The Full Armor of God

In Ephesians 6, God uses Paul to instruct us on how to put on “the whole armor of God”. God wants us to be prepared to protect ourselves from the enemy whether single or married. Let’s take a look at what His Word says:
“ 0 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[c
] against spiritual “hosts” of wickedness in the heavenly “places.” 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— “
In looking at these verses, let’s look closer at everything that makes up the “whole armor”  and apply it to our lives.
The Whole Armor of God:
1. You must stand and gird your waist with truth. Stand up and take up your cause for your marriage/life in general! Be ready to fight for what’s yours! You must, first, surround or encircled your waist with truth. I think of a belt when I see “gird”. A belt can prevent a person’s pants from falling down. If a person’s pants fall down during a fight, he/she will probably lose! Or their opponent will get the best of them! In order that the devil does not get the best of us–catch us with our bottoms falling down–we need to fasten truth around our waist. We must gird ourselves with the truth according to what God says in His Word!
2. We must put on our breastplates of righteousness. A breastplate is a specific coverage of protection. It’s not for decoration or just for show. A breastplate is meant to protect the heart! To prevent a fatal deathblow to our hearts. The enemy knows that if he can reach our heart, he has rendered us either destroyed, helpless, or incapacitated. We have to protect our hearts by wearing our breastplates of righteousness. Proverbs 4:23 “ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
How can we wear righteousness? We are able to wear the breastplates of righteousness in Christ! Only because of Jesus!! Thank You Lord!
2 Corinthians 5:21 “ 1 For He made Him who knew no sin “to be” sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. 
3. We must shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Whatever we do and wherever we go, we need to think “What would Jesus say/do?” Jesus traveled many places by foot, and everywhere He went, He shared the good news of the Kingdom with everyone. We have to stop thinking that we have to go to another country to be a missionary of God. We can share the gospel of peace with the person standing next to us in line at the grocery store. Everywhere we walk–in our homes, our jobs, and public places–we need to be about sharing the good news about Jesus and showing people Jesus in us by being at peace with everyone.
Romans 14:17-19 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “ Now all things “are” of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore “you” on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God”.
4. Above all else, we must take up our shield of faith. Our faith is our shield! Remember, we only need a mustard seed to cast a mountain into the sea (Matthew 21:21), so always be asking God to increase your faith. We want to have our faith up as a shield against any fiery attacks and trials that the enemy launches at us. Therefore, it is important to fix your faith securely in God and not on another person’s performance so your faith can remain unshaken. Think about the movies, how a warrior holds up his shield under a relentless assailant who tirelessly launches fiery arrows. The enemy does just that! We just have to keep our faith fixed in the Lord and have our shield ready–our faith secure in His promises — every time the enemy launches a fiery dart.
1 Corinthians 16: 13 ” Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
5. Our helmets of salvation. A helmets is used to protect us from a head injury. We must protect our thoughts and know who we are in Christ! If a person does not know his/her identity in Christ, the enemy can trick that person into falling for his deceptive snares.
Titus 3:5 “ He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”
John 5:24 “ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
Romans 8:1 ” There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 1:5-9 ” o are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith,”being” much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen[a
] you love. Though now you do not see “Him,”yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of “your” souls.”
One of the oldest tricks of the enemy is to encourage thoughts of condemnation and deceive a person into thinking their salvation is based on their works. Our salvation is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ when He laid His life down upon the cross. It is finished! It is only because of Jesus!! Thank You Lord!!!!! Keep your helmets of salvation on because they are paid for with the precious blood of Christ
6. Wield the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God actively! With intention and be purposeful! God’s Word is a mighty weapon against the enemy! For every proposition the devil made to Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus answered Him by speaking God’s Word (Matthew 4)! That is what we must do when we are faced with afflictions and trials. We must slice through the lies with certainty and without hesitation! 
Hebrews 4:12 “ or the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
7. We must PRAY! ALWAYS! We must be watchful and alert.
1 Peter 5:8 “ Be sober, be vigilant; because[a] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 1:13 ” Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest “your” hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
We must be diligent to stay awake spiritually. We must remain alert because the enemy is always waiting to see whether we will become distracted in an attempt to catch us when we are unaware and spiritually sleeping. We must, therefore, pray continually and be ready to aggressively defend ourselves with the mighty weapons God has provided! We can counterattack and defend ourselves against the enemy by using the Word of God. We must aggressively wield it and speak it over our marriages and lives, in general. We must pray–always being on the offensive–and be the aggressor. We do not want to wait to pray only when we are being attacked. We want to pray continually so we are always communicating with God who ensures we have the victory in Christ!
I pray this study on the full armor of God blesses you.
Cassandra Salamone

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Prayer Points for Husbands and Wives

It is so important for every husband to pray for his wife and vice versa. There is power in prayer! Your husband or wife may not ask you to pray; but if you pray anyway, what a beautiful way you are able to extend grace and love! Just as we don’t have to ask Jesus to intercede for us before our heavenly Father, we can emulate Him and allow intercessory prayers for our spouses to rise like a sweet-smelling incense to God. Let your prayers be another act of love you instill in your marriage.

Prayer Points for Husbands to Pray for Their Wives :
1. Her walk with God. Pray for your wife’s walk with the Lord. If she puts Him first, He will teach her how to submit to your leadership and also how to respect you.
2. Ask for Wisdom. Ask Him to give you wisdom in how to love your wife in ways that honor Him. Loving your wife is not all about romance but also in respecting her as your “helper suitable” (Genesis 2:18). Her input is valuable and her perspective is needed in your decision-making at times.
3. Friendship. Pray that God will show you ways to enrich your friendship with your spouse through shared interests and in your daily interactions. One good belly laugh a day keeps the stress levels at bay!
4. Her Friendships. Pray that your wife makes friends with/maintains friendships with women who can keep her accountable, respect your marriage together, and pray with her.
5. Her Choices. Pray that the Lord will order your wife’s steps and that she will make choices that honor God. Pray that she will not act out of impulse, fear, anger or uncertainty but from God’s leadings.
6. Her heart. Pray that God will keep her heart soft. Pray He will remind her that you cannot take His place in her heart. Pray that God will fill her heart with His Spirit and complete her so that you can enjoy His fruit from her heart’s outpouring in your marriage: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Kindness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer Points for Wives to Pray for Their Husbands :
1. Pray for Your Husband’s Walk. Pray that he will put God first in his life for if he submits to God all of his other priorities in life will be rightly ordered. Pray that God will place a burden on his heart to be a spiritual leader by praying with and for you and your children. A family that prays together stays together.
2. His Thoughts. Pray that your husband will guard his thoughts from ungodly influences by fixing them on “whatever things are true, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8). Pray that he will honor God with his thought-life.
3. His friendships. Pray that your husband will surround himself with other men who will hold him accountable to his walk with God. Pray that he will maintain friendships with men who respect your marriage together and who will  encourage and pray with him. A strong man of God never stands alone; he links arms with other men of God.
4. Ask for Wisdom. Ask the Lord to show you how to respect your husband at all times. Ask Him to give you the strength and wisdom to separate your feelings from your obligation to submit to your husband as unto Him (Ephesians  5:22). Honoring your husband is about honoring God. Pray that He will show you how to see your husband as He does.
5. His Protection. Pray that God orders his steps and keeps his feet from stumbling near the enemy’s snares. Pray that the Lord assigns angels to guard him from any dangers that may befall him.
May God preserve him from all evil and preserve his soul, his going out and his coming in from this time forth, forevermore, in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Psalm 121:7-8).
6. His heart. Pray that God will keep his heart from growing stony. Pray He will soften it but fill it with His Holy Spirit so your husband can lead you from a place of confidence in Christ and godly power. Pray that your husband will grow fruits and that you will enjoy its bounty in your marriage: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Kindness, Gentleness, and Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-23).

I pray these prayer points are a blessing to you, and may the Lord place a burden on both your heart and your spouse’s hearts to pray together. Never stop praying for each other. Have a blessed day!

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

Cassandra Salamone
I am including this post in Happy Wives Club’s Marriage Mondays Link Up Party!
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