The Armor of God - Why it Does NOT work.

We frequently hear messages related to or expounding the passage in Ephesians 6:10-20. I know of many Christians who have heard these messages countless times

So how come we rarely see Christians who are actually and really victorious using this armor in their experiences? If Ephesians 6 is the Word of God, and if God is faithful to His Word in fulfilling ALL of His promises, and if we are Christians, children of God, how come we fail in the battle of our struggles with the unseen world, "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"?

May I suggest the obvious reasons?

1. We do not wear the full armor of God, 
2. We do not properly wear the armor, 
3. We go to battle with some part of the armor missing!

The above reasons may all redound to the same thing but the application is what is not obvious.

Ephesians 6:11 requires us to put on the FULL or the WHOLE armor of God.  

Let us review the armor pieces in the order that Paul mentions them:

1. BELT of TRUTH
2. BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS
3. SHOES of READINESS given by the gospel of peace
4. SHIELD of FAITH
5. HELMET of SALVATION
6. SWORD of the SPIRIT which is the WORD of God

Note that the only offensive weapon is the sword.

Most people think that they can go to battle with just a sword in their hands and nothing to protect the rest of body. This is the main mistake of Christians who just know a lot about the Word of God but do not really know God and how God operates in both the physical and spiritual realm. In fact, they fail to realize how the REAL world operates!

No soldier, unless under surprise attack, goes to battle with only a sword in hand. In the principles of combat, whether during Bible times or as a Navy Seal the wearing of battle gear has never changed.

1. Focus on defense to minimize risk. Check every part of your defensive gear before carrying your sword.
2. Make sure your defensive gear is complete before you leave for the battlefield. Although we need the whole armor of God, we need to worry about the sword last. We need to make sure that we won't easily die on the battlefield.
3. Defensive gear will minimize risk but it will not kill nor defeat the enemy

The hardest armor check for the Christian is the defensive gear. Most Christians are too presumptive that they already have the gear in place. However, they are actually wearing low-quality imitation gear.  Here is why.

1. BELT of TRUTH. Truth is absolute and entirely based on God's Word and the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any belief or value system inconsistent with the word of God or the person of Christ is an imitation gear. Most Christians put their own personal opinion about truth above the actual meaning and truth of the Word. When the Christian thinks that the value system of the Sermon on the Mount is optional and just a guide, instead of the culture and responses expected of any Kingdom child, then that is personal opinion and a distortion of truth.  When the Christian thinks that tithing is optional and mandatory only for the Jews, that is distortion and not the truth. When the Christian thinks that giving 2 hours on Sunday to God instead of the WHOLE "sabbath", then that is distortion and leads to defeat. If one doubts any part of the Word of God, this shows that he is not even wearing the right belt of truth.
2. BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is another hard part. Most Christians go into battle with hearts and lives dominated by self-centered or unholy motives and unconfessed sin. Hence, they actually fight without any breastplate to guard their torsos and hearts! No wonder these easily face defeat many times even before the battle starts.
3. SHOES of READINESS given by the gospel of peace. Romans 5:1 declares that we have peace with God once He justifies us. This peace cannot be under-emphasized. It is peace with God that gives the truly redeemed the experience of real freedom based on the knowledge that God has lifted the curse of Sin from one's life. It is this perceived freedom where readiness to spiritual battle is derived from.  Without this peace, without this freedom, the Christian bearing the additional burden of guilt CANNOT engage successfully in spiritual battle. Without this freedom the Christian is NOT at all ready to do anything good and fruitful.
4. SHIELD of FAITH. Please refer to our previous discussions on the subject of faith.
5. HELMET of SALVATION. Our salvation has to be genuine. One cannot be saved by accepting Jesus as Savior alone. They have to unconditionally accept Jesus as Lord as well. To test this, one has to have an unswerving positive answer to the question, "Am I willing and ready to die for Jesus anytime?". Any other answer contrary to yes shows where one is as far as true salvation is concerned.

Christians in battle who can actually attest to the power of the Sword of the Spirit are those who are wearing the proper defensive gear before wielding the offensive gear.