat situation, unlike modern warfare where little of this is seen as battles are conducted over great distance. So we're reminded that the spiritual forces against us are nearby & ever ready to engage us in an instant.

a. loins (the waist area) strapped with Truth: Truth holds our body armour in place; we must keep Truth tightly fastened, cherish it & let it be our defence as we face the taunts & lies of the enemy.

b. breastplate (covering the chest) of Righteousness: we are made righteous only through Jesus Christ & so clothed with His Righteousness, our hearts are protected & kept secure in His Love.

c. footwear of Peace: not just the foot but also the leg are protected. Where Satan would love to cause us to stumble or render us lame in our warfare, our feet are so shod with the Peace & Joy of Christ's salvation that our forward march is both careful & considered as we approach an enemy full of anger & rushing about as a roaring devouring lion. We are a different enemy, where peace & joy rule our hearts & so we approach him.

I would suggest reading the NT for a better understanding, but Ephesians chapter 6 tells us about putting on the whole armour of God, I hope this is what your looking for.

Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Ephesians 6:12 "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."

I think I get what you mean, but it's not that simple. These were the armor(or armour, as it's spelled in kjv) pieces:

helmet of salvation (protects your most vital part)

breastplate of righteousness (righteousness protects your heart from evil)

loins girt with truth (having a base of truth gives you the center on which to build on)

feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace (to run away quickly from temptations)

shield of faith (to withstand all of satan's fiery darts)

sword of the spirit (the only offensive weapon, prayer)

You can't exactly put on the armor of God without studying the word of truth and growing your relationship with Him. You have to sharpen your sword and repair your shield and armor before going into battle. This is done by growing in understanding and faith, which comes from studying the word of God.

Putting on the whole armour of God is learning and walking on His word that sir is a lifelong deal because we who are imperfect ate endeavoring to put on perfection Gods word, remember Jesus Christ respose to the devil during the temptations in luke 4 everytime it is written handing over the authority to His Father and our Father.