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HOW TO READ THE BIBLE BETTER:

AS YOU READ EACH PASSAGE, DO THE FOLLOWING:
ASK – God to connect with you in this moment. In prayer, start by slowing down and
inviting God to help you understand what this passage means for your life. Clear your
mind of all distractions and simply focus on what God wants to accomplish in this
moment.

READ – the selected section of Scripture slowly. First, read the whole passage while
taking notes of the words and phrases that stick out to you. Read it a second time,
pausing at the parts that stick out to you.

REFLECT – on what grabs you. What connections do you see at this point in your life?
How might God be speaking to you through these words? What do you think reading
this at the time of Jesus felt like? What does it mean for you today?

RESPOND – to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and
heart. Look for ways to live out what resonated with you individually and with your
group.

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Spiritual Warfare
I grew up going to church, like all the time. From Sunday morning worship to
Wednesday night prayer meetings, my mother ensured I was alway there. She would
dress me in a ridiculously uncomfortable button-up shirt and clip-on tie and then send
me off to my class that met in a modular building behind the church. I used to
specifically love the Sunday school hour before service. Honestly, it wasn’t because of
the Bible lessons or spiritual elements. I just loved goldfish crackers, candy, and
coloring sheets. Who on earth came up with the programming decision to fill kids up
with candy at 8:30 in the morning before church?

I was never gifted at coloring, but I really enjoyed the coloring sheets we did in class. I
can remember one specific coloring sheet where I was filling in the lines of a Roman
soldier’s armor. Most kids were making it red, but I thought that purple was a more
fashionable choice for my solider. Each piece of armor was labeled. When I got done
with my purple-and-lime-green gladiator, the teacher got up in front of the class and
taught about the armor of God.

The “armor of God” passage shows up in Ephesians six, where the Apostle Paul
encourages believers to prepare for battle. He’s not talking about the Roman
occupation or any physical war; it’s all about the invisible, spiritual battle taking place
all around us. He uses the illustration of a Roman guard’s uniform to parallel the
spiritual uniform designed to help Christians withstand the attacks of the enemy. We
have likely read this passage before, but there are layers of context that will help shed
new light on this classic Scripture.

Why does Paul make such a big deal about putting on the armor of God? It represents
the core defenses we must take in our spiritual lives. The Bible teaches that Satan is
roaming about looking to lie to us, destroy us, and accuse us (Revelation 12:10; 1 Peter
5:8). The enemy is a trickster who uses clever schemes to make Christians live in fear,
feel insecure, ignore community, grow overwhelmed with guilt, and live out lies that he
contrived.

This is not the life God wants for you. Thus, He has given you spiritual armor to help
you withstand the devil's tricks and tactics.

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Suit Up
Think of a time when you were really scared.

One summer night, I was sleeping over at a friends house. In cliche childhood tradition,
we were telling ghost stories before slipping off to sleep. While we were going back
and forth swapping stories, my friend told me a terrifying tale about young girl who was
killed down the road from his house (googled it, never happened). After a pause, he
stuttered, "She can still be heard playing by the pond today.”

I laughed along, but I was literally screaming on the inside. As the night went on, the
stories slowed down, the Pizza Rolls got cold, and we decided it was time to get some
shut eye. Moments before drifting to sleep, my eyes sprung wide open as I audibly
heard a droning cry echoing through the house. I assumed I was going crazy, so I just
rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. Seconds later, the same sound again filled the
room. My friend poked his head over the side of the bed and asked if I heard it, too.

That’s the last thing you want to happen when you’re hearing a ghost— find out
someone else is hearing the same ghost. It was confirmed. We were being haunted.
We were about to be eaten alive by a ghost girl from the pond.

Here is the most embarrassing part of the story: We ended up laying down weirdly
close to each other…terrified for our lives. With each passing moment, the sounds
seemed to grow louder. Somehow we managed to fall asleep. While we ultimately
survived the night, the haunting melody never seemed to stop. The next morning, the
mysterious sounds continued in the broad daylight. I’m sure you know this, but ghosts
don’t moan in the morning, so we knew something was wrong here. I followed the
noise until I discovered that the sound was actually coming from a speaker. I pressed
the eject button and noticed a blue-colored CD emerge from the boombox. The disk
was titled, “Ocean Dreams: Songs of the Whale.”

We were being haunted by the Free Willy soundtrack.

We felt all that fear over something completely fake! It’s easy to base our view of the
supernatural on what we’ve seen in movies. Our minds reflect on over-the-top
hauntings with levitating furniture, demon children throwing up, and clowns that live in
the sewer. We have bought into this dramatized version of spiritual warfare that looks
like the set of a haunted house.

Here’s the truth: Spiritual warfare is completely real; it just doesn’t look like the stuff we
see on the big screen.

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READ Ephesians 6:10-16
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor 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 armor 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.”

Paul opens up this passage by confronting the complicated concept that there is an
invisible battle going on around us. Every day, we are waging a spiritual war with an
enemy that is scheming against us. This passage is designed to help us prepare for
that battle. Every day. Paul says we need to suit up in order to stand our ground.

Every morning, you need to suit up. Remind yourself of each piece of spiritual armor
that God has given you. It’ll give you strength even when you feel weak. It’ll give you
hope even when you feel helpless. It’ll lead to truth even when you are surrounded by
lies. It’ll give you victory even when you feel close to defeat.

What do you do when conflict comes? Suit up.

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The Belt of Truth
When describing our spiritual armor, Paul starts out with a subtle example. He is talking
about a war, right? My mind goes straight to swords, bombs, helmets, and tanks.
However, Paul starts his list with a belt, the most underwhelming of clothing items
imaginable. The passage reads, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist” (Eph. 6:14).

Why does he start with a belt instead of a tank or something cooler? The belt plays a
much more important role than you may think. In Roman times, the soldiers used the
belts wrapped around their waists to hold their entire outfit together while also securing
their most important weapon, the sword.

Paul associates the belt with truth. For Christians, God’s truth is what holds everything
together— it’s foundational. When you think of a belt, it hugs you really closely. It’s
crucial that you keep God’s Word close to you. When you choose to surround yourself
with the promises of God, this truth will hold everything in your life together.

Usually, the first trick Satan tries is fear. He wants you to feel unsafe and insecure.
However, God’s truth reminds you that you are safe and secure in our Savior. Fear is
fake! He’s holding everything together, both in the universe and in your life.

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Breastplate of
Righteousness
The second piece of Armor in our arsenal is the Breastplate of Righteousness. In
ancient Roman armor, the breastplate was a monstrosity made up of heavy metals
layered together. This was created to fortify the entire abdomen during battle. The
heart, lungs, and other vital organs were all safely secured beneath the soldier’s
breastplate. If a solider didn’t wear this piece, he was certainly susceptible to life-
threatening attacks.

Paul suggests we position protection over our most vital spiritual organs.
Righteousness protects us. Look at all the commands in Scripture! They aren’t
designed to control you— they are designed to protect you.

God hates sin because sin hurts people.

When you choose not to lie, you are protecting yourself from broken friendships and
trust.
When you choose to pursue purity, you are avoiding complex emotional pain and
heartbreak.
When you choose to love people, you are opening up to more opportunity.
When you choose to trust God, you will experience impossible peace.

It all starts in the heart. When you protect your heart, you are protecting the core of
your entire being. You will experience true contentment when you walk in God’s
commandments.

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Shield of Faith
Paul explains, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). Faith is powerful. It
ultimately means “trusting God to be who He says He is.” When we choose to walk by
faith, the uncertainty of life builds us up instead of tearing us down. It allows us to
press forward even when the future seems uncertain.

Imagine the complex uniform of this soldier. He was likely covered in head-to-toe
armor. His sword was positioned between his belt and tunic, and he only carried one
thing in his hands, his shield. Don’t think of a small, dainty shield like the one used by
Captain America. Roman shields were like hand-held bunker walls. This would have
been a similar size and shape to your front door. They would essentially cover the
entire solider during warfare.

I imagine war is really scary. The solider had no idea when a flaming arrow was going
to fly at his face, but he knew he was safe behind his shield. This makes me think of 2
Corinthians 5:7 where it's explained, “We live by faith not sight.” It’s so easy to live by
fear, but God has a better strategy for you.

In life, we do not know what’s coming next or what attack we may face. Fear is
inevitable. However, we are safe and secure behind the shield of faith; there is nothing
the enemy can come up with that’s powerful enough to penetrate that shield. God is
calling you to fight your fear with faith. You have assurance that God’s presence is with
you despite uncertainty or calamity.

I do not know what you're going through, but I know that you will get through it. God
says, “Fear Not. You are Mine.” Do not reject in fear what God revealed to you in faith.

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Helmet of Salvation
If you’ve ever played a full-contact sport, you understand the importance of the helmet.
From football to hockey to Black Friday shopping, a helmet can often be the difference
in life and death. In our spiritual battle, the helmet represents the difference between
victory and defeat.

While sitting in a dilapidated jail cell, Paul reflected on the Roman soldiers that he was
inevitably seeing every few minutes walking back and forth in front of iron bars. The
helmets worn by ancient warriors was unmistakable. They’re worth a Google search.
The helmet boasted a bizarre red mohawk running down the middle, and metal
covered most of the head except the nose and eyes. It was heavy and intimidating, but
it also played a more interesting role. Due to its recognizable peacock nature, it struck
absolute fear into the enemies the soldiers faced. When you saw those gaudy, red
helmets marching towards you, there was trouble. Our enemy feels the same way.

The Apostle Paul urged us to "take the helmet of salvation.” We mention the word
salvation all the time, but do we really grasp the miraculous meaning? This little word
sums up the biggest shift in the universe— Jesus brought heaven to Earth so that we
can live with Him eternally. When He died on the cross and rose from the grave, Jesus
saved you from your sin, secured your soul, and shielded you from the schemes of
Satan.

As we have made clear, Paul is making an analogy here. We are not called to put on
real armor every morning before clocking into work or going to first period. Rather, Paul
understood that war is often waged within our own minds. The enemy will try to fill your
mind with lies, accusations, and try to make you feel like you are fighting alone. He’ll
use tricks to make you rationalize your sin while ultimately using that sin to lead you
towards suffering. The Helmet of Salvation can protect our minds and help us
transform our thoughts.

When the enemy says you are unlovable, you can remember that you are loved
eternally (Ephesians 1:4). When the enemy says you are are powerless, God says His
strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). When the enemy says
your life is meaningless, you can remember that you have abundant life (John 10:10).
When the enemy says you can’t get through this, you can remind yourself that you are
a conqueror (Romans 8:31-39).

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Sword of the Spirit
What good is all this armor without a weapon? After encouraging us to suit up and put
on the full armor of God, Paul encourages us to take up the "the Sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God.” Just like an ancient soldier would wield his sword in battle,
the Word of God is the weapon we need to push back against the enemy. When you
are reading and remembering the Word of God, you are swinging your sword in the
spiritual battles around you.

Look back at this list. All of the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive, which
means they’re designed to protect you when conflict comes. The sword is the only
offensive weapon in this entire list. What does it represent? Scripture. Read Scripture
every day. This will be the weapon that helps you win every battle. Whenever you
encounter a lie from the enemy, respond to it with the truth of God. Whenever you are
feeling fear, go into the Word. Whenever you face an attack, open the Bible.

Here are three ways you can draw the sword in your life:

Read the Bible Every Day: Just make some small changes to your routine. Try
taking the first fifteen minutes of your day to study Scripture instead of scrolling
through Instagram. This will empower you to be battle-ready, regardless of what the
day throws your way.

Write Scripture Down: Choose some verses that mean a lot to you. Then, put them in
places where you will see them. Write sticky notes with passages about your identity
and stick them on your mirror. Scribble Scriptures about God’s love on your notebooks.
Place the Word of God in front of your eyes as much as possible.

Memorize Scripture: I get it, you probably hate memorizing things. However, this
discipline will completely change your life. The Psalmist urges us to “hide God’s word
in our hearts.” There is paramount power in memorizing Scripture. These verses will
give you help in times of need, comfort in times of stress, inspiration in times of
discouragement, and motivation when you need a push. Start by memorizing verses
(Phil 4:8; Psalms 19:14; Mark 12:30), then move into memorizing passages (Romans
8:31-39; Ephesians 4:10-18; Ephesians 1:3-14).

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